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I have recently come back to church after many years. I was not a originally a member of The Church of Christ and have never been baptized. I do want to follow the teachings of Christ and be baptized. My question is who can perform it? We have no regular preacher and almost all our members are women. My friend who brought me to the Church of Christ said that anyone can do it. But when I asked her to perform it she said she wasn't sure if a woman was permitted. Any help and scripture you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Hi!
Kathy, I understand your dilemma. The short answer is that salvation is not in the water, nor is it in the person doing the baptizing. Salvation is in the act of obedient submission.
On the day of Pentecost, people who were not baptized in water had to start the sequence of necessity. In Acts 2:38, the command to repent was given in the second person plural (as Peter had already repented), but the command to be baptized was given in the third person plural (as Peter still needed to be baptized. At the start of the Reformation, the same circumstances prevailed.
Every instance of baptism recorded shows a man conducting the baptism. I cannot make this decision for you. If there is a man, any man, available to do this (it doesn't need to be a preacher if it doesn't have to be a Christian), I would go that route for security's sake. After all, one of the pleas of the Restoration movement is, "There is a way that is so right that it cannot be wrong."
If there is no man, I would say, in my best judgment, that a woman is sufficient. With that said, some may not have the same understanding as I. In fact, it is likely that some will not recognize it as valid. Therefore, if you will just send me a ZIP Code, I will be happy to help you find the closest congregation where a man would be available. I don't need an address or last name where I might try to identify you.
Kathy, please let me know if I can help you further. However, I strongly encourage you to not let it wait longer than necessary, and whatever you do, make sure you do what you know beyond all doubt is the right way.
In His Service,
Marvin Howard
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Answers by Expert:
Marvin Howard
Expertise
I consider myself to be a "doctrine specialist" if there is such a thing. I offer scripture to support or refute (as needed) any doctrine practiced within what is commonly termed "Christianity" today. I am willing to try questions on prophecy and history, though they are weak points. I have learned a little, however. Also, as I am disabled, I have time to research many things. For example, I can find a congregation of the church within twenty miles of your ZIP Code if one exists. If traveling, I can locate a congregation for your visit. I am accountable in this ministry to a group of Christians. I will share my answers with them for review. If a question is private, I will redact the names for privacy.
Experience
I became a Christian on April 7, 1969. I have been a substitute, spur-of-the-moment preacher for thirty years. My last pulpit was with the congregation in Braswell, GA. My sermons have always contained at least fifty percent scripture. On occasion, I have preached in seven states, and four foreign nations. This is beside my online ministry. I am now, officially retired.
I hope to never mislead anyone saying I'm a member of one group, when I'm really in another as one here does. By his own admission, he isn't a member of the church, but of the "Christian Church" (sic) denomination. If I can be honest, I don't know why others would want to lie.
Education/Credentials
Having already acquired significant Bible education from self-study, I attended 1.5 years of Bible college through the church at Dyersburg, TN (before my health waned) in an attempt to get paper to say I know what I know.
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