Baptism is going public about your faith in Jesus and communicating to the world your commitment to follow him.
FAQs
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It’s a public declaration of how Jesus 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).
Obedience to Jesus shows we believe and follow Him. (1 John 2:3). Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. Being baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).
For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to follow Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12).
Most importantly, we think it should be the child who initiates the step. Beyond that, we recommend 10 years old as a general guideline, but we rely on the judgment of parents (or guardians) to determine the appropriate age. As parents, we can help point our kids to Jesus, but just like they are the ones to decide if they will commit their lives to Him (Romans 10:9), it should be the child who initiates the step of baptism. Baptism follows a person’s decision to trust Jesus for his or her salvation and commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48).
If your child isn’t ready to be baptized think about dedicating them where You get to stand in front of your church family and commit to raising your child alongside your church family.
There will be seasons of growth and greater periods of spiritual maturity – but if you have made a decision to follow Christ and been baptized, there’s no need to be baptized again.