BAPTISM PROCESS
The baptism process at Ridge Church has been designed to be both simple and meaningful.
From the registrations form to telling your story, each step has been carefully planned with you in mind.
1. LISTEN TO THE BAPTISM MESSAGE BELOW. It will give you a good foundation for understanding why baptism is so important to us at Ridge and to your life!
2. COMPLETE THE BAPTISM FORM. Once we receive your form, we will schedule a time to get together to talk about your story and your next steps.
3. FILM YOUR STORY. If baptism is your next step, we’ll sit down and help you record your story to video. It’s a powerful way to share how God has worked in your life. Many people share that they’ve taken a next step because of these stories. We’ll make it as comfortable and easy as possible.
4. GET BAPTIZED! Baptisms typically take place during or after one of the Sunday morning services and often includes a showing of your prerecorded video. We love to create an atmosphere of celebration for you to invite your friends and family to this special time!
For any questions please reach out to Chris Collins at chris.collins@ridgeministries.org
Christians are people who believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, salvation occurs only when 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.
Baptism is a way of showing others that a person has entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It symbolizes what took place in his/her heart at the time of salvation:
• Acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
• Sharing in His death and resurrection illustrated by going under the water (dead to our old life), then rising again (new life).
• Being symbolically washed clean, our sins being forgiven by His death on the cross.
Because Jesus instructed us to be baptized, baptism is an act of obedience. While it is not necessary for salvation, it demonstrates submission to God. We immerse at Ridge Church because we believe Scripture shows that Jesus modeled that for us as the way to publicly acknowledge our faith in Him.
Children’s Baptisms:
We want to partner with parents as their kids make decisions to follow Jesus in baptism. For UpStreet kids (K-5th grade), the first step is attending JumpStart — a 30 minute event designed to equip parents to have a conversation about what it means to follow Jesus.
Then, 2-3 times a year, we do hold a party called Baptism Bash. This is an opportunity for your child to get baptized and tell the world about their decision to follow Jesus. They’ll have an opportunity to talk with our UpStreet leaders and to record a video of their story, just like the adults. We hold a huge celebration for families and friends to watch the baptism!
Baby Dedications:
Several times a year at an event called Baby D, we partner with parents as they dedicate their child to Christ and commit to lead them in a growing relationship with Jesus. It’s a very important time for parents to commit to raise their children in accordance with the teachings of Scripture.
We understand that in some denominations, infant christening represents something very similar to a baby dedication. While we recognize the right of other churches to practice infant christening, we understand Scripture to teach that only professing believers qualify for baptism. It is important to remember that whether someone was christened as a baby or their parents participated in a baby dedication, that doesn’t make you a Christian. Only a personal acceptance of Christ’s death on the cross for your sins can do that.
If you’d like more information on our next baby dedication or Baptism Bash, contact christel.harvey@ridgeministries.org
