Sacraments

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by the Lord Jesus himself. The former is connected with entrance into the church and the latter with the ongoing celebration of the life we enjoy as the church. Together they serve a number of important purposes. They are a means of grace, a public confession, and a persistent reminder of our hope for the return of Christ and the consummation of all things.

Baptism

Baptism is a public testimony of what Christ has done in your life as a believer. It's a symbolic picture of your identification with Jesus - His death, burial, resurrection, and new life.

Baptism doesn't save you, but all who are saved are commanded to be baptized. Therefore, a candidate for baptism should be able to:

  1. Communicate an understanding of the gospel.
  2. Express faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
  3. Evidence godly sorrow over sin and the intention to repent of their sin.

Note to Parents: Special consideration should be made to ensure all young believers are able to enjoy this sacrament.  As parents and pastors, we want to gently plead with them to be reconciled with God.  We are eager to see them believe and repent and when they do, to baptize them. However, a child is by nature immature and impressionable.  We encourage you to involve others in assessing your child’s spiritual condition.  This might even be a good opportunity to encourage conversation between the young person and a pastor. As a general guideline, we say the younger the child, the more help needed in determining whether or not the child is ready to be baptized. 

Communion

Communion (or The Lord’s Supper) was instituted by Jesus Christ, to be exercised by the church until He returns (Matthew 26:26-29, Matthew 28:19).  It is an outward sign of an inward reality, demonstrating to the church and a watching world our new life and hope in the finished work of the Savior.

We celebrate Communion more often than not during our weekly worship service. We are aware of the danger of turning the Lord’s Supper into meaningless routine, and are committed to guarding and preserving it as means of grace in our lives.