The Church Manual: Baptism

At its core, baptism is a profound and public act. It's not just a ceremonial ritual or a church tradition; it's a significant step in a believer's spiritual journey. When someone is baptized, they're not just getting wet. They're making a public declaration of their faith and commitment to follow Jesus. It's an act of obedience, symbolizing the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-4 ¹⁾: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Now, while baptism is a public declaration of faith and identification with Christ, it's crucial to understand what it doesn't symbolize. Baptism doesn't equate to a membership card for a particular church or denomination. Instead, it signifies membership in the larger body of Christ — His universal church, consisting of all believers worldwide.

Paul touches on this in 1 Corinthians 12:13 when he writes, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit.”

As our church is part of the larger body of Christ, we do require that a person be baptized in order to be recognized as a member of our church. A lack of baptism does not precluded attendance, only membership.

So, if baptism is an identification with Christ and induction into His universal body of believers, what does that mean for the question of re-baptism when one changes denominations?

While the Bible does not give explicit instructions regarding re-baptism upon changing denominations, it's evident that the primary purpose of baptism is about one's relationship with God, not denominational affiliations. If baptism is a sign of our personal faith and trust in Jesus, then switching from one denomination to another shouldn't negate the authenticity of that initial declaration of faith.

Think about it this way: If you made a public announcement about your love and commitment to someone, would changing cities or countries invalidate that declaration? Similarly, moving between denominations doesn't erase the genuine confession of faith one made during baptism.

Our official position, then, is one of “Once baptized, always baptized.” That said, if the believer feels they were baptized by an un-Christian organization or individual, or if they feel they have fallen so far for so long that they want or need to express a recommitment, then we will evaluate each case and, if appropriate, are happy to re-baptize. As a rule, however, we will perform only one re-baptism, lest it become a recurring ritual in the manner of the Lord's Supper.

While individuals must always follow their conscience and convictions, the act of baptism, being deeply personal and between the believer and God, remains valid regardless of denominational shifts. To become a member of our church, however, the believer must be a member of the larger body of Christ and so the believer must at some point have been baptized, whether long ago or just minutes ago. In select cases, subject to church review, we may perform a one-time re-baptism.

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