Should my child be baptized?

Baptism should not be entered into lightly. The public display of baptism represents a lifelong commitment to God and His Church body as a new creation in Christ. As a local church, we hold that believers who express a credible conversion should be baptized. We assess that credible conversion on a case by case basis no matter the age. Consider the the following indicators to help determine if your child is ready for baptism:

• My child initiated conversations about baptism and has a desire to be baptized.
  Oftentimes, out of excitement for their child’s salvation or desire for their child’s salvation, parents will initiate conversations with the child about getting baptized. While parents should teach about baptism with their children, we want to see the child wanting to get baptized take initiative on starting conversations about their baptism. We encourage parents to 1) pray for their child’s salvation, 2) ask the Spirit to give them a desire for obedience in baptism, and 3) wait for the child to initiate a conversation about baptism.
• My child can articulate their need for salvation and the way in which they were saved.
  Baptism isn’t just an event, its sharing with your church that you have been saved. However, we don’t want our baptism to be the only way we can express the story of us going from death to life, we need our words to be able to do so. Part of showing a credible conversion is being able to verbally express their own need for salvation, how their salvation was accomplished, and when/how they started following Jesus. If your child is unable to verbally express their need for salvation and the way in which they were saved, we would encourage you to continue to pray for your child and continue to have conversations about sin being the our biggest problem and how Jesus is our solution.
• My child has self-initiated sorrow for their sin.
  It’s easy to feel sorry for the consequences of our sin but the mark of a Christian is that they have a godly grief over their sin - not just the consequences of it. Does your child exhibit real remorse for their wrongdoing or do they just feel bad that they are in trouble? Does your child initiate asking for forgiveness or do they have to be told to by a parent or authority?
• My child desires to follow Christ more than fit in with their peers.
  Another mark of a child who follows Jesus is that they would rather follow Jesus closely than fit in with their peers. Does your child make more efforts to fit in with peers than they do to follow Jesus closely? If so, we encourage you to have lots of conversations about the cost of discipleship and what it means to really follow Jesus. 

• Both parent and pastor/elder believe the child has had a credible conversion
  As a parent, you have the front row seat to your child and the way their life has changed since following Jesus. We always want to make sure that a parent is on board with the baptism of their child prior to their baptism. And since baptism is also the church affirming the confession of faith in an individual, we require a pastor or elder to meet with and affirm that your child has had a credible conversion. Here are some things to look for to help determine the credibility of a profession of faith: Your child can clearly articulate the gospel on their own, your child shows an independent desire to attend church, pray, and read God’s Word, your child participates in worship on Sunday mornings, your child displays godly sorrow towards their sin, recognizing their offenses against a holy God, your child expresses a desire to follow Jesus and to associate with Christ over the world, your child initiates and walks through the baptism process independently. Many of the above indicators aren’t one-time events but patterns you’ll notice over time. Because baptism doesn’t save, we don’t want to give parents or children false assurance of their salvation, and because these indicators of credible conversion are not one time events but will be witnessed over time, our elder team strongly recommends parents encourage their children to wait until they are high school age before moving forward with baptism. This provides you, as the parent of a child interested in baptism, a front-row seat to be able to witness the above indicators evidence themselves over time.