Baptism at Collective Church

The Greek word for baptism, "baptizo," literally means "to immerse" or "to submerge." Going down into and coming out of the water symbolizes our identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, as we die to a life of sin and rebellion against God and receive new life in Jesus.

Baptism is also a conscious and outward profession of our faith, something we do in obedience to Christ’s command. He instructed His followers to be baptized, describing it as an act that follows coming to faith in Him (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-8; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21).

Because of the meaning of the word, the intended symbolism in baptism, John’s practice, and Jesus’ example and description, we practice immersion baptism of believers.

We are all on a journey, growing toward spiritual maturity, learning to have victory over sin and temptation, and denying our flesh. Unfortunately, we sometimes experience setbacks and struggle in our faith.

Believer’s baptism is intended to be a one-time event, so we wouldn’t suggest that a person should be re-baptized every time they sin and experience Christ’s forgiveness in new ways. However, if there has never been evidence of spiritual regeneration in the person’s life, the person should consider the purpose of baptism, which is to:

1. Identify with Christ's death, burial and resurrection.

2. Profess faith in Jesus, consciously and outwardly.

3. Obey Jesus, who calls His followers to be baptized.

Every situation is different, so the person should seek further pastoral guidance.

In most cases this happens when someone is quite young and chooses to get baptized due to conditioning influences around them that suggest they should get baptized, like their parents’ wishes, peer pressure from friends, a desire to please others, etc.

In such cases, we draw their attention to the purpose of believer's baptism, which is to:

1. Identify with His death, burial, and resurrection.

2. Profess their faith in Jesus, consciously and outwardly.

3. Obey Jesus, who called his followers to be baptized

If their position is that their intention was not to identify/profess/obey when they were previously baptized, then we would advise them to do so by getting baptized again.

But they should also keep in mind that because spiritual maturity comes with time, it is normal to have a greater grasp of the gospel as an adult compared to when they were much younger

So we would leave it up to their conscience to decide whether they should get baptized again (for the first time), based on the identify/profess/obey principles.

While we do not practice Infant baptism, we still consider it a beautiful practice where the children of believing parents are recognized as part of the covenant community of faith. But infant baptism is fundamentally different than believer’s baptism, and even those that practice infant baptism agree.

Infant baptism actually has more in common with baby dedications (which we do practice) than believer’s baptism. So we would not consider a person who was “baptized” as an infant to be baptized at all, because it doesn’t involve:

1. Personally identifying with Christ's death, burial and resurrection.

2. Professing faith in Jesus consciously and outwardly.

3. Obeying Jesus, who called his followers to be baptized.

Therefore, we would love to see that person take the step of believer's baptism.

Several passages, on the surface, seem to teach that baptism saves (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). In all these cases, however, faith in Jesus comes first. The biblical order is repentance and belief, then baptism.

Scripture is abundantly clear that purification from sin is not the result of baptism (Acts 15:9; 1 John 1:9). However, the act of baptism is so closely related to the act of faith that they are often expressed as one act.

Baptism is reserved for those who sincerely repent of their sins and place faith in the Lord Jesus. It is this faith in Christ that saves us from our sins.

Collective Church believes that baptism is intended for those who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. In the New Testament, even when whole households were baptized (Acts 10:48; 16:15, 33; Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16), those who were baptized were those who heard the gospel (Acts 10:44) and believed (Acts 16:31, 34).

When it comes to children, baptism is appropriate when a child displays evidence of a genuine relationship with God and a degree of understanding of what it means to trust in Christ. It is impossible to set a precise age for when a child should be baptized. The right age will vary with each child.

Being baptized is a celebration of who Christ is and what he’s done in your life, so we encourage you to invite friends and family members to come celebrate this event with you.

Whether they are Christians or not, this is a great opportunity to show people what your faith in Jesus means to you as well as a chance for people to hear the gospel.