Summer Baptism

Coming up soon, on August 7, we will have our annual baptism and potluck at the river. The elders have worked on a document that summarizes our view of baptism. Here’s a preview of what we came up with. The full document can be found on our church’s website.

Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 6:4-5). Though baptism does not save us from our sins, it serves as an essential part of the Christian faith in which the Christian confesses faith in the Triune God (Matt 28:19).

The Bible does not explicitly say when baptism should occur. At CBC, we do not baptize infants, but we do believe that God saves people of all ages, children included (Matt 19:14). It is best to baptize someone soon after they express faith in Christ, though there may be reasons to be cautious about administering and being baptized. Baptism is best administered by immersion. This fits the biblical pattern (Matt 3:16; Acts 8:39) and best symbolizes the gospel (Rom 6:4-5; Col 2:12).

Those who desire to be baptized should visit with the pastor and/or an elder to set a time to share with them their testimony of what Christ has done in their lives. The elders encourage, though do not require, those who desire baptism to give public testimony in church of what Christ has done for them.

May the Lord bless our time at church and at the river on August 7!

Pastor Chance