Do Non Demonination Churches Baptize Infants?

[Lily5]

We just started going to a non denomination church.

I want to get our daughter baptized. Do non demonination churches baptize infants? He doesn't want to go to a Catholic Church (I'm Catholic) or the Orthodox Church (his family's church). I like the non denomination church, but I really want our baby to be baptized.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Without knowing the church, we are as in the dark as you on that. Unless there is a rule of thumb for ND's, and I doubt that, as I would guess these are some of the most diverse thinking Churches there are.

Do they have a website or something with information about the Church? You might have to ask them.

 

[PollyJetix]

Why? Your baby isn't lost.

 

[chevyontheriver]

We just started going to a non denomination church.

I want to get our daughter baptized. Do non demonination churches baptize infants? He doesn't want to go to a Catholic Church (I'm Catholic) or the Orthodox Church (his family's church). I like the non denomination church, but I really want our baby to be baptized.

You should go to the Catholic Church or whatever Orthodox Church your husband is a member of for baptism and all the sacraments. It sounds like your husband has already vetoed that for some reason. Does he forbid you going to your Catholic church?

The good news is, depending on what sort of non-denominational denomination it is, their baptism might be valid. Depends. Do they use real water? If they immerse or pour, with natural water, that's all to the good. Do they use the Trinitarian formula for baptism found at the end of the Gospel of Matthew? If so, that's all to the good. Do they have a Trinitarian understanding of who God is? Or only sorta kinda? Do they accept the Nicean Creed? If so, more than likely the baptism would be valid.

You can read about how baptism from the point of view of the early Church hrer in the Didache, written at the end of the first century of the Church. The Didache - Teaching of the Twelve Apostles - Oldest Church Manual

 

[~Anastasia~]

It is very unlikely that a non-denom's beliefs would include infant baptism. It could be the case, because there is no "rule" for being a non-denom, but most (maybe all?) of them developed out of denominations that already reject infant baptism.

So you'd have to ask that pastor, but the chances are slim, I would say. It is unlikely that they recognize Sacraments at all, but more likely what they would call the ordinances of baptism (only for believers, so at least a certain age) and the Lord's Supper/Communion, only for baptized but likely not viewed as sacramental in any way.

They may do a dedication ceremony though, and pray for your daughter.

It sounds like a difficult situation to be in.

 

[stuart lawrence]

We just started going to a non denomination church.

I want to get our daughter baptized. Do non demonination churches baptize infants? He doesn't want to go to a Catholic Church (I'm Catholic) or the Orthodox Church (his family's church). I like the non denomination church, but I really want our baby to be baptized.

If it means that much to you to get your daughter baptised in a church, could you not go to a minister/ priest privately and ask him to perform such a baptism? It wouldn't need to be done in a full service would it, if you would need to be a member of the church for this to happen.
Hopefully you would find a kind man who was prepared to do this for you to give you peace on the subject
Good luck

 

[Lily5]

I want to ask the church but I feel uncomfortable because we just started going. We aren't members.

I briefly talked to my husband again after reading the posts, and he may come around to having her baptized in the Orthodox Church. I am slightly worried that do immersion only. The Catholic Church will do sprinkling. But any baptism is preferable to none.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I want to ask the church but I feel uncomfortable because we just started going. We aren't members.

I briefly talked to my husband again after reading the posts, and he may come around to having her baptized in the Orthodox Church. I am slightly worried that do immersion only. The Catholic Church will do sprinkling. But any baptism is preferable to none.

Immersion for an infant sounds terrible but it really isn't. The baby has a natural response to hold her breath so there should be no worries there. It is safe. The Orthodox do baptize validly and I think always by immersion.

The Catholic baptisms I have seen have been by pouring, and again no problem there. You could ask for an immersion baptism in a Catholic church and they could probably figure out how to do it in a pool or river or lake or a deep tub. But sprinkling works too.

In St. Augustine's day there was a group called the Donatists, a kind of holier than thou separatist group that rejected the baptism of Catholics saying that only their baptism was good enough. Augustine wrote a book about them, available here: CHURCH FATHERS: On Baptism (Augustine)
The upshot was their baptism is valid, yes, and so too the Catholic baptism, and that one should seek out baptism in the fullness of the faith. You would have to determine how much of that the non-denominational group actually has. And, of course, whether they even baptize young children.

 

[FireDragon76]

If it means that much to you to get your daughter baptised in a church, could you not go to a minister/ priest privately and ask him to perform such a baptism? It wouldn't need to be done in a full service would it, if you would need to be a member of the church for this to happen.

Most mainline churches that practice infant baptism now frown on the practice of "christening" a child privately in a separate service, as it denies the corporate nature of baptism. Some ministers or priests may still be willing to baptize the child anyways, however.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Most mainline churches that practice infant baptism now frown on the practice of "christening" a child privately in a separate service, as it denies the corporate nature of baptism. Some ministers or priests may still be willing to baptize the child anyways, however.

Good point. I doubt a Catholic priest would just baptize the child of a stranger. For my parish it involves a class the parents have to take. We have baptisms often in the early afternoon after the 11 AM mass. The Easter vigil is normally for adult baptisms or confirmations. There isn't any drive by baptism any more. And that is probably a very good thing.

