WHY DOES FAITH AND FAMILY CHURCH PRACTICE BAPTISM BY IMMERSION?

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1. In Scripture, “baptize” means “to immerse or dip under water.” We baptize the way we see in Scripture that Jesus was baptized. "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water."- Matthew 3:16

2. Every water baptism in the Bible was by immersion. "Then both Philip and the man went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water …" - Acts 8:38-39

 

WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?

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Every person who believes in Jesus Christ should be baptized. "Those who believed and accepted His message were baptized …" - Acts 2:41 "Simon himself believed and was baptized …" - Acts 8:13 "But when they believed Philip as he preached the Good News … and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." - Acts 8:2

 

WHAT ABOUT INFANTS AND CHILDREN BEING BAPTIZED?

 

At Faith and Family Church, we do not practice infant baptism. We wait until children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of a relationship with Jesus Christ before we baptize them. Some churches practice a “baptism of confirmation” for children or “infant baptism” for babies. This is different from the baptism we read in Scripture, which is only for those who express a personal belief in Jesus Christ. While many of us were “confirmed” as children in our parents’ church, that confirmation or baptism was the parents’ decision as a covenant between them and God on behalf of the child. Faith and Family Church only practices water baptism by immersion after an individual has made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Faith and Family Church does offer a Parent-Child Dedication service where parents and the church commit to raising a child according to biblical principles.

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WHEN SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?

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As soon as you have believed! We encourage you not to delay. "Those who believed … were baptized … that day!" - Acts 2:41 "Then Philip began with the Scripture and told him (the eunuch) the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the man said, 'Look, here is water! Why shouldn’t I be baptized right now?' Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' The man answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' So they went down into the water and Philip baptized him." - Acts 8:35-38​

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IF I WAS BAPTIZED AFTER FAITH IN CHRIST BY ANOTHER METHOD THAN IMMERSION, DO I HAVE TO BE BAPTIZED AGAIN TO GET INVOLVED AT FAITH AND FAMILY CHURCH?

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No. As long as your baptism (sprinkling, pouring or immersion) was after faith in Christ as a public announcement of your commitment to Jesus Christ, you do not have to be baptized again to get involved at Faith and Family Church. However, Faith and Family solely practices baptism by immersion. It would be your choice to participate in Faith and Family Church practice of water baptism by immersion.

 

I WAS BAPTIZED BEFORE I MADE THE DECISION TO FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST. CAN I BE BAPTIZED AGAIN?

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Yes. Our pastoral staff looks forward to talking with you about your decision to get baptized again, especially if your first baptism experience preceded your conversion to Jesus Christ.