Comparative Summary
Comparative Summary of Baptisms of Denominations of Christian Influence. (This section does not give a complete listing of denominations, and therefore, it only mentions a fraction of the churches practicing "believer's baptism".)
| Denomination | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anabaptist | Baptism is considered by the majority of Anabaptist Churches (anabaptist means to baptize again) to be essential to Christian faith but not to salvation. It is considered a biblical ordinance along with communion, feet washing, the holy kiss, the Christian woman's head covering, anointing with oil, and marriage. The Anabaptists also have stood historically against the practice of infant baptism. The Anabaptists stood firmly against infant baptism in a time when the Church and State were one and when people were made a citizen through baptism into the officially sanctioned Church (Reformed or Catholic). Belief and repentance are believed to precede and follow baptism. | By pouring, immersion or submersion. | No | No | Trinity |
| Anglican Communion | "Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God." | By submersion, immersion or pouring. | Yes (in most sub-denominations) | Yes (in most sub-denominations) | Trinity |
| Denomination (continued) | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
| Apostolic Brethren | Necessary for salvation because it conveys spiritual rebirth. | By submersion only. Also stress the necessity of a “second” Baptism of a special outpouring from the Holy Spirit. | No | Yes | Jesus |
| Baptists | A divine ordinance, a symbolic ritual, a mechanism for publicly declaring one's faith, and a sign of having already been saved, but not necessary for salvation. | By submersion only. | No | No | Trinity |
| Christadelphians | Baptism is essential for the salvation of a believer. It is only effective if somebody believes the true gospel message before they are baptized. Baptism is an external symbol of an internal change in the believer: it represents a death to an old, sinful way of life, and the start of a new life as a Christian, summed up as the repentance of the believer—it therefore leads to forgiveness from God, who forgives people who repent. Although someone is only baptized once, a believer must live by the principles of their baptism (i.e.,death to sin, and a new life following Jesus) throughout their life. | By submersion only | No | Yes | The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (although Christadelphians do not believe in the Nicean trinity) |
| Denomination (continued) | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
| Churches of Christ | Churches of Christ have historically had the most conservative position on baptism among the various branches of the Restoration Movement, understanding baptism by immersion to be a necessary part of conversion. | By immersion only | No | Because of the belief that baptism is a necessary part of salvation, some Baptists hold that the Churches of Christ endorse the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. However, members of the Churches of Christ reject this, arguing that since faith and repentance are necessary, and that the cleansing of sins is by the blood of Christ through the grace of God, baptism is not an inherently redeeming ritual. Baptism is understood as a confessional expression of faith and repentance, rather than a "work" that earns salvation. | Trinity |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | An ordinance essential to enter the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven and preparatory for receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. | By immersion performed by a person holding proper priesthood authority. | No (at least 8 years old) | Yes | Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost (The LDS church doesn't believe in the Nicean trinity, but rather in the Godhead) |
| Denomination (continued) | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | Baptism is necessary for salvation as part of the entire baptismal arrangement: as an expression of obedience to Jesus' command (Matthew 28:19–20), as a public symbol of the saving faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10), and as an indication of repentance from dead works and the dedication of one's life to Jehovah. (1 Peter 2:21) However, baptism does not guarantee salvation. | By submersion only; typical candidates are baptized at district and circuit conventions. | No | No | Jesus |
| Lutherans | Baptism is a miraculous Sacrament through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a person's heart. "Although we do not claim to understand how this happens or how it is possible, we believe (because of what the Bible says about baptism) that when an infant is baptized, God creates faith in the heart of that infant." | By sprinkling, pouring or immersion. | Yes | Yes | Trinity |
| Methodists (Arminians, Wesleyans) | The Sacrament of initiation into Christ's holy Church whereby one is incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the spirit. Baptism washes away sin and clothes one in the righteousness of Christ. | By sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. | Yes | Yes, although contingent upon repentance and a personal acceptance of Christ as Saviour. | Trinity |
| Denomination (continued) | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
| Oneness Pentecostals | Being baptized is an ordinance directed and established by Jesus and the Apostles. | By submersion. Also stress the necessity of a baptism of a the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 8:14–17, 35–38). | No | Yes | Jesus |
| Trinitarian Pentecostals and various "Holiness" groups, Christian Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God | Water Baptism is an ordinance, a symbolic ritual used to witness to having accepted Christ as personal Savior. | By submersion. Also stress the necessity of a “second” Baptism of a special outpouring from the Holy Spirit. | No | Varies | Trinity |
| Presbyterian and most Reformed churches | A sacrament, a symbolic ritual, and a seal of the adult believer’s present faith. It is an outward sign of an inward grace. | By sprinkling, pouring, immersion or submersion | Yes, to indicate membership in the New Covenant. | No | Trinity |
| Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) | Only an external symbol that is no longer to be practiced | Do not believe in Baptism of water, but only in an inward, ongoing purification of the human spirit in a life of discipline led by the Holy Spirit. | — | — | — |
| Revivalism | A necessary step for salvation. | By submersion, with the expectation of receiving the Holy Spirit. | No | Yes | Trinity |
| Denomination (continued) | Beliefs about baptism | Type of baptism | Baptize infants? | Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life | Standard |
| Roman Catholic Church | "Necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament" | Usually by pouring in the West, by submersion or immersion in the East; sprinkling admitted only if the water then flows on the head. | Yes | Yes | Trinity |
| Seventh-day Adventists | Not stated as the prerequisite to salvation, but a prerequisite for becoming a member of the church, although nonmembers are still accepted in the church. It symbolizes death to sin and new birth in Jesus Christ. "It affirms joining the family of God and sets on apart for a life of ministry." | By submersion. | No | No | Trinity |
| United Church of Christ (Evangelical and Reformed Churches and the Congregational Christian Churches) | One of two sacraments. Baptism is an outward sign of God's inward grace. It may or may not be necessary for membership in a local congregation. However, it is a common practice for both infants and adults. | By sprinkling, pouring, immersion or submersion. | Yes, to indicate membership in the New Covenant. | No | Trinity |
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