We are glad that you are considering being baptized. These web pages will give you an explanation of Baptism at Grace Community Church, as well as the steps you will need to take to be baptized at the upcoming service. Please look through the links to the left.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail deedee@gracethechurch.com or call the church at (479) 646-1177. Someone will be happy to help you!

BIBLICAL PASSAGES
In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus commands his followers to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations...

Once a person admits that he or she is a sinner and turns to Christ for salvation, the Bible says that a person should proclaim the life change that has occurred: the watching world needs to know. Baptism has always stood as a kind of public testimony for people who have moved from being a seeker to being a believer.

Believers are those who have realized that their sin has separated them from God. They have given up all efforts to reach God through good works or religious activity. They have concluded that Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins is the only thing that can bridge the gap between them and God. A believer is someone who has decided to trust Christ alone for his or her salvation.

If you have come to this point in your spiritual journey, then you are ready to be baptized. Just as a bride and groom tell of their love for one another through the symbol of rings, you should also want to show the world, through Baptism, of your union with Christ. Let the miracle that has happened in you show through the sacrament He ordained for you.

The Ethiopian asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the Ethiopian said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"... Then they went into the water and Philip baptized him. — Acts 8:34–38

In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus commands his followers to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…" Baptism is the means by which followers of Christ are identified. Baptism signifies entrance into the household of faith, and is a symbol of repentance and inner cleansing from sin.

In passages such as Acts 2:41, 8:12 and 10:47–48, it is evident that Baptism follows an individual's decision to trust Christ alone for salvation. Baptism was never intended to provide salvation for an individual, but rather to publicly identify a person with Christ. In Romans 6:1–11, the apostle Paul explains how the immersion mode of Baptism identifies the believer with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Going under the water represents Christ's death and coming out of the water illustrates His resurrection.

The Bible also states that God bestows upon baptized persons the presence of the Holy Spirit, marks them with an identifying seal as God's own, and implants in their hearts the first installment of their inheritance as sons and daughters of God 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. It is through the Spirit that the life of faith is nourished until the final deliverance when they will enter into the fullness of salvation Ephesians 1:13-14.

In baptism, the church declares that it is bound in covenant to God; through baptism believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are initiated into that covenant. The covenant connects God, the community of faith, and the person being baptized; all three are essential to the fulfillment of the baptismal covenant. The faithful grace of God initiates the covenant relationship and enables the community and the person to respond with faith.

Scriptural teaching on Baptism may be summarized as follows:

1. Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, fulfilled by individuals who have submitted themselves to His sovereignty. The church believes baptism is a ‘sacrament’ that is, baptism is as divine a connection as we can have with God.

2. Baptism symbolizes the spiritual cleansing through divine forgiveness and the newness of life experienced by believers by virtue of their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection.

3. Baptism provides an opportunity for believers to make a formal profession of their faith before the church and to become part of God’s kingdom community.

4. As a biblical rite of initiation into the body of Christ, Baptism of believers may be considered a prerequisite for joining the membership of the church.

In both the Old and New Testaments, God enters into covenant relationship with God's people. A covenant involves promises and responsibilities of both parties; it is instituted through a special ceremony and expressed by a distinguishing sign. By covenant God constituted a servant community of the people of Israel, promising to be their God and giving them the Law to make clear how they were to live. The circumcision of male infants is the sign of this covenant (Genesis 17:1-14; Exodus 24:1-12). In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God fulfilled the prophecy of a new covenant and called forth the church as a servant community (Jeremiah 31:31-34; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The baptism of infants and adults, both male and female, is the sign of this covenant.

Baptism recognizes and celebrates the redemptive life change that is continually occurring within our church. The Grace Council encourages, new believers and believers, that have not yet participated in Baptism, the opportunity to be baptized. At Grace, we believe that adult baptism by immersion paints the clearest picture of “dying to sin and arising to Christ and new life.” As a United Methodist Church, our tradition includes sprinkling and pouring as ways of representing the symbolism of our death in Christ and rising in life with him. During the year, you are welcome to choose whichever mode of baptism you prefer but several times a year, we make immersion available to our new believers.

Within the Methodist tradition, baptism has long been a subject of much concern, even controversy. John Wesley retained the sacramental theology, which he received from his Anglican heritage. He taught that in baptism a child was cleansed of the guilt of original sin, initiated into the covenant with God, admitted into the church, made an heir of the divine kingdom, and spiritually born anew. He said that while baptism was neither essential to nor sufficient for salvation, it was the "ordinary means" that God designated for applying the benefits of the work of Christ in human lives.

On the other hand, although he affirmed the regenerating grace of infant baptism, he also insisted upon the necessity of adult conversion for those who have fallen from grace. A person who matures into moral accountability must respond to God's grace in repentance and faith. Without personal decision and commitment to Christ, the baptismal gift is rendered ineffective.

Baptism for Wesley, therefore, was a part of the lifelong process of salvation. He saw spiritual rebirth as a twofold experience in the normal process of Christian development—to be received through baptism in infancy and through commitment to Christ later in life. Salvation included both God's initiating activity of grace and a willing human response.

In summary, Grace Community Church offers and encourages infant baptism for children of believing parents joined to the covenant community with the understanding that the baptized child must someday make an adult profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Salvation is through our adult profession of faith not our infant baptism.