Baptism

Baptism is a powerful picture of the gospel. When a believer is baptized, they are submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus, and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection and new life.

As Romans 6:4 says:“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Baptism also marks a believer’s public declaration that they now belong to Jesus. It is a symbol of the inward transformation God has already accomplished through salvation.

If you were baptized after personally trusting in Jesus, you do not need to be baptized again. Baptism is meant to be a one-time public declaration of faith in Christ.

However, some people were baptized before they personally trusted in Jesus, such as being baptized as an infant or before truly understanding the gospel. In those cases, we encourage people to be baptized as believers—after they have placed their faith in Christ.

This is not being “baptized again,” but rather taking the step of baptism in the way Scripture describes.

Yes—if your child has personally trusted in Jesus and understands the meaning of baptism.

In the New Testament, baptism follows a personal decision to repent of sin and trust in Christ. Because of this, we want children to understand the gospel and the significance of baptism before taking this step.

For younger children, we often encourage parents to talk with a pastor or leader so we can help discern whether the child is ready and understands what baptism represents.

At Stonegate, we practice believer’s baptism, which means baptism is reserved for those who have personally trusted in Jesus.

Because infants are not yet able to place their faith in Christ, we do not baptize infants. Instead, we encourage families to participate in child dedication, where parents commit to raising their child to know and follow Jesus with the support of the church.

When that child is older and personally trusts in Christ, they can then choose to be baptized as their own declaration of faith.