Baptism

When you are baptized, you are telling your family and community that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord. People get baptized to show they are doing what Jesus wants them to do, that He is truly in charge of their life. In Matthew 28:19-20 it says, “Jesus said, ‘So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you.’” We are obeying Jesus when we get baptized.

Besides Matthew 28:19-20, there are several New Testament passages about baptism. We encourage you to look them up and study them on your own. Make some notes on what you understand and what you don’t. If you have questions about what you read, please bring them up when you meet with a pastor regarding your baptism. Matthew 3:13-17, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:26-40, Colossians 2:12-13

Baptism should always follow a salvation decision. There is nothing about the water, the words, or the action that saves you, but it’s an act of obedience that shows you have already committed to follow Jesus.

It is never too late for a believer to be baptized, but in the New Testament, we see that new believers obeyed the call to baptism as soon as possible, sometimes the same day.

The word BAPTIZE means to “put in the water.” Some churches sprinkle water on a person’s head, but we baptize by immersion, which is how Jesus was baptized.

Since baptism is meant to be a public declaration of your faith, there will be other people watching and listening. Your church family and whoever you want to invite will support you and celebrate with you on this big day. This is how Jesus taught us to be baptized.

Before you are baptized, you will be instructed on how we baptize, including where to stand and what to do, so everything goes smoothly.

We want to create a partnership between families and Renovation as each person grows in his or her walk with Jesus. If your child or teen expresses interest in being baptized, we encourage you to talk with them about what baptism means. We do not believe in or administer infant baptism. As we read in scripture, baptism must always follow a person’s own decision to trust in Jesus and follow Him. Child Dedication is the parents’ public commitment to follow the Lord as they raise their child(ren), and baptism is an individual’s public announcement of their own commitment to follow the Lord.

Before they are baptized, children and teens will be asked to meet with a member of our pastoral team to discuss their decision. There is no right or wrong age for baptism, but we believe that the individual should be able to explain their understanding of salvation and baptism in an age-appropriate way, and we strongly encourage parents to embrace their responsibility to disciple their children and help them continue to grow in their faith. If you need help anywhere along the way, our staff is here for you and your child.

• Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?
• Can you give a brief testimony of when that happened and what that means in your life?
• Do you understand what being baptized means?
• Can you express why you want to be baptized?