what is baptism?

Baptism is one of two special ways in which Jesus commanded us to declare our faith in him (the other one is the Lord's Supper). It is simply an outward act (being immersed in water) that displays an inward attitude ('I want to follow Christ for the rest of my life').

... it is also a way of announcing publicly that you are a Christian and that you want to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Jesus himself was baptised and told us to follow his example.

why do we do it?

we do it because Jesus commanded us to

He said "Go and make disciples ... baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:18-20)

we do it because the early Christians did it

There are many clear examples in the Bible to show that this was how people were admitted into fellowship in the early church (see Acts 8:34-39)

so what does it mean for today?

it is a picture of cleansing

It graphically illustrates that Christ has washed us from our sin and that we have put our former way of life behind us (see Acts 22:16)

it is a picture of dying and rising with Christ

In the same way that Jesus died and rose again so, by being baptised, we show that we have died to sin and now live a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 6:4).

So baptism means that you have personally accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour and handed your life over to his control. By being baptised you are saying this publicly.

how do people prepare for being baptised?

We run a short series of seminars to help you grow as a Christian and to prepare you for being baptised. You can attend those seminars without committing yourself to being baptised and we will not put pressure on you to do so.

what about church membership?

When you have been baptised there is nothing to prevent you becoming a church member - and we would normally expect you to do that unless there are special circumstance to prevent it.

what happens if I was christened or baptised as a baby?

That is not a barrier to being baptised as an adult if you wish to. As an adult believer you are making an intelligent, personal statement that you want to live for Jesus Christ. When you were a baby you were not able to make this sort of intelligent declaration. In no way does adult baptism denegrate the value of infant baptism -we're simply using the same word to describe two different things (that we agree it's a tad confusing!)

baptism and the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22) and this marked the beginning of his ministry. So too you need the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfil the ministry that God has called you to. For this reason the filling of the Holy Spirit is often linked with baptism (see Acts 2:38, 8:14-17).