 

[FireDragon76]

I would say the thing to do is decide where your commitments are first. If you are going to raise the child in a non-denominational church that doesn't practice infant baptism, then the child is going to have to be rebaptized again at some point, which from most mainline Protestant and Catholic perspectives is a sacrilege. So you really can't have your cake and eat it too.

I've only once heard of a non-denom chuch practice infant baptism for those parents that requested it. But usually they won't do it. Most seem to be "Credobaptist" in their theology.

 

[Lily5]

Thanks all. We are new to attending church regularly and don't really know of practices/"rules". We were both baptized as infants though. I have some thinking to do.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thanks all. We are new to attending church regularly and don't really know of practices/"rules". We were both baptized as infants though. I have some thinking to do.

Yes, indeed. They may want to re-baptize you as well. Sometimes the Orthodox want to re-baptize Catholics too.

 

[Albion]

We just started going to a non denomination church.

I want to get our daughter baptized. Do non demonination churches baptize infants? He doesn't want to go to a Catholic Church (I'm Catholic) or the Orthodox Church (his family's church). I like the non denomination church, but I really want our baby to be baptized.

Most non-denominational congregations are similar in theology to Baptist churches. If that holds true for the one you're attending, they wouldn't baptize young children and wouldn't consider any such baptism to be valid because it would have been administered before the person was old enough to make a commitment to Christ on his own.

In your daughter's case, that would probably mean a re-baptism. I'm on your side when it comes to baptizing infants and young children, but this church probably is not. However, there's a chance that the church leaves the matter to the discretion of the parents. Some do.

 

[PollyJetix]

Thanks all. We are new to attending church regularly and don't really know of practices/"rules". We were both baptized as infants though. I have some thinking to do.

Why don't you ask the pastor of the church where you are attending to sit down with you and talk some things over?

 

[Greyy]

Without knowing the church, we are as in the dark as you on that. Unless there is a rule of thumb for ND's, and I doubt that, as I would guess these are some of the most diverse thinking Churches there are.

Do they have a website or something with information about the Church? You might have to ask them.

It is important to realize churches are not stores where we go and get what we want when we want it. The purpose of baptism isn't to provide some type of magic, but to initiate the child into their community and their faith. If you don't have a faith community, if you don't have a stable place of faith planned for your child, the baptism does not make any sense.

 

[Lily5]

It is important to realize churches are not stores where we go and get what we want when we want it. The purpose of baptism isn't to provide some type of magic, but to initiate the child into their community and their faith. If you don't have a faith community, if you don't have a stable place of faith planned for your child, the baptism does not make any sense.

Thanks, this really puts things into perspective actually and is good advise.

I think I'm unsure what I want. Family pressure is also affecting my decision of wanting a baptism.

I like the ND church but I'm not sure if I feel 'at home' there. Perhaps I need to give it more time? I may talk to my husband about visiting other Protestant churches. He does not want to be in the Catholic or Orthodox community. He is only considering Orthodox because of family pressures.

 

[Greyy]

Thanks, this really puts things into perspective actually and is good advise.

I think I'm unsure what I want. Family pressure is also affecting my decision of wanting a baptism.

I like the ND church but I'm not sure if I feel 'at home' there. Perhaps I need to give it more time? I may talk to my husband about visiting other Protestant churches. He does not want to be in the Catholic or Orthodox community. He is only considering Orthodox because of family pressures.

Your views are just as important. Rushing into a baptism, for the sake of baptism, does not make any sense. I know that Catholics, and I believe Orthodox too, would not allow baptism for baptism sake. Baptism is the start of a journey.

That being said, a journey is not always about knowing a destination.

 

[Albion]

Thanks, this really puts things into perspective actually and is good advise.

I think I'm unsure what I want. Family pressure is also affecting my decision of wanting a baptism.

I like the ND church but I'm not sure if I feel 'at home' there. Perhaps I need to give it more time? I may talk to my husband about visiting other Protestant churches. He does not want to be in the Catholic or Orthodox community. He is only considering Orthodox because of family pressures.

It may be best, then, to continue attending this non-denom church for awhile--as you carefully study and examine the beliefs and worship style of others that might be better choices in the long run.

IF, however, you feel the pressure to have your child baptized without a long wait, you may be forced to seek out a chaplain or retired priest/minister who would perform the ceremony.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thanks, this really puts things into perspective actually and is good advise.

I think I'm unsure what I want. Family pressure is also affecting my decision of wanting a baptism.

I like the ND church but I'm not sure if I feel 'at home' there. Perhaps I need to give it more time? I may talk to my husband about visiting other Protestant churches. He does not want to be in the Catholic or Orthodox community. He is only considering Orthodox because of family pressures.

It looks like the issue is not so much baptizing your child but what church you are going to attend, what church your husband will be attending, and how you get along with those decisions. Your husband seems to have strong opinions in this regard. Do they mean you have no say? Figure out what you believe and where you will go and how that works in your marriage first. Baptizing your child will make sense once that is all decided.