Kid’s Guide to Baptism
We are excited that your child is interested in baptism! There is no greater event in the life of an adult or a child than to make the decision to trust Christ as his or her Savior. At GFC, we believe that the next step is to join with believers as they follow Christ’s example and publicly declare and celebrate their new life in Him through baptism.
As you prepare for this faith milestone, we look forward to coming alongside you and your family. The baptism process for kids has been designed to allow each child to fully embrace this next step in his or her spiritual journey.
Is My Child Ready?
There is no magic age that indicates whether or not your child is ready for baptism. It’s hard to know when anyone is ready. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward choice to share with others that one has accepted Christ as his or her Savior. We usually find that kids begin to process and articulate this expression between the ages of 8 and 10. To help you, here are some questions to think through before taking the next step in the process:
- Will he or she remember it and its significance? This is a huge step. It should feel huge throughout their lifetime.
- Is he or she able to make a choice to believe in Christ?
- Can he or she understand the significance of identifying himself or herself as a Christ follower?
- Does he or she have an understanding of decision-making and ownership of his or her life direction?
- Does he or she clearly understand the decision to “Go Public” with their faith?
Trusting Christ as their Savior is the most important decision your child will ever make. The next milestone is to join with believers to publicly declare and celebrate their new life in Christ through baptism. We want each child to fully understand baptism’s significance when participating in this milestone. We hope these questions are helpful.
If you would like to talk about your child’s baptism readiness or have questions about the process, please contact us!
Next Steps
The next step is to register your child (5th grade and below). You will receive a baptism packet with information to help you prepare for the big day.
You will be asked to set aside time for you and your family to watch a DVD that will take you through God’s Big Story. This is a great discussion starter for families to introduce or continue talking about the Gospel. Please watch this together and use the guide to talk about it. The DVD will be used as a point of reference to generate conversation during your child’s baptism interview. This is an excellent opportunity to invite siblings to participate!
After you’ve watched the DVD and discussed the information in the packet, contact Stacie Oligny to schedule a baptism interview with one of our Grace Kids ministry staff.
Last but not least, your child will prepare a testimony that will be shared via video on the day of his or her baptism.
Please feel free to submit your registration at any time. If the next approaching baptism services are full, you will be placed in queue for the following baptism once that date is set. Someone will contact you upon the receipt of your registration regardless. We look forward to walking alongside you in this next step of your faith journey!
