Baptism is primarily two things: a statement and a picture. First, baptism is a statement. Baptism is the biblical way for a person to identify him/herself with Jesus Christ. Throughout the book of Acts, we see a consistent pattern: people trust in Jesus to save them and they are baptized. Baptism is a way of saying, “I am identifying myself as a follower of Jesus and I am trusting in His death and resurrection to save me from my sin.” It’s a statement of belief and identification. Baptism is also a picture. When the person stands in the water before being baptized, that represents their life before trusting Jesus. They were alive to sin, following and obeying it as their master. When the person is put completely underneath the water, that represents the fact that they died to sin when they became a believer; they turned away from sin to follow Jesus. When the person comes up out of the water and is completely wet, that represents the new life they have because of Jesus. They have been washed clean from sin – not because their bodies are wet but because they have been forgiven by God because of Jesus’ death in their place (see Romans 6:1-4, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21-22).

You should be baptized if you have cried out to God to rescue you from your sin and trusted in Jesus’ death and resurrection alone for salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16-17 and Romans 10:9-10 all explain how someone is saved: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot earn salvation. So have you made that decision to cry out to God to save you? It might sound like this: God, I confess that I am broken and sinful and cannot save myself. So I trust in Jesus to save me through his death and resurrection. I confess him as my Savior and Lord. Help me to follow you. Amen.

First, let us know (fill out the form below or fill out the response card at church). We will reach out to you to set up a time to meet with one of our pastors.  In preparation of your baptism you will be asked to write down answers to 3 questions: what is your story of coming to faith in Christ, who would you like to thank, and what is your favorite Bible verse or passage?  On the day of the baptism, come 15-20 minutes early for service and find the Pastor who will be baptizing you. What should you wear?  The best thing for men to wear is a t-shirt and pair of shorts. Women can wear the same thing. Women, please don’t wear white or anything that would be revealing (some women like to wear a bathing suit under shorts and t-shirt). Bring a towel and a change of clothes. You will be asked to repeat a statement like the following before you are baptized: I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for my sins and rose from the dead.  I trust Him as my Lord and Savior. 

First, baptism is only for those children who have made a credible confession of faith.  We do not baptize infants or those too young to understand the Gospel.  If your child has made a credible confession then it is good to encourage them to take the next step of baptism. However, you also want to make sure that they are at a developmental place where they can really understand the decision that they are making. Pray about it, talk to one of the Pastors, and talk with your child. Here at EPIC we believe that the parents are the primary disciple-makers in their children's lives; therefore, you often have the best vantage point to assess whether your child is ready. For this reason we encourage the parents to discuss this with their children and take them through the questions below. Some of the things we suggest is that your child be able to remember the event as an adult, understand what baptism is and why they would do it, and be able to physically get baptized (being dunked under water). Before your child is baptized, they will meet with one of the pastors.  Here are some questions to ask a child:
1. Who is Jesus and what has he done for you?
2. Why do you want to be baptized?
3. What does baptism mean?
4. Have your personally trusted in Jesus to save you from your sin and surrendered your life to him?