Baptism

The sacrament of Holy baptism is the initiation ritual of the Church. It acts as a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, which was fulfilled and made new in the ministry and passion of Jesus Christ.

The Bible commands us to wash new Christians in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a ritual washing that signals our adoption into the family of God, our being united to Jesus and his Body, our cleansing from sin, and our consecration into the priesthood and temple. In short, baptism welcomes us into the Church. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus is present in baptism, and he is pouring out his grace and building up the faith of his people. Baptized people should remember and contemplate their baptisms regularly because God wants to remind us continually that we are his cherished children, that we have been united to the death and resurrection of Jesus, that we live by his Spirit, that we belong to the Church, that we are called to build his kingdom, and that glory awaits us when Jesus returns to make all things new! goes here

The elders at Sojourn Montrose unquestionably agree that children are a blessing from the Lord. Furthermore, we believe that children born into Christian homes are recipients of a particular grace by nature of being part of the life of the Church, learning the truth about God from their youth, and seeing models of Christian living in their household and in the household of faith. Children are also instruments of grace, teaching us about faith, humility, and the nature of God’s care for us. In all of this, the children among us are to be cherished, nurtured, taught, disciplined, and encouraged to take hold of Christ as their only hope in life and in death.

We understand that practicing both forms of baptism mentioned above may need some clarification. However, we also see this as an opportunity for our congregation to lean into the importance of raising our children in the faith. Whether a family chooses to have their infant baptized or wait until that child professes faith, we want all of our families to rely upon God's grace and take the calling of parenthood seriously. Furthermore, we hope that our entire congregation will join in the blessed task of discipling our little ones and modeling a life of godliness for them.

No. We do not believe that a person is saved, given the Spirit, or forgiven their sins simply because they have been baptized with water.

While baptism is a means of grace, through which God communicates his promises and love both vividly and helpfully, it is not the means of salvation. Peter tells us that baptism is an “appeal to God for a clean conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus” and that it saves us as an appeal.

In other words, we are saved as we appeal to God for forgiveness and new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism signifies that our sins are washed away in Christ, our new and eternal life has begun, and the Holy Spirit has come upon us. All of these realities are given to the baptized person through faith in Jesus Christ.

Elders will oversee all administration of the sacraments at Sojourn Montrose, and the default will be that an elder will apply the waters of baptism to a candidate. However, important figures in the candidate’s life (so long as they are covenant members at Sojourn Montrose) may assist in the process if specifically requested.

We will offer baptisms at gatherings available to the whole congregation, generally in the context of a Sunday Gathering. However, we are open to doing baptisms at other events involving the entire congregation. Baptism is a gift to the Church, so we want to facilitate as many opportunities as possible for God to bless the Church with Baptism. We allow for the discretion of our elders in any extraordinary circumstances.

At Sojourn Montrose, we hesitate to baptize a person a second time. We believe that baptism is to be administered only once. Even so, we will take these situations on a case-by-case basis.

Yes. We believe baptism is the initiation ritual of the Church and thus marks the inauguration of membership. So, if you have not yet been baptized and desire to join us as a covenant member, we will schedule your baptism upon signing the membership covenant.

Covenant membership at Sojourn includes entire households, with adult members signing the covenant, thus bearing the responsibility for the children in their homes. The baptism status of a child does not affect this answer. Our elders consider it our responsibility to shepherd the flock of God among us, which includes both adults and children.

There is no minimum age requirement for children in credo-baptist homes to be baptized. One or more elders will meet with the child and help the family discern the child’s profession as orthodox and genuine. If the child shows genuine repentance and faith, the Elders will encourage baptism.

While baptism is the sacrament of initiation into the Church, communion is a covenant-renewal ceremony. Therefore, communion is for those who believe upon Christ for salvation, and who are of an age and spiritual maturity to reasonably examine themselves for sin and to discern the Body of Christ. Thus, communion at Sojourn Montrose will be reserved for baptized and professing members of the global Church. Parents shall request a meeting with an elder to discuss their child’s readiness to partake in the Lord’s Supper.

No. Sojourn Montrose will only baptize infants and small children whose parents or guardians are covenant members at Sojourn. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, we would be happy to discuss this further.

Sojourn Montrose will use both sprinkling (or affusion) and immersion for baptisms. Sprinkling (or affusion) will be applied to infants, and most – if not all – other candidates will be baptized by immersion.

The short answer is, “Yes!” While we would handle this case-by-case, we would never prevent anyone from being baptized based on their abilities. Christ is the able one in whom all are saved!

For the sake of clarity and celebrating each event, we will not baptize and dedicate infants on the same day.