Jesus instructs us to be baptised and set the example by being baptised Himself. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9). This act of obedience shows we believe and follow Him. (1 John 2:3). It’s also a chance to publicly declare our love. Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. Being baptised shows that we turn away from a life of sin toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).

Right away! If you’ve said "yes" to Jesus then your very next step is to jump into some water and get baptised. Let us know when you’re ready and we will make it happen.

Throughout the Bible, baptisms take place immediately after one’s profession of faith. It is believed that baptism shouldn’t be put off or postponed but should happen promptly (Acts 3:35-38). For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptised (Acts 8:12).

Some people delay baptism because they think they’re not ready or are afraid of making their faith public. But that’s exactly the point of baptism. It’s the starting point of your journey, not the finish line. It’s where we show everyone we’re on God’s team, we’ve put on the God jersey and we’re walking in this life with him.

Don’t worry about not feeling "good enough." If you’ve been saved by Jesus Christ, you have been sanctified by His grace and deemed perfect in the sight of God. Our right to enter baptism is founded upon His perfect righteousness not our own. Come just as you are.

In the Bible, baptism always comes after a person decides to put their faith in Jesus. So at ZEAL, we’re all for baptising children — as long as they’ve chosen to follow Jesus on their own and have a good understanding of the decision.

If you were baptised as a child but didn’t really understand what it was or what you were doing, you can do it right as an adult! The Bible doesn’t say how many times you can be baptised and it’s always a good idea to do it as your own personal decision to follow Jesus.

Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion. The original word for baptism most often referred to being immersed or submerged in water. Jesus was baptised by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10).

Submersion in water symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Being submersed under water represents our death to sin and old way of life and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).

Once you’ve already been baptised, there’s no need to be baptised again. If you genuinely trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior at the time of your baptism, your baptism can never be “invalid” or “wear off”. But if you’re concerned that your faith was not genuine at the time of your first baptism, you may be baptised again. Remember, however, that baptism neither saves you nor ensures your salvation. Similarly, if you were baptized as a child and you feel your faith was not genuine at that time, you may be baptized again.

If you haven't been baptized since you decided to follow Jesus, we want to help you take that next step.

We do not baptise infants at ZEAL. In the Bible, baptism is always after a person has made their own personal decision to follow Christ. We do, however, have Baby Dedications, where parents and families can stand on stage with a pastor and have their child prayed for and blessed by the church. This is a way of committing, as a family, to raise the child in a Godly way until they make their own profession of faith.

If you were baptized or christened as a child, that’s okay! It’s a great thing that your parents committed you to the Lord, and now that you’ve decided to follow Jesus yourself, you can continue and honor their commitment by getting baptised.