Baptism

Baptism is a basic command of the Lord Jesus for all His followers. He said to baptize them “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19). Christians are to be baptized soon after they embrace Jesus as their Savior and Lord. New Christians are to be willing to take this step of public identification in response to the command of the One they confess as Lord and Savior.

At West Hills, we practice baptism in front of the congregation in one of our services. The person being baptized will give their testimony of how they came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and how their life has changed as a result of belonging to Him. Subsequently, a member of the church leadership will baptize the candidate by immersing them in the baptismal waters. We immerse people because it is a powerful symbol of two important realities. The first reality that immersion symbolizes is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The second symbol that immersion portrays is newness of life. Through Jesus, the Christian has been not only given eternal life, but a new life to live for Him. Thus, their “old self” is dead and they are now spiritually alive to love and follow Jesus.

If you are a Christian and have never followed the Lord in obedience to His command of baptism, this is a great opportunity to follow Him and to be an encouragement to our congregation by sharing a brief testimony of the work of Jesus in your life.

Please complete our Baptism Application to request to be baptized at our next baptism service. You will then be contacted with further details.

Read a more detailed account of baptism (pdf) at West Hills.