One of our favorite celebrations is having water baptisms on Easter morning. At the end of our 11:30am service, those wishing to be baptized come forward, respond to a few questions affirming their faith, and are then fully submerged in a large baptismal built into our platform up front. For more information about baptism, continue reading below.  If you’d like to be baptized, let us know and a pastor will connect with you. We rejoice with you in taking this significant step of faith!

SIGN-UP FOR BAPTISM

The Sacrament of Baptism

Our two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, have been called outward signs of an inward and invisible grace. In the administration of both of these sacraments something goes public, a mystery is disclosed, something is being communicated, and something pledged.

Jesus Christ’s institution of baptismal practice is given in Matthew 28. He joins baptism with teaching in the process of making disciples. As this is carried out in the church, baptism is administered in the name of the Triune God. That a person can be named in the name of God is an audacious act of obedience to Jesus’ command.

In the Evangelical Covenant Church we affirm infant dedication, infant baptism, believer baptism, and an affirmation of baptism in our public worship.

Believer Baptism

In the tradition of believer baptism, persons hear the word of God, repent, believe it, and are baptized. The practice of believer baptism does not deny the prevenient work of God in opening the human heart to the gospel; but where infant baptism has emphasized the sacrament of a means of God’s grace, believer baptism emphasizes the human decision to follow Christ. Through immersion or sprinkling, believers who are baptized make public their witness to conversion and their pledge of discipleship. A biblical example of this practice is the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip [Acts 8:38].

Baptism is always both a personal and corporate act. On a personal level, one can say that baptism is like being born anew [John 3:5; Titus 3:5] or like dying and being raised to new life in a new world [Romans 6:1-11; Colossians 2:12]. On the corporate level, baptism is an invitation and incorporation into the body of Christ [1 Corinthians 12:3, 26-27]. The sacrament of baptism is a public observance, because the community of believers provides the context both for coming to faith in Christ and for the nurturing and development of that faith through discipleship.

Have Questions?

Let us know and we’ll be glad to connect you with a pastor.

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