Southlands does not practice infant baptism as Scripture nowhere instructs us to baptize infants, nor does it describe infants being baptized. Baptism in the New Testament is exclusive to believers, to those who have recognized their sin and separation from God, repented from their sins and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. As infants are not able to do this, they are not yet believers and should not be baptized.
We believe that children are a blessing from God a gift to be celebrated as well as a responsibility to be stewarded. By participating in the ceremony, parents are publicly dedicating themselves to two overriding principles (based out of Deuteronomy 6: 5-7):
Jesus modeled an approach whereby he both valued and prayed a blessing on them, as seen in Matthew 19:13–15, which serves as the basis for our dedication ceremony.
The elders of Southlands, together with the rest of the Southlands family, commit to support and equip parents by the grace of God to fulfill their responsibility, and likewise to be good examples to the children being dedicated. Because of this, we dedicate the children of parents who have gone through the membership process or are on-track to be welcomed in as members at Southlands.
If you are interested in dedicating your son or daughter, please contact Shannon Baker.