Baptism is an exciting step for anyone and many families look forward to their children being baptized. At Creekside, we take baptism very seriously and use it as an opportunity to help the individuals grow their faith. Thus, we have a Kids Explore Baptism class where we teach what baptism is and is not, go over how it works, and take time to help children learn how to share their testimony. On this page, we have some of our guiding questions before we approve a baptism and answer some of the frequently asked questions that you may have.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation."

The Bible tells us that in order for us to accept the gift of salvation, we must confess that we believe Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead so that we could be forgiven and saved from our sinful lives. However, it isn't just the words we say, but the belief in our heart and commitment to obey Jesus as Lord.  If your child has done that and you believe they are fully aware of what this decision means, baptism is typically a great next step of faith!

At Creekside, we practice a believer's baptism. We believe that baptism is a step of obedience after someone confesses that a) they believe Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead and b) want to follow Him all the days of their lives. At every baptism at Creekside, we ask the individual to share their testimony and that includes knowing how God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ works. If your child cannot tell the story of God, we would encourage you to practice that with them first.

At Creekside, we believe that it is important to know how to share the story of God AND to know how to share how Jesus has saved you. For kids being baptized, this is important step and a part of our Kids Explore Baptism class. We want each child to be able to share how God has personally saved them from the power of sin. Even for us, this is a work in progress! This is a link to our testimony writing document.

At Creekside, our recommendation for kids wanting to be baptized is that they actually witness a baptism first. Some kids are excited about the step, but don't even know that it involves water. Witnessing a baptism prior to being baptized helps them understand what they are actually asking for.

At Creekside, we practice baptism by submersion. We believe that this represents dying to sin, being buried in the likeness of Jesus, and being raised in a new life with Jesus. This means that we dunk kids under the water and discuss with them beforehand that this represents the image of Jesus dying for our sins, being buried, and resurrecting. If your child is scared of going underwater, being baptized in front of a large congregation might be even more scary. At Kids Explore Baptism, we will talk about this and how to safely baptize kids, but it works best if the child feels safe going under water.

Our Kids Explore Baptism registration is a crucial step for kids being baptized. This registration collects all the information we need to know and will help you think a few things through (such as who is baptizing your child). By meeting with the kid and parent, Elisabeth will be able to help the family understand whether the child is ready to baptized at Creekside, understand what baptism truly is, and begin the process of writing the testimony.

A parent/guardian needs to attend with the child.

At Creekside, any believer who has already been baptized can baptize an individual.

This is a link to our testimony writing document. It is expected that families would begin to fill this out before attending the baptism class. We will review it at the class. Additional meetings with Elisabeth can also be arranged between the class and filming.

Public speaking can be scary, especially standing in water in front of a crowd of people. This is why we have kids record their testimonies that can then be viewed on the day of baptism without the public speaking component. We have the set up for this. You will select a date/time for the video when you register. Please have your child practice beforehand and look clean and presentable for the video!

Elisabeth Jacobson
Director of Kids Discipleship