Expert: Onaga Thomas - 7/17/2007

Question
Can anyone in the Church of Christ baptize someone or does it have to be the pastor only?

Answer
Thankyou for your question Melanie

Any baptized believer can baptize someone and it does not have to be the pastor only.  Even in Jesus' ministry it says his disciples baptized people, Jesus did not do the baptizing, nor did he command that the baptizing had to be done by a pastor or minister only.  Take the day of Pentecost (Act 2:38), when people told them to repent and be baptized it says that about 3,000 souls did just that on that day.  Surely there was no one pastor baptizing all 3,000 people.  The apostles and other believers were there to help with the baptisms.  Take Philip (Acts. 8:32-40) when the Spirit led him to the Ethiopian Eunuch and the eunuch wanted to be baptized, Philip baptized him...he did not have to wait on a Peter or James or John to be there first.  At the COC I am a member of in Denver when a man or woman wishes to be baptized we just have a baptized believer do the baptism because they have the authority to do just that, it does not have to be the pastor only.