Baptism

there is no such thing as a secret Christian.

Jesus said: “everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

Those are intense words! But they reveal an incredibly important truth. Being a Christian is not only a matter of private faith, it is also a matter of public confession of Jesus as Lord. And this is why Jesus gave us baptism as a central practice in the life and mission of the church. Baptism is your public acknowledgement of faith in Christ. This is what Jesus Himself has called us to.

Jesus said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”  (Matthew 28:19)

Baptism is an expression of personal faith in Christ in response to the message of the Gospel. This is why, at River West Church, we don’t practice infant baptism. We baptize only adults and children who are old enough to understand and respond to the message of the Gospel. (For infants and younger children, we offer a prayer of dedication for them and their parents as a part of our Sunday worship service.)

We encourage every believer in Christ at River West Church to be baptized as a public confession of their faith in Christ. It’s a monumental step of faith and obedience to Christ. It’s also a major celebration in the life of our church! We have baptism services several times through the year.

For more information contact,
Pastor of Community Life, Adam McMurray at 503.699.2226 or