| Willow
Creek's Statement on Baptism
While recognizing the right for other churches to practice infant
Baptism if it conforms to their theologies, the congregation of
Willow Creek Community Church understands Scripture to teach that
only professing believers qualify for Baptism.
Scriptural teaching on Baptism may be summarized as follows:
- Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, fulfilled
by individuals who have submitted themselves to His sovereignty.
- Baptism symbolizes the spiritual cleansing through divine forgiveness
and the newness of life experienced by believers by virtue of
their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection.
- Baptism provides an opportunity for believers to make a formal
profession of their faith before the church.
- As a biblical rite of initiation into the body of Christ, Baptism
of believers may be considered a prerequisite for joining the
membership of the church.
Although the old covenant practice of infant circumcision is sometimes
given as a rationale for infant Baptism, the biblical definition
of the functions of circumcision and Baptism shows that those two
institutions fulfilled different purposes in their respective covenants.
The equation is never made in the Bible between the circumcision
of male infants, in the old covenant, and the Baptism of born-again
believers, much less of infants, in the new covenant. However, Willow
Creek Community Church encourages Christian parents to present their
children for the ceremony of dedication, whereby God's blessing
is formally invoked upon the children, and the parents publicly
commit themselves to raise the children in accordance with the teachings
of Scripture.
Because the symbolism of Baptism requires a more adult level of
cognitive and developmental readiness, the Elders require that children
be at least 12 years old to be baptized. Proverbs 20:25 issues a
significant caution against the danger of making a vow before adequate
knowledge, forethought and reflection have been given. In an effort
to prevent young people from making a premature commitment that
they may not fully understand, this minimum age has been established.
Baptism recognizes and celebrates the redemptive life change that
is continually occurring within our church. The Elders encourage,
new believers and believers, that have not yet participated in adult
Baptism, the opportunity to be baptized by immersion on stage. The
Elders' position is that Baptism by immersion paints the truest
picture of “dying to sin and arising to Christ and new life.”
The Elders strongly encourage those choosing to be baptized to participate
by immersion. We do recognize, however, that some individuals may
request Baptism by sprinkling on the stage because of a strong personal
preference, particularly those based on a compelling physical reason
or disability. In these cases, the Elders ask that a brief explanation
be given on the registration form.
| A
Word Concerning Infant Baptism
If the purpose of Baptism is to publicly identify a believer
in Jesus Christ, you may well be asking yourself, "What
was the significance of my Baptism as a baby?" In the
Bible, we find parents bringing their children to Jesus. He
held them and prayed for them and told us to welcome them.
But He did not baptize them, and He did not tell anyone else
to baptize them. 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 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 repudiates the Baptism you received
as a child.
*Additional resources are available in the
Seeds Resource Center:
Seeds Tape M9024 "The Significance of the Sacrament"
Seeds Tape M9923 "Two Very Big Deals."
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