Baptism and Dedication Liturgies
A baptism liturgy is the set of words spoken around the water: the institution, the questions, the formula said at the moment of baptism, and the welcome that follows.
Where it goes in the service
Inside a regular worship service, usually after the scripture reading or before communion, so the congregation is present to make its promises. Baptisms also happen at rivers, lakes, and pools, and at Easter Vigil in liturgical traditions. Allow ten to fifteen minutes for a single baptism, plus testimony.
What is a baptism liturgy?
Baptism is the church's front door, and the liturgy around it is doing three jobs at once. It grounds the act in Christ's command rather than in the congregation's preference. It asks the candidate, or the parents, to say out loud what they believe. And it commits the church to the person being baptized, which is the part most often skipped and the part that most affects what happens next.
The words at the moment of baptism are the fixed point. Almost every tradition uses the trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Some churches following the pattern of Acts baptize "in the name of Jesus Christ". The formula is short, it is said while a person is standing in water and probably nervous, and it should be memorized rather than read.
Churches that practice infant baptism and churches that practice believer's baptism are doing genuinely different things, and no liturgy can paper over that. What they share is the shape: scripture, profession, water, welcome. Congregations that baptize believers usually offer a service of infant dedication or thanksgiving instead, which blesses the child and vows the parents and the church without claiming to be baptism. Both are included below and labeled clearly, because the wrong text at the wrong font is a pastoral problem, not a stylistic one.
The most underused element is the congregational vow. Asking the whole church, out loud, whether they will help raise this child or hold this new believer accountable, turns a hundred spectators into a hundred people with a job. It takes twenty seconds and it changes the room.
14 baptism and dedication liturgies you can use this Sunday
Free to copy, print, and project. Scripture is quoted from public-domain translations, so no permission is required.
The Institution: The Great Commission
ScriptureGo ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV)
The Meaning: Buried and Raised
ScriptureKnow ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:3-4 (KJV)
The Call: Repent and Be Baptized
ScriptureThen Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 (KJV)
Prayer Over the Water
PrayerGod, you moved over water before there was anything else. You brought a people through the sea on dry ground. Your Son stood in a river and the sky opened over him. Be in this water. It is ordinary water, out of a tap, and you have never needed anything to be impressive before you used it. Wash [Name]. Claim [him/her]. And do not let go. Amen.
Original
Questions to the Candidate (Believer's Baptism)
Believer's baptismMinister: [Name], do you turn from sin and from every way of living that has nothing to do with Jesus? Answer: I do. Minister: Do you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, and will you follow him as your Lord? Answer: I do. Minister: Will you take your place in this church, be taught, be corrected, and give yourself to the work of Christ here? Answer: I will. Minister: On your profession of faith, I baptize you.
Original
Profession of Faith in Question Form
ProfessionMinister: Do you believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth? Answer: I do. Minister: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day? Answer: I do. Minister: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting? Answer: I do.
Original, in the historic creedal question form
The Baptismal Formula
Formula[Name], upon your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [The candidate is immersed, or water is poured or sprinkled three times.] Buried with Christ in baptism. Raised to walk in newness of life.
Matthew 28:19 (KJV), with Romans 6:4 (KJV)
Words Immediately After the Baptism
Welcome[Name], you are marked as Christ's own. There will be days you do not feel like a Christian. This happened. It is a fact outside your feelings, and you can come back to it for the rest of your life. Welcome home.
Original
Questions to Parents (Infant Baptism)
Infant baptismMinister: Do you present [Name] for baptism, trusting in the promise of God to be a God to you and to your children? Parents: We do. Minister: Do you promise to raise [him/her] in the teaching and worship of the church, to pray with [him/her], and to set before [him/her] a life you would be content for [him/her] to copy? Parents: We do, with God's help.
Original
The Congregational Vow
CongregationalMinister: Members of this church, you have heard these promises. Will you receive [Name], pray for [him/her], teach [him/her] by the way you live, and hold [him/her] when the family cannot? Congregation: We will, with God's help. Minister: Then say so to [him/her]. Congregation: [Name], you belong here. We are glad you came.
Original
Infant or Child Dedication
DedicationMinister: Hannah said of her son: For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. [Parents], do you give [Name] back to God today, holding [him/her] with open hands rather than closed ones? Parents: We do. Minister: Do you promise to teach [him/her] the scriptures, to pray with [him/her], and to bring [him/her] into the life of this church until [he/she] can choose it for [himself/herself]? Parents: We do, with God's help. [The minister takes or blesses the child.] Minister: [Name], may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Original, with 1 Samuel 1:27-28 (KJV) and Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
Jesus and the Children
DedicationSuffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Mark 10:14, 16 (KJV)
A Frame for the Candidate's Testimony
Testimony[Give the candidate three prompts in advance, and a ninety-second limit.] 1. What your life was oriented around before. 2. What happened, and roughly when. 3. What is different now, said plainly and without exaggerating. Minister, afterward: You have heard [Name]'s testimony. Church, is there anything preventing this baptism? Congregation: Nothing at all. Let's get in the water.
