You’ve decided to follow Jesus, and you want to be baptized. That’s great! But what are the next steps to being baptized at White Mills Christian Church?
What is the meaning of Baptism?
Baptism is an important symbol of the new life that is created when someone becomes a follower of Jesus. It helps you to identify with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) (Colossians 2:12)
It also defines your new life as a Christian. (2 Corinthians 5:17) (Romans 6:4)
Baptism does not make you a believer - it shows that you already believe. Baptism is an act of obedient faith, representing a crossing over and putting to death the old ways of your life, being raised to your new life in Christ and becoming a new creation.
Who should be baptized?
Every person who believes in Jesus Christ should be baptized. (Acts 2:41) (Acts 8:13) (Acts 8:12)
When Should I be baptized?
You should be baptized as soon as you believe. (Acts 2:41) (Acts 8:35-38). There is no reason to delay. As soon as you have decided to receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized. If you wait until you are "perfect", you'll never feel "good enough"!
When should children be baptized?
At WMCC, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them. Some churches practice a "baptism of confirmation" for children. This ceremony is intended to be a covenant between the parents and God on behalf of the child. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough to make his or her own personal confession of Christ. This custom began about three hundred years after the Bible was complete. This is different from the baptism talked about in the Bible which was only for those old enough to believe on their own. The purpose is to publicly confess your personal commitment to Christ and to identify with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Why does WMCC baptize by immersion?
We baptize by immersion because Jesus was baptized that way (Matthew 3:16). Every baptism in the Bible was by immersion (Acts 8:38-39) and the Greek word "baptizo" means "to immerse or dip under water".
· When you believe and desire to be baptized, reach out to one of our ministers about your decision to put your faith in Jesus. Baptism is an outward sign of God’s work of grace in your life. Faith in Christ is necessary to receive that grace.
· In the New Testament, baptism is associated with belief in Jesus. People heard the good news, believed, and were baptized (Acts 2:41; 8:12–13). Baptism was the outward sign of their belief, indicating they had become part of Christ’s Church. Two thousand plus years later, baptism is still done to indicate someone is becoming a part of the Church.
What will my baptism be like?
At the end of the service prior to your baptism, you will be asked to publicly share your belief in Jesus. You will be guided by the minister to come forward and repeat this phrase, " I believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior."
During the service after an agreed-upon day, you will be directed to the changing room to prepare for baptism. When ready, then minister will lead you into the water, introduce you, briefly lower you just under the water and raise you up out of the water, and then you can leave the water, dry off and return to the changing room. Later you will receive your baptism certificate. We encourage you to invite all your relative and friends to attend your baptism.
Things to know:
1. Before your baptism is scheduled, we will set up a time to go over the process and answer any questions you have about baptism. When you are ready to take that step, call or email the church office, so we can schedule a time to meet. During our meeting, we will also talk about when your baptism will take place.
2. Baptism involves getting wet. Our church baptizes by full immersion. So, you will get fully wet! If you have any concerns about being immersed (e.g., physical limitations, fear of water, etc.), please bring those up when we meet. On the day of your baptism, you should come prepared. A change of clothing (e.g., shorts, tee-shirt, swimsuit) to wear under the baptismal gown provided by WMCC. WMCC will provide you with a clean towel to dry yourself. Bring a plastic bag or some other method to hold your wet clothing. Bring whatever else you may need like a hair dryer, brush, or comb. Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the beginning of the service, so we have time to go over a few instructions.