Infant Baptism
The Protestant Reformers rejected the idea of regeneration at baptism. But the evangelical Anglican Church sees infant baptism to be more than a mere dedication of the baby. We believe the service of baptism of a child at Apostles serves three purposes:
It is a service of thanksgiving to God for the baby. God is the One who has given us His children to manage. Thus, parents must be thankful to God and willing to express that publicly.
It is a service of claiming the promises of God in Acts 16:31—the Scriptural promise of salvation saying, “For you and your children…” Thus, confidently, we come to God in prayer, asking that He open the spiritual eyes of the babies at some point in their lives.
It is a service of pledging to God that the child will be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Just as a child will not have a choice in his name or the school he attends, he will not have a choice about being brought up in a godly home.
In summary, the infant baptism service is a covenant-making service.
Adult Baptism
Any believer who has not been baptized is encouraged to do so. This service is not a covenant-making service as much as it is a public testimony of one’s salvation through the living Lord Jesus Christ and the surrender of one’s life to His lordship.