Baptism is a sacrament instituted by Christ and an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given by God. In baptism, God truly acts. Through water and the Holy Spirit, we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection, incorporated into his Church, receive the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and are called into a new life of faith and obedience.

The Gospels describe Jesus’ own baptism (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:32-34), and Jesus commands his followers to make disciples and baptize them (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is therefore not merely a public testimony or symbol of a decision we have already made. It is a gift of grace given by Christ to his Church and the ordinary sacramental means by which we are incorporated into Christ and his Body.

We are saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, received through faith, and not by a human work that earns salvation. At the same time, baptism is neither optional nor incidental to the Christian life. Christ commands it and gives it to his Church as a means of grace. While God's saving mercy is not limited by the sacraments—Scripture itself gives us the example of the thief on the cross—the extraordinary mercy of God does not diminish the ordinary means of grace Christ has given his Church.

At Trinity, we therefore baptize both the children of Christian parents and those who come to faith in Christ later in life and have not previously been baptized.

Infant Baptism

Following the historic practice of the Church, we gladly baptize infants and young children of Christian parents. We believe that baptism is first and foremost a sign of God’s gracious initiative toward us rather than an achievement or declaration of our own.

In baptism, children are received into the household of God and the life of the Church. Parents and godparents make promises on their behalf and commit themselves to raising these children in the knowledge and love of the Lord, teaching them the Christian faith, praying with and for them, and helping them grow into the grace and identity given to them in baptism.

Our expectation is that baptized children will grow throughout their lives into the faith they have received, eventually taking the promises of their baptism upon themselves through a mature profession of faith and Confirmation.

Baptism Following a Profession of Faith

We also joyfully baptize children, youth, and adults who come to faith in Jesus Christ and have not previously received Christian baptism.

Those preparing for baptism receive instruction in the Christian faith, make a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ, renounce sin and evil, and enter the sacramental life of the Church through baptism.

We long to see more adults baptized at Trinity—not because we consider adult baptism preferable to infant baptism, but because we long to see people who do not yet know Jesus come to faith in him. Whether someone is baptized as an infant or following a later profession of faith, there is one baptism and one incorporation into Christ and his Church.

The Christian life that follows is, in a very real sense, a lifelong growing into our baptism—learning to live more fully into the identity and grace God has given us in Christ.