We believe that God saves sinners! And some of those He graciously saves are kids. After being born again, all believers (young and old) are commanded to be baptized. So how does our church go about preparing to baptize kids? Well, like all areas of our family-ministry, we partner with parents. This is because we want to treat believing kids as Christians, but we don't want to treat them as adults. Adults are often able to articulate their beliefs in ways that children can't. But just because a child might not be able to articulate their faith in the smoothest way, that doesn't mean that they don't have faith at all. So we need parents to help in the process.
These are not hoops to be dutifully jumped through, but steps to joyfully take together. Here is how it works. If you (the parent) believe that your child has been given new life by Christ:
1) Observe and listen for a season. The idea is to look for the fruit of a life being changed by God. Do you see the fruit of the Spirit consistently growing and showing over time? We aren't looking for perfection, but we are looking for real change demonstrated over time. Conviction for sin. Desire to share Jesus. A hunger for Scripture and prayer. Evidence of godly-growth in real-life behavior. Once the parents have done that and feel confident that they see fruit, they should...
2) Prepare Your Child. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 10:9-13 with you child. Gauge whether or not they understand the gospel. If they do, look for evidence that they know that they need the gospel. Are they aware that without Jesus' work, they are stuck in the consequences of sin. Ephesians 2:1-7 can help with understanding this important point. Ask them to explain what Jesus has done for them. Be on the lookout for vague language (like "He came into my heart,") and help them go from fuzzy to clear. We want them to know that Jesus lived the obedient life that they couldn't live, and died the sinner's death that they deserved. He did what we couldn't do. And God raised Jesus from the dead which proves that anyone who trusts in Him and follows Him can live with Him forever. This means that Jesus is their new boss, their new leader, their new king. They live for Him now. Make sure that is their understanding and desire. Take this seriously. And take a loooooong time on this step if needed. This is not a race. It is a journey. Once this step is complete...
3) Meet with Pastor. The child, parents, and Kelly get to discuss the child's faith. We, as a church, want to walk away from the meeting with a clear confidence that the child: a) understands and is able to articulate the gospel, b) expresses love for Jesus, a need for Jesus, and a desire to follow Him, and c) is showing evidence of being changed by God. If all of this seems to be in a great place...
4) Make a Video. We will schedule a time to record a testimony video. This is a chance for the child to share their salvation story with the church in a fun, stress-free environment. We don't want to put kids on-the-spot in the service, but we do want the church to hear their very real, powerful testimonies of God's salvation. Videos help with that. After that...
5) Get baptized! We will schedule this for a church service. The baptizing can be done by one of our pastors or by dads as the spiritual leaders of the home. Either option is great!
Reminder: This is not a rush, but it is important. Don't delay in helping your child obey the command to be baptized. The goal of the process is that children would have a strong understanding of their own faith, parents would take the front-seat in helping a child grow in following Jesus, that parents would be confident in the legitimacy of their kids' faith, and that the church would have strong reason to joyfully celebrate together through baptism.
Questions? Just contact Kelly at kelly.hayes@sandhurst.net