Baptism

The practice

Baptism is the entry rite of the Christian faith. A new believer is washed with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, following the command Jesus gave his followers and the practice of the first church in the book of Acts.

How it is kept

Churches keep it in two main ways. Many baptize believers who profess faith, immersing them fully under the water. Others baptize infants of believing parents, pouring or sprinkling water, and confirm that faith later. A baptism usually happens in public worship, before the congregation.

What it means

Christians read baptism as a burial and a rising: the old life goes under the water, and the person rises to a new life in Christ. It marks belonging. The baptized person is received as a member of the church, across nearly every Christian tradition.