Baptism

Biblically, baptism is a sacrament to be administered by the church as a public declaration of your faith in Jesus. Where you get baptized doesn’t legitimize it, rather the oversight and public nature of it does. Whether you participate in one of Meck’s baptism services in person or online, we believe that we have a process in place that makes this experience truly legitimate and life changing.

We believe that if offering a baptism service online creates opportunities for more people to take this all important step - we are all in. We do not want this to be a barrier that keeps people from taking this all important step in their faith journey.

You are right - baptism is to be a public profession of your faith. While participants are encouraged to invite family and friends to join them in person for the baptism, through the use of technology, each participant will publicly declare their faith before other participants, volunteers, and staff, meeting this very important biblical mandate.

You will need to have access to the internet, be able to connect to Zoom, and have your camera and microphone turned on. For most people this will be easily accomplished by using their cell phone, laptop or tablet. (Obviously, to keep your technology safe we recommend you have a third person - not the person immersing you in the water - who will be running the Zoom.)

Unfortunately, if you cannot meet the technological requirements you will not be able to participate at this time. The technological requirement is critical to providing the necessary pastoral oversight for the baptism service. 

Meck’s Online Baptism Service is open to anyone who has made a decision for Christ and is ready to take this next step. Your geographic location does not determine your participation in the Online Baptism Service.

One of Meck’s Pastors will oversee the baptism and be the one who officiates the service and sacrament itself. However, you will want to choose someone to be with you who is able to serve as the Pastor's “hands,” lowering you into the water and bringing you back up. Preferably, the individual serving in this role would be someone who has already crossed the line of faith and entered into a relationship with Jesus, as it is important for them to share in the spirit of this moment with you.

“As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?’” (Acts 8:36)

This is part of the fun of Meck’s Online Baptism Service - you get to choose where you get baptized! Whether a lake, the ocean, a river, a pool, the bathtub - it doesn’t matter where it is. You just need to make sure you can be fully immersed in the water AND have access to a phone or laptop allowing you to be online for the service.

The Online Baptism Service will not be canceled due to weather. However, if you’re planning to be baptized in an outdoor location, it might be a good idea to have a back-up plan in the event that there is inclement weather in your area. 

Absolutely! If you have a child who is ready to get baptized, we are ready to celebrate this decision in their life. As with our in-person baptism services, we require all second through fifth graders choosing to get baptized to the MecKidz Baptism for Kids on-demand class with a parent or guardian. We believe that baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we want to ensure that your child understands the depth and meaning of this decision.

We recommend dark colors, but whether you wear a swimsuit or shorts and a T-shirt that’s totally up to you. We just want you to be comfortable.

Please reach out to baptism@mecklenburg.org to let us know of any challenges you are facing and we will work with you as best we can.

You can register for any upcoming baptism service, whether in person or online, HERE.

We hold our in-person and online baptism services in both the spring and fall to celebrate those who have decided to take this next step.