Does Your Church have Age requirement For water baptism?

[JesusFan]

Mine has the age of 12, if approved for by the parents, after the child shows/sounds that they understand what it means to be a sinner saved by the Grace of God!

For adults, require in addition to baptism for membership, take 6 week 'welcome to our church" course!

 

[Ruiz]

I believe all who exhibit credible evidence. I have been tremendously influenced by the author of this free book, on this very issue. I think there are some great insights on talking to kids and getting to their understanding of the Gospel.

 

[annsni]

It is first the choice of the parents and then the baptism candidate has to do a Bible study and write out their testimony. If there is any reason to think that they are not ready, the pastor will speak to the child and their parents. But there is no set age because even adults might not be ready!

 

[jbh28]

The Bible doesn't say a minimum age, so we do not. We do believers baptism. Any believer may and should be baptized. The Bible doesn't say to wait a till a certain age to obey the command of believers baptism.

 

[matt wade]

The Bible doesn't say a minimum age, so we do not. We do believers baptism. Any believer may and should be baptized. The Bible doesn't say to wait a till a certain age to obey the command of believers baptism.

Agreed. If a child or an adult professes faith and by all appearances is genuine, we will baptize.

 

[JesusFan]

The Bible doesn't say a minimum age, so we do not. We do believers baptism. Any believer may and should be baptized. The Bible doesn't say to wait a till a certain age to obey the command of believers baptism.

Think we just base this upon "age of accountibility" we have had some long term members drop membership and stayed in our church still JUST over this age requirememnt!

 

[plain_n_simple]

An age limit is flesh. A spirit filled pastor can tell by the spirit if the child is earnest, and in the same spirit. It is not about appearances or using the five senses.

 

[JesusFan]

An age limit is flesh. A spirit filled pastor can tell by the spirit if the child is earnest, and in the same spirit. It is not about appearances or using the five senses.

Think this would fall under "freedom/liberty" in Christ, as baptism does not add to nor save us!

 

[Jerome]

Compare and contrast:

Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Mark Dever, home of the "9Marks" Calvinist organization):

As they assume adult responsibilities (sometime in late high school with driving, employment, non-Christian friends, voting, legality of marriage), then part of this, we would think, would be to declare publicly their allegiance to Christ by baptism. . . .we will carefully consider requests for baptism before a child has left the home, but would urge the parents to caution at this point. . . .the practice of baptizing pre-teenage children is of recent development (largely early 20th century) and of limited geography (largely limited to the United States, and places where American evangelicals have exercised great influence).

Pre-20th Century non-American Baptist Charles Spurgeon (apparently he didn't get Dever's memo about Baptist "history"):

Let the child avow its faith in Christ and, if you have not confessed Him in Baptism, yourself, stand rebuked that a child is ready to obey its Lord while you are not!

What would you think if I introduced six children to you whom I saw, one after another, last week, and who all came forward with eagerness to say, “We have been washed in the blood of Jesus and we want to join His Church”? I said, “Come along, my children; I am glad to see you.” When I talked with them and heard what God had done for them, I had great confidence in proposing them to the Church! I have not found young converts turn back. I usually find that these young ones who are introduced early to the Church hold on and become our best members!

 

[preachinjesus]

I was baptized after receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord when I was 6 years old.

During my life I haven't strayed and never have been rebaptized.

I challenge many of the arguments made by some against the notion of child baptism. Much of their points and data is built off conjecture.

 

[plain_n_simple]

Think this would fall under "freedom/liberty" in Christ, as baptism does not add to nor save us!

Baptism is the death of the old man, the one under the curse. And the birth of a new creature, who has never sinned, and is now called a son or daughter of God. I would call that a big plus.

 

[Jerome]

Conjecture? Dever has a PhD in Ecclesiatical History from Cambridge University!

 

[JesusFan]

I was baptized after receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord when I was 6 years old.

During my life I haven't strayed and never have been rebaptized.

I challenge many of the arguments made by some against the notion of child baptism. Much of their points and data is built off conjecture.

We hold to "believers baptism", and will baptise professing children, just NOT small children!

 

[mandym]

Baptism is the death of the old man, the one under the curse. And the birth of a new creature, who has never sinned, and is now called a son or daughter of God. I would call that a big plus.

Perhaps you just misspoke but Baptism does nothing to kill the old man. That is what the Spiritual birth does. Baptism is simply a public confession of this.

 

[plain_n_simple]

Water baptism is an act of faith, putting to death the old man and rising again in Christ. Of course it's spiritual, that's a given. As Christ died and rose again. He gave us the example.

 

[plain_n_simple]

Conjecture? Dever has a PhD in Ecclesiatical History from Cambridge University!

I'd ask for a refund lol.

 

[Ruiz]

Compare and contrast:

Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Mark Dever, home of the "9Marks" Calvinist organization):



Pre-20th Century non-American Baptist Charles Spurgeon (apparently he didn't get Dever's memo about Baptist "history"):

I love Mark, but he is wrong. A famous case is Jonathan Edwards who Baptized a 7 year old. Yes, it was considered "taboo" then because of the age, but there is precedence throughout history. As well, Spurgeon Baptized children as you noted.

When Dever talks on the issue, sometimes he mentions Christman's book as a key example of what opposes his belief. For the record, Dever and Christman respect each other, but they disagree.

 

[JesusFan]

Water baptism is an act of faith, putting to death the old man and rising again in Christ. Of course it's spiritual, that's a given. As Christ died and rose again. He gave us the example.

Actually, baptists hold that it is the "outward symbolic act of an inward grace already done" so basically all that you referenced happens BEFORE we get dunked into the Water!

 

[FR7 Baptist]

I think we need to tread carefully when it comes to child baptism but I don't support an arbitrary age cutoff. It really concerns me that in many cases someone will undergo baptism as a child and then in their late teens will seek baptism again saying they didn't really have faith the first time. Of course, if that is the case then they should be given a valid believers' baptism. One thing I would do is make very sure a child candidate for baptism has a solid understanding of faith and baptism. When it comes to a request for a "rebaptism" on the basis of the invalidity of the first one, I believe there should be an investigative process to determine the validity of the original baptism.

 

[plain_n_simple]

How would you investigate?