Baptism

It illustrates Christ's burial and resurrection.

"Christ died for our sins... He was buried... and He rose again." — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ." — Colossians 2:12

It illustrates your new life as a Christian.

Being baptized doesn't make you a believer in Jesus - it shows that you already believe. Being baptized doesn’t save you - only your faith in Jesus does that. Think of baptism as you would a wedding ring – it’s an external, symbolic representation of a commitment you’ve made in your heart.

"When someone becomes a Christian, they become a brand new person inside. The old life has passed away and a new life has begun!" — 2 Corinthians 5:17

"By our baptism then, we were buried with Him and shared His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead... so also we may live a new life!" — Romans 6:4

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith... it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." — Ephesians 2:8,9

Because Jesus was baptized that way.

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water." — Matthew 3:16

Every 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

The word itself explains HOW we should be baptized.

The word baptize comes from the Greek work baptizo – which means to immerse or dip underwater.

This is why we baptize this way at LifePoint Church.

Ideally, as soon as you begin your relationship with Jesus (but it’s never too late)!

"Those who believe...were baptized...that day!" — Acts 2:41

There’s no need to wait – as soon as you receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized. If you wait until you feel worthy or good enough, you’ll never be baptized. That’s why it’s best to do it as soon as possible – but again, it’s never too late – and also why LifePoint Church offer multiple opportunities every year for Jesus-followers to be baptized.

Any person who believes in Christ and is ready to share that belief publicly through baptism (details about child baptisms below).

"Those who believe 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 8:12

At LifePoint Church, we wait until children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them. This is typically age 10 and above. More information on “LifePoint Kids” baptism is below.

A quick explanation of the simple steps:

• You’ll enter the baptism pool (baptistry) and the person baptizing you will ask if you’ve made Christ the Lord of your life.
• After you’ve answered (YES!), you’ll briefly be lowered so the water just covers you (that’s immersion). You’re then raised back up. This is why it’s often said, in baptism, we’re “buried with Christ – and raised to walk in new life.”
• You’ll then step out of the water, dry off and watch others be baptized.
• Photos are being taken during the whole event, and will be posted to LifePoint's social media channels that afternoon. Video is also recorded and posted to the church’s Web site.

We’ll walk all baptizees through the entire process just before the actual baptism service, so not to worry! It’s really pretty simple and every question will be answered.

Family baptisms are an amazing experience!

Yes! We love to baptize families together, provided that each person (couples, parents with children, etc.) has personally placed their trust in Christ and fully understands the meaning of baptism. It’s also a powerful way to move forward together as a family, spiritually.

Water baptism gives you a great opportunity to testify about God’s work in your life. Jesus' death and resurrection destroys the enemy’s claim on you and allows you come alive spiritually…now, and forever with Jesus - what the Bible calls everlasting life. Becoming a Christian by believing in Jesus means you’re now a restored, new person spiritually (on the inside). Baptism is how Jesus-followers announce their heart transformation to the world. We encourage everyone to invite their family and friends to the baptism service. Those who can’t be with you physically will be able to watch online.

You’ll get all the info once you register…but generally, you’ll be wearing long swim trunks or other synthetic, dark shorts/yoga pants. We’ll give everyone a dark, navy blue/grey I AM MADE NEW t-shirt to wear during their baptism. We’ll also provide a towel for you – but do bring a change of dry clothes!