Baptism and Child Dedication

It means “to plunge or to immerse.” At Trailside, we baptize by immersion; that is, the entire body is immersed in water. We realize that other groups baptize by “pouring” or “sprinkling,” but we do not. Every church—including those who baptize other ways—will recognize baptism by immersion. 

While we understand that there are different positions on baptism depending upon the faith tradition from which one comes, we at Trailside believe in and perform what is called “believer’s baptism.” Believer’s baptism means that only those who are able to articulate an authentic profession of faith should be baptized. In other words, only those who have placed their faith in Christ and received him to be their Lord and Savior are to be baptized. 

The reason for this is that baptism is a visual representation of the transforming power of the gospel. It is a visible, outward symbol of an inner spiritual reality; is an outward expression of one’s decision to publicly identify with Christ.

Because it is a commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …” (Matthew 28:19, ESV). If a new Christian disobeys this simple command of Christ at the beginning of his Christian life, he is not likely to be obedient to His other commands.

Since the believer is totally immersed in water, the action becomes a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. When our Lord Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, He said, “…for in this way it is fitting for us (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Christ’s baptism in water was a picture of His “baptism of suffering” on the cross where He died for our sins (Luke 12:50). Our baptism in water is a picture of inner spiritual experience: we have had the old life buried with Christ, and we are raised to live in resurrection power (Colossians 2:12–15).

In Romans 6:3–4, Paul says “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might walk in newness of life.” In light of this passage, baptism is the perfect symbol of one’s conversion. As we go down into the water, we are identifying with Christ in His death and burial; as we come up out of the water, we are identifying with Christ in His resurrection and desire to walk in newness of life.

In the Book of Acts, no one was baptized in order to be saved, but all were baptized because they had been saved. 1 Peter 3:20–22 makes it clear that baptism does not save us by washing away our sins, for only the blood of Christ can do that. Obedience in baptism does save us from a guilty conscience, because we know we have obeyed Christ’s command.

There are verses which state “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3) and “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

At Trailside, baptism is not a requirement for membership; nor is baptism limited to those who are members, although one must be a regular attendee in order to be baptized. We encourage baptism for all believers because it is the Lord’s command, and we want to be obedient to Christ.

Because infants are not able to enter into a relationship with Christ, their “baptism” is not a sign of spiritual rebirth. Similarly, those adults who are baptized before they are saved are not indicating a new life. Baptism takes on new meaning for the believer because he or she knows this was done in obedience to God’s command. We encourage those who were baptized as infants to follow in believer’s baptism as a testimony of their own personal faith in Christ. This is the way to maintain a good conscience before God.

As a confessing believer of Christ, only once. We meet at the Lord’s Supper repeatedly to remember His broken body and shed blood, but we are baptized only once, since we are saved only once. If a Christian gets out of fellowship with the Lord because of sin, he can confess his sins and be forgiven (1 John 1:5–10), but it is not necessary to be baptized again. Water baptism is a once-for-all-time public testimony of a believer’s identification with Christ in His in death, burial, and resurrection. It is not a religious ceremony that washes away our sins.

Trailside Church does not practice infant baptism, as we believe that only those who are able to articulate an authentic profession of faith—which infants are obviously unable to do— should be baptized. We do celebrate the birth of children into the church family through Child Dedication, which is also available at any of our celebration services.

We treat the baptism of children with special care. When a child makes the choice to follow Jesus, he  or she has the opportunity to declare his/her commitment to Jesus through baptism. Children being baptized at Trailside must understand what baptism means and must be able to declare their intention to follow the way of Jesus. If a child expresses a desire to be baptized, we ask that the child meet with a pastor on staff and their parents.

Child dedication is the act of giving back to God the gift he has given to you. It is an act of worship, thanksgiving, dependence, trust and commitment. The ceremony is an opportunity to make your commitment public before God, your friends and family.

The ceremony also reminds parents to depend on God and His resources, including the church family and friends, to help nurture their children.

At Trailside Church, we believe there is a spiritual precedent through scripture for us to practice Child Dedication.

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” Mark 10:14 NIV.

The practice of child dedication has been modeled throughout the Bible:

It was customary for Israelites to bring their 8-day-old children to the priest for blessing and dedication.

As an example we can point to, we see where Hannah brought her long-awaited son, Samuel, to the priest to dedicate him to the Lord.

Additionally, we read in the Gospel Accounts that Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple for dedication as well, even fulfilling old testament prophecy while doing so!

In the process of Child Dedication, you will be asked to confirm some statements that will be made during the child dedication. Some of those examples are:

“Declaring Christ as Savior and Lord and believing in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I this day acknowledge that my children are gifts from God, that I am a caretaker by His grace and, therefore, I accept the responsibility for raising my family to know and follow Jesus.

“With God as my strength, I promise to give my child every possible benefit of home, school, church and community. And I ask His blessing upon my child, to guide and guard through all his/her years. Amen.”

Additionally, the church congregation will also affirm their role in helping to walk alongside you and your family throughout their lives here at Trailside Church. These statements will be made from the platform and affirmed with a simple “we will” from the congregants, and then will join us through extending their hands as a sign of agreement and blessing over your child(ren).

Child dedication is different from infant baptism or christening. While these rites are significant for a variety of faiths, it is our practice to dedicate children to the Lord, making a promise in front of the congregation and to God to raise them in a Godly way, seeking support throughout their lives within the body of the church, and a promise to walk with families as they raise their children in a Godly home.

Salvific, meaning “leading to salvation” is not a product of child dedication.

We recognize that salvation only comes to a child through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our hope is that through rearing a child in a Gospel centric home that it will lead to a profession of faith and next step of baptism for every child within our congregational family.