Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. It is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. Baptism signifies that a person’s former way of life has been put to death and depicts a release from their slavery to sin.

Baptism is not merely a responsibility and demonstration but also a privilege. We have the opportunity to evidence our trust in and love for our King through baptism. It is our joy to be baptized,  and we should eagerly participate in the ordinance. The desire to be baptized should be motivated by our hope to glorify God in faithful obedience. Any other motivation (to join a particular local church, to please a friend or family member, etc.) should not be the ultimate reason for  seeking to be baptized.

To Obey the Commands of Christ

Though grace is mysteriously mediated through the ordinance, it is not saving grace but rather sanctifying grace. We are more conformed to the image of Christ as we obey Him in the call to be baptized. Without in any way diminishing the duty and delight of baptism for a believer, we caution against thinking which suggests that salvation is dependent upon baptism. The gospel the message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone.

While we do not baptize infants at Church of the City, we do have a child dedication process for parents who are stakeholders and want to publicly dedicate their children to the Lord.

Child Baptism is available to those children who are old enough to both understand and verbally confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Depending upon a child’s age and understanding of surrendering their lives to Christ and wanting to proclaim that publicly, baptism is available upon completion and submission of an application for baptism.