With a pastor, elder, or other selected leader each person being baptized enters a pool of water, goes down fully beneath the surface, immediately rises up again above the surface, and then exits the pool.

​

Why would I consider baptism in this way?

We believe this is the consistent pattern and teaching of the New Testament:

• Jesus commanded us to make & baptize His disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

• Jesus was baptized by immersion as a public confession (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21).

• The early church baptized by immersion professing believers as a public expression of their faith (Acts 2:41; 8:36-39; 16:31-33; 18:8).

• Baptism by immersion in water clearly expresses the New Testament teaching of salvation through the substitutionary death and powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ; it visually demonstrates a person’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 2:12).

 

Note: we believe baptism by immersion subsequent to personal faith in Christ is what the New Testament teaches, and so we encourage each believer to follow that model, even if he (she) was ‘baptized in confirmation’ as a young child.

 

Will I be asked to say something in front of other people?

Since we believe baptism is an ‘outward profession’, we ask each person to briefly but publicly tell how he (she) came to personal faith in Jesus Christ and why he (she) is taking this step of obedience.