baptism

We are excited that you are interested in baptism. This page has been designed to explain baptism and the necessary steps to be baptized at an upcoming service. The links below are intended to contain all the information you'll need, but if you have further questions, feel free to contact us at baptism@journeychristian.us.   We consider it a privilege to walk with you as you take this next step on your spiritual journey. The following will explain our basic beliefs about Christian Baptism.
 
Who Should Be Baptized
Christians believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, salvation occurs only if a person places his or her faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for his or her sin.

 
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are ready to be baptized. Just like a bride and groom show others their love for one another by wearing wedding bands, your baptism is your opportunity to show others that you have accepted Christ and are now walking with Him.


 
If you have any questions about how to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please contact baptism@journeychristian.us.


 
What Baptism Symbolizes
Baptism is not just a physical act; it is filled with deep spiritual meaning and reality. Consider the spiritual realities that baptism so vividly pictures:
  • An embrace of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
  • A sharing in His death and resurrection, illustrated by going under the water (dead to your old life), then rising again (new life)
  • A symbolism of being washed clean and sins being forgiven by His death on the cross
Because Jesus instructed us to be baptized, baptism is an act of obedience. While the act of baptism itself does not save us, obedience to Christ in baptism demonstrates our submission to God and simple faith in him. We immerse at Journey Christian Church because we believe the Bible shows that Jesus modeled that for us as the way to publicly acknowledge our faith in Him.
 
Infant Christening
Some denominations choose to christen infants. While we recognize the right of other churches to practice infant christening, we understand the Bible to teach that only professing believers qualify for baptism. Baptism does not make you a believer, rather it shows that you already believe.
 
The Baptism Process
The baptism process at Journey has been designed to be both simple and meaningful. From the registration form to the baptism meeting, each step has been carefully planned with you in mind:
  1. Listen to the baptism message “Sinless Baptism” by James Brummett. In the message, he answers the questions we are most often asked about baptism. You may request a CD at the email address below or listen to the message online. In addition to the message, we encourage you to read the personal study guide Frequently Asked Questions About Baptism.
  2. Complete the Adult Baptism Registration Form. Once we receive your registration, we will contact you to schedule your videotaping and baptism.
  3. Read about making your video. We want you to be as comfortable and prepared for the video as possible.
  4. Attend a meeting and film your testimony. After we receive your registration, we'll contact you to schedule you for an informational meeting where you'll also have your testimony videotaped.
  5. Get baptized! Baptisms take place during one of the Sunday services and include a showing of your prerecorded video. For questions, please contact us at baptism@journeychristian.us.
Making Your Video
One of the most powerful aspects of baptism at Journey Christian Church is the video testimony shown right before your baptism. The video allows you to share how Christ has been working in your life. Prerecording allows you to do as many takes as necessary, while sharing the message you have thoughtfully and prayerfully prepared ahead of time. Many people ask, "Do I have to do the video?" The answer is yes, we really encourage you to do so. Our faith may be a very personal thing, but Jesus never intended for it to be something private. Baptism is meant to be a public profession and it is an incredible opportunity to share God's message of redemption with hundreds of people at one time. We'll also video tape your baptism and afterward we'll produce for you a copy of your testimony and baptism. These videos have had a significant impact on the lives of many people.

 
Another important reason we do a video is that we as a congregation grow in our faith by watching these stories. It allows friends, family, and even those you don't know to celebrate the amazing transformation God has worked in your life.


 
Some people are nervous about taping their stories, but we work hard to make the process both simple and fulfilling. We regularly meet with baptism candidates and go over everything they need to know about the baptism process in general, and the videotaping in particular. You can see an example of one of our recent baptism videos below.  This will help you get a better idea of what to expect with your video.
 
The baptism videos have had an incredible impact on the Journey family but we wanted to have a way that your story can reach even more people.  So we have created a YouTube page where our videos are uploaded for them to be viewed from anywhere.  In addition they are posted to our Facebook page where many people frequently visit to know what is going on at Journey.  Your story can have a greater impact that you can imagine when it is available online. We encourage you to allow your video to be publicly displayed but it is ultimately your decision if you are OK with this. Please indicate on your registration form whether or not you are OK with your story being uploaded to YouTube for others to see that may not have been able to be in our Sunday services.
 
You will be able to choose a date and time that works best for you to film both your testimony AND baptism, and we will do our best to make that happen. Since your baptism is filmed directly after your testimony shoot, we encourage you to invite friends, family, small group, or anyone who has been an important figure in your life to witness your baptism on that day. They should arrive 45 minutes after the start of your video shoot and will be directed to the auditorium to wait should the filming still be in progress. You should expect the entire event to last approximately 1-1.5 hours from start to finish.
 
We want baptism to be a meaningful and enjoyable experience, and we look forward to walking through it with you! If you have any questions or need help preparing your testimony, please contact us at baptism@journeychristian.us.
 
Click here to fill out your Baptism Registration Form.

Chris Huffman