Willow Kids Baptism

All kids are made in the image of God – built with purpose and the ability to love God, love others, and change the world. Our desire is to educate kids (up to grade 5), equip parents, and celebrate with the whole family as kids take a next step in their relationship with Jesus through baptism. If you or your junior-high or high-school student is interested in Baptism, learn more here!

Baptism Process

1. Grown-Up Class

We believe kids are cognitively able to understand salvation and put their faith in Jesus—and they might want to make that public through baptism! Our grown up class in an opportunity for parents and guardians to understand what baptism is, why we do it, and how to evaluate your child’s readiness for baptism. Our goal is to partner with you, helping you understand and value the decision your child is making while discerning if this is their next step.

2. Family Conversation

After you’ve attended a grown-up class, a Willow Kids staff member will have a personal conversation with your family (grown-up and kid) to gain understanding on where a kid is in their relationship with Jesus, why they want to be baptized, and to walk through the next steps for baptism.

3. Baptism

Register your kid(s) for an upcoming baptism and celebrate them taking a next step in their relationship with Jesus!

FAQs

What is baptism?

What isn't baptism?

Baptism is not the same thing as salvation. Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus and accept God’s forgiveness is saved. We say saved because when you choose to follow Jesus, God has made it so that we get to live forever with Him while we’re here on earth and later in Heaven.

Baptism is not a way to get God to love you more than He already does. God’s love for us is not dependant on anything we do or don’t do. His love never changes.

Why do we get baptized?

Can kids really understand baptism in a meaningful way?

Yes! Yes they can. Kids can understand some really big ideas, and this one is no different. It doesn’t mean that they have a full understanding of spiritual things, just like us grown-ups, are still learning too. The prerequisite for baptism isn’t “full understanding of God.” Sometimes their simple and pure thought process when it comes to faith is the very thing that makes this even more meaningful.

God’s word says this: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

What should I do if I'm not comfortable talking about this with my kids?

What should I do if I am personally interested in learning more about baptism?

What do I do if my kid has questions that I can't answer?

We’ve all been there! Feel the freedom to be honest and say “I don’t know, but let’s find out together.” We want to help! You can ask your campus Willow Kids staff member or set up a time to talk more about the questions your kid might be asking. Either way, we are just a click away, message us on Instagram or Facebook. We will be glad to help you find the answer!

At the end of the day, if there is any situation that arises that you aren’t sure about, here’s what we practice:

Get curious: lean in and ask questions. Sometimes 3-4 questions into a conversation, you will get to the root of what is going on in someone’s thoughts and the ideas they are wrestling with.
Feel the freedom to say “I don’t know” – you don’t have to know everything! This is an opportunity to explore together, and authenticity always wins the day over making something up that you aren’t sure about. The more people that “don’t know” together, the more fun you can have finding the answer!
Ask for help! In any situation that you aren’t sure about, flag down any staff or volunteer you see. Others can and want to help, and will step in where needed!