Baptisms are a wonderful part of church life. They are a celebration of the salvation that comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. All who heard the good news and repented were invited to be baptised.
This water ritual is no less than a declaration to all that Jesus is both Saviour and Lord. Adults who repent of their sins and seek to lead a new life as a follower of Christ may be baptised. Children of such believers may also be baptised as a promise that the child will be brought up as a faithful member of the church, following Jesus Christ.
For these reasons, we love baptising adults, children and sometimes whole families!
What next?
There are lots of reasons that people get in touch with us about having their child, or themselves baptised. Much like a wedding, the baptism service involves some pretty significant promises about following Jesus. That means that it’s very important to us that you understand the Christian faith before being baptised. Accordingly, there is a process of preparation involved.
The first step is to visit one of our Sunday services and speak to a Minister.
After you’ve made initial contact, one of our Ministers will book in a preliminary interview to discuss our process & what baptism means. Usually, this means attending one of our exploring Jesus courses. Because of the length of these courses, your initial enquiry must be at least two months prior to the date you have in mind for the baptism. Normally, we don’t lock in dates until you’ve already begun attending the preparation course.
You’ll also have a look at the baptism services to make sure you understand the promises involved.
Sometimes people feel uncomfortable with the preparation, or making the promises that are required. Instead of a Baptism, we’re happy to run a Thanksgiving service instead. It’s always a good thing to give thanks to God, and the Thanksgiving service doesn’t require you to make any promises, or to have worked out what you think of Jesus beforehand. You can decide at pretty much any point right up to the day if you’d prefer this option.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can we have the Baptism on a Sunday afternoon?
Unfortunately, no. Our churches are very active communities with lots of activities that our ministers are involved in. This means that ordinarily, we do baptisms on a Saturday if it’s a standalone service, or as part of one of our Sunday Services.
We’d encourage you to get in contact as soon as possible, as we’re only able to do one Saturday baptism per month. - What about God parents?
God parents aren’t required to attend the course, however they will need to look over the order of service and make sure they’re happy with standing up the front and making promises, too.
Traditionally, children will have two God parents of the same gender, and one of the opposite gender. However, there are no fixed rules on this and so we’re able to be flexible. - How much does a baptism cost?
We don’t charge for baptisms. However, we are happy for you to make a donation towards the running of the church. Please speak with the Minister doing your preparation for further details. - We really need to lock in other details for the day, because family are travelling to visit – can you be flexible about the course requirements?
Our Ministers understand that a child’s baptism can be a significant occasion. However, because of the significance of baptism before God, it’s really important that parents understand & believe the Christian faith themselves – and so we require that at least four sessions of baptism preparation have been attended before the service.
For more info, contact us.