Baptism is a practice Christians have done for thousands of years. Maybe you were sprinkled as a very young kid or were baptized in a different denomination or even religion. Maybe you’ve never been baptized. Here’s what we believe about baptism: It’s a core part of the Christian journey that’s meant for everyone who has decided to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).

The biblical practice of baptism involves being submerged by another person for a brief moment completely under water, then lifted back up. The action is symbolic of Jesus dying, being buried, and being raised to life again and also of being washed clean (1 Peter 3:21). It’s a powerful and personal experience and also the point at which we believe the Spirit of God comes to live within your heart and to empower you to live a life following Jesus (Acts 2:38).

The Bible teaches that baptism accompanies the decision to follow Jesus, so as soon as you believe that Jesus is your Savior, you should be baptized (Acts 8:12)>.

There are several answers to this question, depending on your particular situation. If your baptism occurred as an infant, you should be baptized again. Your infant baptism was more a symbol of your parents’ faith than yours. Every baptism we see in the New Testament, however, was a believer confessing his or her own faith. So be baptized “again,” fulfilling the hope your parents had when they baptized you as an infant. Don’t fear that you are dishonoring them. What better way to honor the hopes they expressed in your baptism than to choose for yourself to follow Jesus?

But what if you were baptized after an initial conversion experience but now suspect that your actual decision for Christ occurred later? Should you get re-baptized? There’s no hard and fast answer, but if you have concerns that you were not committed to Christ at the point when you were baptized (i.e., you were pressured into baptism by your parents or friends, had no real grasp on salvation, had some ulterior motive, etc.), then be baptized again.

However, if your baptism depicted the beginning of a journey of faith, a journey marked by failures, followed by renewed repentance and recommitment, then trust His grace and commitment to you in your initial and ongoing decision for Christ. God is continuing to mature you in Christ, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. There is no Scriptural necessity to get re-baptized. If you are walking with Jesus now, you can trust your initial confession of faith and baptism was real and effective.

If you have not experienced believer’s baptism, even though you may have experienced baptism as an infant, we strongly encourage you to be baptized as a repentant believer.

Some churches and denominations choose to christen (or sprinkle) infants. We understand Scripture to teach that only professing believers qualify for baptism. Baptism does not make you a believer, but it shows that you already believe. Infants and newborns are precious and innocent, and do not have the need (nor the ability) to repent and turn from their sin.

That’s why we wait until a child has the need, and the ability, to repent and follow Jesus before we baptize them. For infants and babies, we do offer a parent dedication service for parents twice a year (May & October). This is about parents
 making the commitment to raise their kids to know and love Jesus. For questions, contact our Family Ministry Team.

At FCC we love to see children making decisions for Christ and confessing their faith through baptism! To receive baptism a child must be able to understand that they have sinned, but that Jesus died in order that their sin would be forgiven. Parents, are you wondering if your child is ready to be baptized? We would love to help you figure things out. Just reach out to our Family Ministry Team.

We recommend that you bring a dark shirt and shorts or swimming trunks to wear for your baptism. We also provide t-shirts and shorts as-needed. There are private changing rooms available for you at the church (including towels, hair dryers, showers, etc.)

We believe that any Christian can baptize another Christian. The person baptizing is important as they are important to the person being baptized. We strongly believe in having the person who has most directly discipled (taught, led and modeled Christ) you being the person you have perform the baptism (i.e. parents, group leaders, youth leaders, etc). However, we always have pastors and ministry staff available to perform baptisms.

Those being baptized will be met by a member of our Baptism Team and the pastor or person leading the baptism at Baptism Check-In. A short reminder of the new commitment to Christ and what this act symbolizes is stated, and then the person will be fully immersed into water (to picture the death of Christ) and raised again out of the water (to give the picture of Christ’s resurrection).

Those gathered around cheer and clap to celebrate your decision. You are welcome and encouraged to invite family and friends, take photos, and celebrate this special time together. We will provide you with a shirt, a small gift, and photograph to commemorate your Baptism.

Yes! We are always up for baptisms any time during the week. The important thing is not that you get baptized in front of the entire church—it’s that you’re ready to walk with Jesus for life.