Baptism: Frequently Asked Questions
Text the church office if you’re interested in getting baptized (714.879.3324)
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Just what is baptism all about?
We believe that baptism is an important step in following Jesus Christ. It is important because Jesus commanded us to be baptized (Mat. 28:19). It is important because Jesus said that it was necessary for everyone who followed Him to make a public confession of their faith (Mat. 10:32, to admit to others that you are following Jesus) and baptism is one way for that to happen. It is important because it is an outward expression (Rom. 6:3-4) of what God has done on the inside of your heart – it’s showing people that you have “died with Christ” (being dunked in the water) and have been “raised with Christ” (coming up out of the water).
We do not believe that a person is saved through baptism. We believe that a person is saved by believing in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8,9). We practice baptism because Jesus commanded us to be baptized.
We believe in full immersion baptism. The word “baptize” means to “immerse”. That means that we’ll get you into a pool of water and put you gently under the water. For those folks who have a fear of getting their head under water – we’ll get most of you under the water and pour water over your head.
What if I was baptized as an infant?
We’d like to say that our hat is off to your parents in that they were concerned about you growing up and somehow being connected to God. That’s a good thing. But to be honest, the Bible doesn’t say anything about infants being baptized, it speaks of believers being baptized. A person needs to be old enough to believe in order to be baptized.
How old can a person be to be baptized?
We do not baptize babies, but we do dedicate them to the Lord. If you have a baby that you’d like to have dedicated at one of the morning services, just contact the office and let us know when you’d like for us to have the church dedicate your baby to the Lord.
If you would like your child (under 12 years old) to be baptized, it is important to us that your child be old enough to understand what it means to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We do not believe that a child should be forced to be baptized, it should be something they want to do.
If you are older than 12, if you have asked Jesus into your heart, and you desire to follow the Lord by being baptized, you are eligible!
I want to be baptized, what do I do next?
We’d love to know that you’d like to be baptized. You could send us an e-mail, talk to a pastor after one of the services, leave a message at the office (714.879.3314), or just show up at the baptism.
The Questions …
The pastor is going to ask you some questions in front of the crowd before he baptizes you. Do you want to do some homework to make sure you answer correctly? Here are the questions:
1. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?
2. Did He pay for all your sins on the cross and bury them in the grave?
3. Did He rise again the third day, giving you a new life to live for Him?
4. Have you accepted His free gift of forgiveness and eternal life?
5. Is Jesus the Lord of your life, and do you intend to follow Him all the days of your life?
What do I need to bring to the baptism?
You are going to get wet – real wet – soaking wet. If you want, it’s fine to bring/wear a swimsuit, but for the sake of modesty we’d encourage you to also wear a t-shirt or sweatshirt on top of your suit, as well. If you want to wear shorts and a shirt, that’s fine as long as you don’t mind them getting soaked. Bring a towel. Bring a change of clothes if you like (you can change afterwards in the bathrooms).
Bring your friends. Bring your family. This is a big step in your life. You want people you care about to be there to see you take this step of following Jesus. It will be a chance for them to hear the gospel and see it at work in your life. Ask them to come and take pictures – you’ll want some pics for your scrapbook.
Pictures
Here are some previous baptisms …