Baptism Without Belonging to the Church?

for roman catholics, babies are baptised asap after birth. i had recently moved and joined my new church while pregnant - i believe it was membership for 3 months before baptism.

Hi E.! As you've probably gathered, some denominations of Christianity practice infant baptism, others wait until the child is older. You didn't say how old your son is. We're Episcopalian, and had our daughter baptized when she was 8 months old. We had attended the church pretty regularly, but not officially joined. When she was baptized, my DD automatically became a member, and soon afterwards my husband and I chose to join, too. But it was not a requirement. I'm sure this varies from church to church; Episcopalians are usually pretty laid back about most things ;) Just look around until you find a church you're comfortable with.

Our church does not expect you to belong to our church to be baptised. I LOVE my church! Are you looking for a church home? PM me and we can talk!

Good luck and congrats on a great decision!!!

your son does not need to be baptised until he reaches the age of choosing, which basically means he understands who Jesus is and why he died and what that meas for your son. until then, his innocence renders him blameless in God's eyes. You would do well by your son to, at the very least, get him into a church to give him that faith base in deed as well as word. i slack off in my attendance some times, and i hear about it from my three daughters when i do, which is good. anywho, your son does not need baptism until he's old enough to understand salvation and what it means to him so he can CHOOSE God. good luck.

Hi E.,
I'm not sure of what faith you are referring to. But if it is Christianity, then the bible says that one should only be baptized if they are professing their own faith in God. In other words your child should be able to make his own personal decision in being a follower of Christ. Then he should make an outward symbol of being baptized after making that decision. Being baptized in it's self means nothing without first surrendering your life to Christ. If you are interested in reading about it in the Bible look at this site. They sure can put it alot better than me ")
http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/f/whatisbapt...
Best Regards,
C.

Funny how people are responding with their opinions on whether or not you should have an infant baptised. I didn't see you ask that question... But for those people and if you are curious, I will share these links.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Infant_Baptism.asp

http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-infant.htm

I, like Meg, am Episcopalian. My son was Baptised at 3 months and my daughter's is scheduled for June when she is 4 months old. In my church you do not have to be an officical member, but you do have to promise to raise the child as a Christian and most priests would also expect you to attend church at least somewhat regularly. My particular parish is more conservative than many Episcopalian parishes so I know our priest would certainly require some type of attendance commitment - though there is nothing in the official church law. I am curious why you do not attend, yet feel it so important to baptise your child. I am not judging you at all, as I am sure you have your reasons, but perhaps now is a good time to look for a church home. Sometimes it takes visiting several before you find the right one for you. I hope you find what you need, whether it be a one time place for baptism or a regular church home. Good luck.

Hi E.! Our church believes in baptism as a public proclamation of faith - that is done after a child or adult has accepted Christ as their savior, thus becoming a Christian then. Baptism, like taking the personal step to follow Christ, is a personal decision to proclaim to the community that you believe in Christ as your savior.

I invite you to visit our church, Chase Oaks Church -- a non-denominational Christian church in Plano. Chase Oaks Church is near Legacy/US 75 Central Exwy -- next to the Cinemark Legacy theaters. Chase Oaks is very welcoming to visitors and I think you'd really feel at home there. (www.chaseoaks.org)
We've been at Chase Oaks for 7 yrs and we're Life Group leaders now and we love it! Our faith has grown here... we've been connected to lifelong Christian friends that we can share our life experiences with ... we can pray for and with them... they pray for us and what we're going through... they are there for us when we need help, and we're there for them.

We are all called to stay in fellowship with others in our Christian walks to be accountable to others... to grow with them... to encourage one another... and to love one another. And at church, we can do that, in addition to worshipping God in church services and learning about God's word in sermons/classes.
I hope you can at least visit one time to see if you like it! Email me if you'd like to meet up before a church service and i can give you a tour... or if you have more questions.
Church services are: Friday 7 p.m.; or Sunday 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. Our services are casual so come as you are -- no need to "dress up" - unless you want to! :-)

God bless,
A.
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