Pastor Ski and other WELS pastors (John Parlow, Jim Buske, and others) went to Drive08, a conference organized by a Baptist Church in Atlanta, deceptively called Northpoint Community Church.
WELS observer: "Have you noticed that, at the top of Ski's blog he calls it [Drive 08] a 'pastors conference'?"
This is what Northpoint Community Church believes about baptism:
What We Believe About Baptism
Who Should Be Baptized
Christians believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, salvation occurs only when a person places his or her faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for his or her sin.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are ready to be baptized. Just like a bride and groom show others their love for one another by wearing wedding bands, your baptism is your opportunity to show others that you have accepted Christ and are now walking with Him.
If you have any questions about how to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please contact baptism@northpoint.org.
What Baptism Symbolizes
Baptism is a way of showing others that you have entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It symbolizes what took place in your heart at the time of salvation:
* Accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
* Shared in His death and resurrection, illustrated by going under the water (dead to your old life), then rising again (new life).
* Were symbolically washed clean, and sins were forgiven by His death on the cross.
Because Jesus instructed us to be baptized, baptism is an act of obedience. While it is not necessary for salvation, it demonstrates submission to God. We immerse at North Point Community Church because we believe Scripture shows that Jesus modeled that for us as the way to publicly acknowledge our faith in Him. Infant Christening
Some denominations choose to christen infants. While we recognize the right of other churches to practice infant christening, we understand Scripture to teach that only professing believers qualify for baptism. Baptism does not make you a believer, rather it shows that you already believe.
The baptism process at North Point has been designed to be both simple and meaningful. From the registration form to the baptism meeting, each step has been carefully planned with you in mind:
1. Listen to the baptism message. You may request a CD at the email address below or listen to the message online.
2. Complete the Adult Baptism Registration Form. Once we receive your registration form, we will contact you to schedule your videotaping and baptism.
3. Read about making your video. We want you to be as comfortable and prepared for the video as possible.
4. Attend a meeting and film your testimony. After we receive your registration form, we'll contact you to schedule you for an informational meeting where you'll also have your testimony videotaped.
5. Get baptized! Baptisms take place during one of the Sunday services and include a showing of your prerecorded video.
For questions, please contact Beth Carson at baptism@northpoint.org.
Baptism Message
If you think baptism is the next step for you, take thirty minutes and listen to Andy's talk, "What About Baptism?" In the message, he answers the questions we are most often asked about baptism.
LISTEN TO MESSAGE - Windows Media
LISTEN TO MESSAGE - Real
WATCH ONLINE - Flash Video
