baptism

Baptism is an outward declaration of an inward decision in following and committing your life to Jesus. It’s a public declaration of how Jesus has changed your life and heart. Being baptized shows others that you’ve made the decision to follow Jesus and allows them to celebrate this decision with you (Acts 16:31-34). Baptism doesn’t save a person; it’s a symbol and celebration of salvation (1 Peter 3:21). The power that brought Jesus back to life is the same power that Jesus uses to change our lives- and that’s worth getting excited about!

For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is their very next step. Scripture teaches us this and demonstrates baptisms happening immediately following the decision to believe in Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12).

The question is not “should I be baptized?” The question is “Have I decided to follow Jesus?” If the answer to that question is yes, the answer to the first question is also yes! 

Jesus commands us to be baptized and it is important that we do what Jesus has asked of us. Jesus modeled water baptism for us and was baptized himself! Transformation of our lives and hearts is important to Jesus, we see this in Acts 18:18. Being baptized identifies you publicly as a part of the people of God. Another reason is being able to show the outward declaration of the inward change. You have been made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! This is a moment you can look back on and say, “that was the day I let go of my former life.” Water baptism is also symbolic of the washing away of our sins by the Holy Spirit.

When a child is old enough to make the decision to follow Jesus and have a clear understanding of what this means, that is when we recommend they be baptized. Age 5 and up seems to be when children are old enough and more fully grasp this act of obedience and place their trust in Jesus. We recommend and highly encourage that all children check out eKids foundations videos to have a better understanding of salvation and water baptism. To check out these videos, you can use this link: https://www.goevangel.org/foundations

As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones who will commit their life to Him (Romans 10:9). Baptism follows a person’s decision to trust Jesus for his or her salvation and signifies a commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48). At Evangel, we wait until children are old enough to express their own decision to follow Jesus and understand the meaning of baptism.

If your child is not quite ready for baptism yet or is under the age of 5, they can be dedicated! Child dedication is a symbolic way of committing your children to God and to raising them up in the ways that He has instructed. We also encourage parents to have their children be a part of eKids on Sundays and once they are old enough, they can be a part of an eKids Connect Group (grades K-5). You can use this link to get a more in depth explanation of child dedication: https://youtu.be/2J3hmbRWZmA

To register for child dedications, you can use this link: goevangel.org/ekids and scroll down to find your campus

If you feel like your child may be ready for baptism, we highly recommend you to have them participate in resources Pastor Kyle has made. These videos help children understand what salvation is and also what water baptism means and is geared towards them so it is simple for them to understand! goevangel.org/foundations

Yes, if each family member fully understands the meaning of baptism and each one has personally placed their trust in Jesus for salvation, families may be baptized at the same time.

If you want to do a baptism separate from a weekend service at Evangel, then yes! In fact, anyone who is a follower of Jesus can baptize you if they have played an important role in your life in your relationship with Jesus.

If you want to be baptized during one of Evangel’s weekend services, then no. Our pastors and staff have a variety of different responsibilities during our services and they aren’t always available to participate in the baptism portion of the service.

Our Sunday rotations are scheduled out, you can request a pastor but contingent on their schedules, they may not be available.

If you haven’t been baptized by immersion since you have made the decision to follow Jesus, we want to help you take your next step of obedience in being water baptized. Once you have taken that step, there’s no need to do that again. God never asks us to take a next step that isn’t good for us. He always gives us more than we can deserve or imagine, including the joy we receive from listening to Him and doing what He says. Scripture only demonstrates being baptized once you personally have made the decision to follow Jesus and make Him your Lord and not multiple times or on the behalf of someone else’s belief and decision that is made for you before you can understand. 

In the Bible, the original word for baptism most often referred to being immersed or fully submerged in water. Submersion in water symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:13-14). Being submerged under water represents our death to sin and old ways of life, and being raised to out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).

We understand that it can be difficult if family members don’t understand or agree with your decision to be baptized again. Deciding to be baptized and following Jesus is a personal decision and choice that is between you and Him. We suggest that you honor them in their beliefs, even though they may differ from what you think, and thank them for doing what they believed was right for your walk with Jesus while you were growing up. Be patient with their questions and be considerate of their feelings. Take time to explain to them why you want to be baptized (you can use this page as a reference) and then ask them if they would be willing to respect and honor what you believe is the next step in your personal walk with Jesus. 

You can bring shorts, a change of clothes, and the people who will celebrate with you! (We provide a baptism shirt for you)

Yes, baptism is a celebration and we encourage you to invite family and friends to join you in celebrating!

Yes, we would love to hear more about your story and how God has changed your life! We encourage you to share it with others as well! 

Click here to share your story with us.‍