Baptism

As Christ followers, we get baptised because Jesus commands us to do so (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus also set the example by being baptised Himself (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9).

Baptism isn’t about being perfect or having our whole life together, it’s about a step of obedience to Jesus that shows we believe in and follow Him. Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. Being baptised shows that we turn away from a life of sin and we turn toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).

For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptised (Acts 8:12).

Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion, and Jesus was baptised by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10). Being submersed in the water represents our death to sin and old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6: 3-5)! It’s a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us, and a reminder of His own death and resurrection.

If you were baptised as an child, it means your parents had a desire to see you grow up to follow Jesus with your life. We think that’s great. Now we would invite you to take a next step of baptism by immersion and make that faith step your own personal choice.

If you have been baptised by immersion since you decided to follow Jesus, there is no need to be baptised again. However, if you’ve never been baptised as an adult after personally choosing to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we invite you to take your next step of being baptised.

As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones to decide if they will make their faith their own and commit their lives to Him.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9

At WBC, our desire is that your children will express their own decision to follow Jesus and to truly understand the meaning of baptism.

If your child is interested in baptism they are welcome to take that step. As a part of the process, a parent must attend a baptism class with their child. This will ensure your child is ready for this exciting and important step in their spiritual journey!

All candidates are baptised by a staff member or elder at WBC. If you have someone in your life who has really made an impact on you spiritually (eg: small group leader, Christian mentor), they are welcome to meet you when you exit from the water.

All of our candidates will be asked to prepare their story to be shared and that may require sharing your story on video in advance. We will guide you through the process of developing and sharing.