Nothing standing between you and the water

At Bethlehem Community Church, we believe there is no impediment between a person coming to faith in Christ and being baptized. You don't have to take a class. You don't have to sign up weeks in advance. You don't have to check a box or meet a requirement we made up.

We ask one thing: share your testimony. Tell us about your faith in Christ so we can affirm with you that this is your public declaration of what God has done in your life. We can do that weeks ahead of time, or we can do it in the moment. Baptism follows salvation, and we don't create barriers where the Bible doesn't.

Is baptism for me?

If you've come to faith in Christ and want to make a public declaration that Jesus is who he says he is, the water is open. That includes you if you were baptized as an infant in a previous tradition. We believe in believer's baptism, and if the Lord is prompting your heart, we want to walk into that with you.

We don't baptize into Bethlehem Community Church. We baptize into the kingdom of God.

When to expect it

Baptism happens quarterly as part of our regular Sunday worship service in Delmar, NY. It's not a separate event you stay late for. It's woven into the service because it belongs there. We announce it three to four weeks in advance so you can pray, prepare, and invite the people you want beside you.

We let you know it's coming

Three to four weeks before baptism Sunday, we announce it to the church. You make the decision to join in. If you want to let us know ahead of time, fill out the interest form below. If you decide that morning, that's fine too.

We provide what you need

We give every person being baptized a t-shirt. We also have bathing suits and towels available. If you planned ahead, bring your own change of clothes and a towel. If you didn't, we've got you.

Baptism is part of the service

Stay for the whole service as usual. The baptismal is on stage, ready to go. When it's time, you'll share your testimony, confess your faith, and step into the water. Invite your friends and family to be there.

Questions you might have

Do I need to be a member to be baptized?
Do I need to be a member to be baptized?
Can I be rebaptized?
This is a question worth talking through. If you were baptized before but didn't fully understand the implications of faith and baptism at the time, we'd love to sit down with you one on one. We'll walk through it together and make the decision as a team. Just reach out.
Can my child be baptized?
We don't set a specific age. What we do is talk with the child directly to understand whether they grasp the commitment they're making. Some children are ready at eight. Some aren't ready at ten. We handle each situation with grace, and if a child dedication is more appropriate at the time, we offer that too.
Do you baptize by immersion or sprinkling?
We practice immersion, but the method is not what matters. When we baptized an entire family, the 89-year-old grandmother was unable to be immersed. So we placed a chair in front of the baptismal and sprinkled her right there with her whole family watching. She was fully affirmed, fully celebrated, and fully baptized. If you have a physical limitation, we will make sure baptism is accessible to you.

Upcoming baptism service

Check below for the next baptism Sunday. If you're planning to be baptized, here's what to bring: a change of clothes, a towel, and anyone you want standing with you. We'll provide the t-shirt.

I'm interested in baptism

Whether you're ready to take the step or just have questions, fill out the form below and we'll follow up with you personally. No pressure, no timeline. Just a conversation.
Submit
Flags for Geoff before publish:
  •  Who receives the Baptism Interest Form? Defaulted to Geoff. Confirm.
  •  Baptism schedule for 2026. Are baptism Sundays already in the Subsplash calendar? If not, the event feature embed will be empty.
  •  89-year-old grandmother story. Reed and Geoff both agreed to include it. Does the family need to approve the story being on the public website, or is it general enough as written (no names)?
  •  Child dedication page or section. The FAQ mentions child dedications as an alternative. Is there a separate page for this, or should we add a line linking to a future resource?
  •  Baptism video. Geoff mentioned "a short video plays" during the baptism transition. Is this a standing video that could be embedded on this page, or is it service-specific each quarter?