Original
Baptism Benediction
BlessingGo from this water as people who have been claimed. May the Father who named you keep you named. May the Son who went under the water ahead of you walk you up the far bank. And may the Spirit, who came down like a dove and has not left, be on you every day of your life. Amen.
Original
How to write your own
- 1Memorize the formula. The sentence said at the moment of baptism should never be read off a card, because your hands are wet, the candidate is nervous, and everyone in the room is watching that one sentence.
- 2Ask the questions in words a fifteen-year-old would use. "Do you renounce the vain pomp and glory of the world" means nothing to most candidates now. "Do you turn from sin and from every way of living that has nothing to do with Jesus" means the same thing and lands.
- 3Always include a congregational vow. It is the cheapest, highest-return twenty seconds in the whole liturgy, and it is what turns a baptism from a private event held in public into an act of the church.
- 4Say what happens next, out loud, before the person is dry. Which class, which group, who is going to call them on Tuesday. A baptism with no named next step is where most new believers quietly disappear.
- 5Write the logistics down separately from the liturgy: who has the towels, where people change, who holds the microphone, what happens if the water is cold. Every awkward baptism in memory is a logistics failure, not a theology failure.
- 6If you baptize believers, have a dedication liturgy ready and label it clearly so nobody in the room thinks a baptism just happened. Clarity here prevents a conversation you do not want to have five years later.
How different traditions handle it
Baptist, Pentecostal, Anabaptist, and most non-denominational churches baptize professing believers only, ordinarily by immersion, and offer infant dedication as a separate and explicitly non-sacramental service. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, and Methodist churches baptize the infant children of believers, ordinarily by pouring or sprinkling, and understand baptism as a sign and seal of God's covenant promise rather than a response to the candidate's decision; those traditions follow baptism with confirmation or profession of faith when the child is older. Nearly all of these use the trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19 and regard a trinitarian baptism performed in another Christian tradition as valid. Oneness Pentecostal churches baptize in the name of Jesus only. Churches of Christ and some Restoration Movement congregations teach baptism as the point at which sins are remitted, which shapes the wording of their questions. Know which of these your congregation holds before you write a word of the liturgy.
Frequently asked questions
What do you say when baptising someone?
The standard words are "[Name], upon your profession of faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", drawn from Matthew 28:19, followed immediately by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. Many ministers add "Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life" from Romans 6:4 as the person comes up out of the water. Memorize it; do not read it.
What is infant dedication?
A service in which parents publicly give a child back to God and promise to raise them in the faith, and the congregation promises to help. It is used by churches that baptize only professing believers, so it is deliberately not a baptism and no water is used. The usual texts are 1 Samuel 1:27-28 and Mark 10:13-16, and it typically ends with the Aaronic blessing spoken over the child.
What is the baptismal formula?
The trinitarian formula from Matthew 28:19: "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". It is used by almost every Christian tradition, and a baptism performed with it is generally recognized as valid across denominational lines. A minority of churches, following the pattern of Acts 2:38, baptize "in the name of Jesus Christ".
How old should you be to be baptised?
It depends entirely on what your tradition believes baptism is. Churches that baptize believers wait until a person can profess faith for themselves, which in practice usually means somewhere from late childhood onward, with most pastors wanting a conversation rather than a fixed age. Churches that baptize infants baptize the children of believing parents in the first months of life and expect a personal profession later, at confirmation. Neither position is a matter of readiness alone; it follows from how the tradition understands the covenant.
Do you have to be immersed?
Traditions differ, and the difference is real. Immersion best pictures the burial and resurrection of Romans 6, and churches that practice believer's baptism generally require it. Churches that baptize by pouring or sprinkling point to the language of washing and of the Spirit being poured out. Most traditions on both sides recognize a trinitarian baptism performed by the other mode.
Where should a baptism go in the service?
Inside the main service, after the scripture reading or just before communion, not in a separate gathering. The congregation has promises to make, and it cannot make them if it is not there. Allow ten to fifteen minutes including testimony, and do not schedule the baptism on the same Sunday as everything else you have been postponing.
Can a layperson baptize?
Denominational rules vary considerably. Some traditions reserve baptism to ordained ministers except in emergencies; others allow any believer to baptize and encourage the person who led someone to faith to do it. Check your own polity before offering, because a baptism performed outside the rules can create real difficulty for the person baptized later on.
Keep a record of what was actually said
The baptism liturgy you wrote is in your notes. The sermon that went with it usually isn't. Transcribe every service and build a searchable archive your congregation can go back to: the Church Plan is $19/month for as many sermons as you preach.
Related parts of the service
Affirmations of Faith
An affirmation of faith is the moment a congregation says aloud, together, what it believes, usually a historic creed.
Welcome Speeches for Church
A church welcome is the first human voice of the service: 45 seconds that tell a visitor whether they are a guest or an intruder.
The Aaronic Benediction
The Aaronic benediction is the blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, given by God to Aaron and his sons as the words by which they would put his name on his people.
Benedictions
A benediction is the spoken blessing that sends a congregation out at the end of worship, not a closing prayer, but a pronouncement of God's favor over his people.
Everything else in the service
Planning the rest of the service
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