Baptism is an act of obedience, an outward expression of an inward change; it’s the public declaration of how Jesus has changed your life. Being baptized shows others that you’ve decided to follow Jesus, and allows them to celebrate this decision with you (Acts 16:31-34). The act of baptism doesn’t save a person; but it is a beautiful symbol and celebration of salvation (1 Peter 3:21). Because Jesus took on our sin and granted us His purity, if we put our faith in Him, we are made right with God – and that’s worth celebrating!
Going public!
Baptism is going public about your faith in Jesus and communicating to the world your heart-felt commitment to following Him. It's the next step after salvation.
We practice baptism through immersion which symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and is your public declaration that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Baptism is not required for salvation, but it is a biblical command and demonstrates your love and obedience to Christ. Something beautiful, mystical, powerful takes place when we identify with Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection and follow him into the waters of baptism. - Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:41; Ephesians 2: 8-9; Matthew 28:19-20
COMMON QUESTIONS
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What is baptism?
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Why should I be baptized?
Jesus instructs us to be baptized, and He set the example through His own baptism (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9). Our obedience to His instruction shows that we believe and follow Jesus (1 John 2:3). Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. These public displays of baptism also help the church family provide support and accountability to one another.
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When’s the best time to be baptized?
For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12); so if you have placed your faith in Christ, but haven't been baptized, we encourage you to talk to us about baptism as soon as you can.
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Why do you baptize by immersion?
The original word for baptism in the Bible most often referred to being immersed or submerged in water. Jesus was baptized by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10). Submersion in the water symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and represents our death to sin and old way of life. Being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus has raised us and given us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5). If submersion is not possible for you for medical or other reasons we are happy to figure out a way together for you to be baptized that captures the purpose and intent of this powerful sacrament.
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Do I need to be baptized again?
If you haven’t been baptized since you decided to follow Jesus, we want to help you take that next step in obedience to Jesus. If you’ve already been baptized, there’s no need to be baptized again. We’ve had people choose to do so for various reasons: some have felt like it was part of a major recommitment to Jesus and they needed to make it public; we have baptized people whose parents baptized them as infants, but they wish to experience the sacrament of baptism to make their own faith public; and others sensed that their first baptism was done without a true repentant heart, merely going through the motions and wanting to be baptized with a true heart for Jesus. The Bible doesn’t prohibit being baptized again, but it also doesn’t expect it. Romans 8:35-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Though we may wander at times, He is faithful to hold onto us.
