Baptism

Baptism is an important step of obedience that shows others we have personally trusted Jesus for our salvation.

Jesus was baptized when He was on the earth, and we do this to follow His example. When Christians are baptized, they are submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection. Baptism is a public declaration of three important things:

1. You are a follower of Jesus Christ

2. You are beginning a changed life in Christ

3. You are part of a new family

In the Bible we see that the early church baptized as soon as someone made a decision to follow Jesus. So, anyone who has made a decision to put their faith in Jesus should be baptized. It’s as simple as that. There is no “qualification” or “standard” a person needs to live up to.

If you were baptized previously in your life and are considering being baptized again you should consider having a conversation with a pastor, small group leader, or trusted spiritual advisor to determine if you “should”.

We will baptize anyone over age seven who understands what baptism symbolizes and wants to make that personal public declaration. We encourage any parents to partner with City North Kids to guide your children through these decisions of faith.

Throughout the New Testament, the Bible teaches that baptism is a public expression of worship symbolizing the new life we have when we follow Jesus. In the Bible we see that Jesus’ parents dedicated him to the Lord and he was later baptized as an adult.

We understand that some churches practice “baptism of confirmation” for children. This ceremony is intended to be a commitment between the parents and God on the behalf of the child. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough to make his or her own personal confession of Christ. This custom began about 300 years after the Bible was completed and is different from the biblical examples of new believers being baptized to publicly profess their faith in Jesus.

So at City North we provide opportunities for child dedication and baptism as important, but separate moments. To get more information about child dedication, send us an email.

If you decide to be baptized the Next Steps team at City North will be in touch with you to set up a date for your baptism, give all the information you need for the day, and to walk with you through the process, but here’s an overview.

We practice baptism by immersion during our Sunday service. That means that on a Sunday we’ll “dunk” you in a tank full of water. We also think it’s important that you share your story of faith with your church family. For some people that’s a very scary proposition, so rather than having people share their story live, we just set up a time to talk, capture it on video, and edit it down to be quick and encouraging.

While none of this is “necessary”, and certainly the methodology isn’t required in Scripture, we think it’s a great way to celebrate your faith in Christ, and hold to the important Biblical principles around baptism.

If you have any specific questions about this process, or some of it makes you feel uneasy or scared, please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have. We care more about you than our methods, and will work with any individual we can to make their baptism a great experience.

In short: yes.

Many people have different ideas about what baptism is and what it does, and many different churches and faith backgrounds teach these things in different ways. At City North we believe baptism is a very important step in your faith, but is not a requirement to be saved and go to Heaven.

We also do not believe baptism changes anything spiritually. It does not “wash sin away” or make you closer with God. It doesn’t mean your life or faith will be different. It’s just a step on the journey.

However, for someone who has put their faith in Jesus and is unsure about being baptized, it is very important to ask why you feel the way you do. As followers of Jesus we should be… well… following Jesus. And Jesus chose to be baptized, which means we should take being baptized seriously. If you have peace with God in your decision to not be baptized at this time, then have confidence in that decision, but make sure it is not being made from a place of personal comfort or fear.