Celebrate Baptism!
THIS IS WHAT TRANSFORMATION LOOKS LIKE
Celebrating baptism is celebrating life transformation that only comes
from following Jesus – and it’s one of our favorite things at Parkview!
You Belong
We follow Jesus’ example of baptism and his instruction for us to do likewise. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality: personal faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. At it’s core, baptism is your opportunity to say “I belong to Jesus – no turning back”.
Questions? Contact christina@parkview.cc
Made New
The waters of baptism are not where salvation happens – the work on the cross is already complete! The waters of baptism are symbolic. God’s grace covers us completely, washes our sinful hearts, and leaves us a totally clean, fully forgiven, new creation!
A Baptism Story
“I was baptized as a baby and grew up fearing the power of God just the way my parents intended, and followed faith blindly rather than developing a relationship with God. During the scariest time of my life – being diagnosed with breast cancer – I relied on others to pray and advocate for my health before God because I did not feel I was worthy enough to be listened to since He had never been my priority.
As my friends and family tried to convince me that God loved me regardless of my past actions, thoughts of God started to fill my heart and mind giving me peace and reassurance; as I laid on my hospital bed wholeheartedly praying before a surgery or a chemotherapy treatment somehow I knew I was going to be ok, because; for the first time I experience God’s true presence in my life. Sadly, it took my life falling apart to realized He has never denied me, He had always been faithful and patient; waiting for me to surrender and accept His grace and love that had been there all along. Choosing baptism was my way of stepping forward in my new journey and to show God (and everyone else) I am all in.”
– Alma Gollins
Next Baptism
Baptisms At Parkview
Those are all valid thoughts. It seems like there can many factors that influence our decision about when to get baptized. However, there is a word that Luke uses in the book of Acts that may offer a bit of clarity as to when is the right time to get baptized when someone says yes to finding and following Christ.
— Acts 16:33
FAQs
Baptism services are full of energy at Parkview! People are baptized in a small tank or baptismal on stage, one at a time, while we worship as a church family.
Do I need to share my testimony?
We love to hear how God moves in the life of our church. You’ll have a chance to share your story within the baptism story form linked above. There’s no need to share your testimony at all during the baptism service – your testimony is your baptism!
I was baptized as a baby. Should I get baptized again?
While we hold to believer’s baptism, we do so in a way that doesn’t judge other people, churches, or denominations that believe otherwise. Simply put, this is our conviction according to what we believe the Bible teaches on baptism. The purpose of baptism is to publicly identify a new believer in Jesus Christ. Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation. If you were baptized as a child, it was no doubt the intent of your parents that you would one day be a follower of Christ. Your baptism as an adult can be viewed as the fulfillment of your parents’ wishes. It in no way diminishes the baptism you received as a child.
There is not a required age to be baptized. Because the symbolism of baptism does lends itself to a certain level of cognitive understanding we practice Believer’s Baptism. That means…if you are old enough to believe…you are old enough to be baptized!
Celebrating baptism is celebrating life transformation that only comes from following Jesus. We follow Jesus’ example of baptism and his instruction for us to do likewise. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality: personal faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. At it’s core, baptism is your opportunity to say “I belong to Jesus – no turning back”. This is a public declaration of someone who has already trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
In Romans 6:1-11, the Apostle Paul explains how the immersion mode of baptism identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Going under water symbolizes Christ’s death. Coming out of the water illustrates his resurrection. The waters of baptism are not where salvation happens – the work on the cross is already complete! The waters of baptism are symbolic. God’s grace covers us completely, washes our sinful hearts, and leaves us a totally clean, fully forgiven, new creation! Because of this, we practice baptism by full immersion.
The decision to be baptized should be made once you personally profess faith in Jesus and understand the meaning of baptism as Jesus taught it. We love to walk with kids and students through this journey! For young children, family dedication is a parent’s opportunity to commit to raising their child to know God and our church family’s opportunity to commit to supporting you in that journey. To learn more about family dedications, please contact josh@parkview.cc.
What should I wear?
Baptism at Parkview is full immersion. We have a baptism t-shirt for you, which you can wear with whatever makes you comfortable. We recommend athletic bottoms. We’re casual.
How do I know if baptism is for me?
If you have come to a point in your life where you have decided to follow Christ in everything you do, whether 15 minutes ago, a week ago, or 20 years ago, baptism is the next step of obedience for you to take. Being baptized is a powerful, biblical response to your faith in Jesus.
To sign up, visit parkview.cc/baptism. Once submitted, a member of the Parkview Staff will reach out to you to acknowledge and celebrate your decision. They will also give you all the details about baptism.
