Every person who has repented of their sins and believed in Christ for salvation should be baptized. This public profession of commitment to Christ demonstrates faith and obedience to follow Jesus’ commands. While baptism does not make you a believer, it shows that you already believe.

Baptism is a beautiful picture of the gospel that symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Just as Jesus died and rose again, baptism symbolizes what took place in your heart at the time of salvation: death to your old life and rising again in new life. Baptism is like a wedding ring — it’s the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart.

At OBC, we only baptize by immersion because every baptism in the Bible, including Jesus’, was done this way. In fact, the word used for baptism in the Bible means “to immerse or dip under water”. As an illustration of the gospel, baptism by immersion best symbolizes death, burial, and resurrection.

At OBC, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them. Because of this, we require that elementary and middle school-aged children complete pre-baptism class with their parents. Pre-baptism class allows us to clearly present the gospel to children and their parents, and discuss what the Bible teaches about salvation and baptism. We celebrate baptism monthly and offer pre-baptism classes quarterly. Your family can register for pre-baptism class HERE.