Baptism

“You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” — Acts 22:15-16

Talk to a pastor about baptism

Going Public

Getting baptized is often a topic of much debate. Not so much between you and another person, but mostly it can be an inner conversation filled with dialog like; “Am I good enough?”,  “I should probably know more before I go public.”, “I still need some time to figure this whole thing out.”, or even “Once I can convince my family to come and support me, I’ll get baptized.”

Here’s the deal, those are all valid thoughts. It seems like there can many factors that influence our decision about when to go public with our faith in Jesus. However, when we look to the Bible, specifically in Acts, we can see that the model given to us about baptism is simple; believe and be baptized.

Scroll down for some of our frequently asked questions below.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About Baptism

  • At KMCC, we practice believer’s baptism while respecting churches and families with different convictions.

    In Scripture, baptism follows a personal decision to trust and follow Jesus. If you were baptized as an infant, your parents were expressing their faith and hopes for you. Choosing baptism after personally trusting Christ does not reject what your parents did. It allows you to publicly express your own faith in Jesus.

  • If you were baptized after personally choosing to follow Jesus, you do not need to be baptized again, regardless of your age or the church where it happened.

    Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision. As you grow, you may experience renewed faith, deeper understanding, or a fresh commitment to Jesus. Those moments should be celebrated, but they do not require another baptism.

  • KMCC does not use a fixed minimum age for baptism. Baptism is for anyone who has personally trusted Jesus and understands what baptism represents in a way appropriate to their age and ability.

    For children, a ministry leader will meet with the child and a parent or guardian to talk about their decision and help determine readiness. We recognize that people understand and communicate their faith in different ways. Readiness is based on a genuine personal response to Jesus, not simply a person’s age or communication style.

  • Romans 6 describes baptism as a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Going beneath the water symbolizes being buried with Christ. Rising from the water represents the new life we receive through Him.

    For this reason, KMCC normally practices baptism by immersion. When immersion is not physically or emotionally possible, our pastoral team will work with the individual to find an appropriate way to celebrate baptism. The meaning of baptism is found in the person’s faith in Jesus, not in the amount of water used.

  • A KMCC pastor can baptize you. If someone who has played an important role in your faith has already been baptized and you would like that person to baptize you, we would be glad to discuss that with you.

  • KMCC does not baptize infants. We believe baptism follows a personal decision to trust and follow Jesus.

    We do offer child dedication, which gives parents, families, and the church an opportunity to commit themselves to raising a child according to the teachings of Scripture.

  • Wear shorts and the baptism shirt provided by KMCC. You may also want to bring a towel and a change of clothes.

  • If you have personally decided to trust and follow Jesus, baptism is your next step of obedience. Whether you made that decision recently or many years ago, baptism is a powerful and biblical way to publicly declare your faith in Christ.