Salvation & Baptism

Salvation Decision Milestone: Baptism Celebration

There is one spiritual growth milestone that we celebrate in God’s perfect timing. When that decision to follow Christ becomes theirs, we celebrate the new creation that they are in Christ through the milestone of “Salvation & Baptism.” If your child, preteen, or student is asking lots of questions about their faith or if they have prayed to ask Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are ready to get baptized, we want to join you on the journey.

What is this milestone all about?

One of the greatest privileges as a parent is to help your child come to faith in Christ. Early elementary is a great time to deliberately plant seeds of biblical truth to help them understand the gospel, which is why we’ve created this milestone on the Parent Pathway. As the primary faith trainer of your child, your goal should be to lead them to understand the gospel and make their own faith decision when they are ready. But you might ask yourself, “How?”

Like many parents, you may not quite know how or when to approach this exciting yet intimidating moment of parenthood. Maybe you worry that you won’t explain the gospel properly, or you’re tempted to just “leave it to the professionals” by relying on church or ministry events. While that’s understandable, God has given you the most important and influential role when it comes to leading your child to Christ. Set up a time to visit with one of our NEXTGen ministry team members, and we can explore next steps together.

Put It Into Practice

Here are five basic steps to help you feel more comfortable about the process when the time comes:

• Step One: Lay a Foundation –We see this in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 where it says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
• Step Two: Discern Readiness
  It’s important to recognize that every child matures at their own pace, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. Discerning your child’s readiness to make a decision for Christ is less about a specific age and more about understanding their level of awareness and desire.Here are a few key signs to look for when discerning your child’s readiness:
  1. Increased Curiosity – Has your child been asking deeper questions about God, Jesus, or salvation? A genuine interest in spiritual conversations can indicate that they’re beginning to think more seriously about faith.
  2. Understanding of Sin – Does your child grasp the concept of sin and how it separates us from God? It’s important for them to have a basic understanding that sin is disobedience to God and that everyone needs forgiveness.
  3. Desire for a Relationship with God – Beyond knowledge, is there a visible desire in your child to know God personally? This desire could be reflected in their prayers, questions, or expressions of faith.
  4. Emotional Readiness – Is your child showing signs of emotional readiness, like a sense of conviction over sin or excitement about the idea of following Jesus? Emotional readiness often accompanies a genuine understanding.
  5. Heart for Obedience – Does your child show a desire to obey God and make choices that align with His teachings? A heart for obedience can be a strong sign that your child is ready to take the next step of faith.

  Remember, it’s okay to wait if your child isn’t quite ready yet. Keep fostering open conversations about faith and trust God’s timing in leading your child to a decision.

• Step Three: Ask Questions – If you feel your child might be ready, ask a few questions to help gauge his or her level of understanding.
• Step Four: Guide Your Child in Prayer – Romans 10:9 says, “… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” If you sense your child has a basic understanding of what sin is, as well as what it means to accept God’s gift of salvation and His Lordship, then you can guide him or her to pray along those lines.
• Step Five: Prepare Them for the Next Steps – Once your child has trusted Christ, you can begin the wonderful privilege of guiding their next steps of faith. Topics like Bible reading and prayer, baptism, worship, and even going to church now have new meaning and relevance, and you have the joy of modeling, teaching, and walking alongside them as they learn to trust, obey, and follow Jesus.

Next Steps

Want to practice or learn more about leading your child to Christ? Do you need some help answering your son or daughter’s questions about baptism? Are you wondering how to help them get to their next phase of spiritual maturity as they grow as a disciple? We would love to meet with you.