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Hats Off wrote:We do not consider infant baptism as a valid baptism so we would require believer's baptism of one that had infant baptism. Any other form of re-baptism does not sit well with me. I know someone that feels she was not born again when she was baptized twenty years ago and yet I know she believed. She would consider re-baptism now and I would go along with it if it is the only way she feels comfortable, but to me that is saying everything she and her church had stood for up until this time was in fact nothing. To me it feels that she is invalidating the church she was part of for twenty years, that she communed with. She was baptized even if she now feels she wasn't ready all this time.

I think that baptism is something God does, not just something a church does. So for me, admitting to a false baptism should not reflect on the congregation or its leader(s). We are to do the best we can to discern, but only God can see the attitudes of the heart.

Old German Baptist Brethren (New Conference) do not hold to one true church teaching or apostolic succession, yet they will still require a new convert to be baptised, even if they were previously immersed thrice at eg a Grace Brethren type of church as an adult and as a believer.

This local Old German Baptist Brethren New Conference member feels that perhaps he should clarify on behalf of his particular fellowship once again, especially in light of the subject under discussion... We freely accept previous trine immersions as valid and receive them as members upon their verbal confession of faith. We also permit (but do not require) rebaptism in such cases, especially if the person seeking to join feels their previous baptism was not valid or they wish to do so as a recommitment/expression of their faith.

We have also received in members on their previous single immersion baptisms administered elsewhere. It is neither advertised nor encouraged, but it is permitted on their verbal confession of faith.

I expect answers might also differ on this thread depending somewhat on whether you (and/or your particular fellowship) view baptism (or rebaptism if one baptized elsewhere) as being the required mode (sorry, no pun intended, really) of entry into a local/denominational membership, rather than fundamentally an entrance into the Body of Christ and incidentally or secondarily into a local/denominational membership. Perhaps I should ask:

Do any of your brotherhoods/congregations/fellowships require (note "require", not "permit") rebaptism for someone to become a member there even if they have been previously baptized?

Heirbyadoption, I stand corrected.

So it seems there are a few possibilities; I am leaving out exceptions most groups make for someone who is physically not capable of being fully immersed, etc. (e.g. Grace Brethren explicitly puts this in their constitution):

1. A church group could require no baptism at all. (Some types of Quakers)

2. A church group could accept virtually any kind of baptism, even infant baptism. (Some types of Methodists)

3. A church group could be a bit more strict about the kind of baptism it accepts, but will accept it as long as the mode is correct:

3a. A typical Baptist - any immersion with a trinitarian formula spoken and confession of faith

3b. Oneness Pentecostal - any full immersion provided it was in Jesus' name with no trinitarian formula spoken

3c. German Baptist, Grace Brethren - any triune immersion with adult confession of faith

3d. A typical conservative Mennonite - any mode provided a trinitarian formula spoken and adult confession of faith

3e. Catholic or Eastern Orthodox - any trinitarian formula

4. A church group could consider baptism to be a symbol of joining their particular group. (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, popularly known as "Holdemans")

I would posit that those in list #3 above are really a lot closer to position #4; they simply view the true church rather broadly (e.g. they view it as including all Christians who immerse, or all Christians who engage in triune immersion, and so forth).

The OGBB Old Conference group requires trine immersion baptism administered at their hands, regardless of any previous baptism.

That would be a stumbling block for me.

Heirbyadoption wrote:The OGBB Old Conference group requires trine immersion baptism administered at their hands, regardless of any previous baptism.

How recent is this policy? Or did New Conference abandon this practice?

We have accepted outside immersions since our reorganization in 2009. It was formalized at our conference in 2013. There are some congregations who would hesitate to accept someone on previous single immersion, but all will accept previous trine immersion if someone is willing to make a verbal confession of their faith.

Heirbyadoption wrote:We have accepted outside immersions since our reorganization in 2009. It was formalized at our conference in 2013. There are some congregations who would hesitate to accept someone on previous single immersion, but all will accept previous trine immersion if someone is willing to make a verbal confession of their faith.

Would your conference allow me the liberty to believe otherwise on the subject while submitting to their practice simply for the sake of joining the fellowship as a member?

Would your conference accept that those who do not hold their particular belief and practice are in fact true followers of Jesus?

mike wrote:

Heirbyadoption wrote:We have accepted outside immersions since our reorganization in 2009. It was formalized at our conference in 2013. There are some congregations who would hesitate to accept someone on previous single immersion, but all will accept previous trine immersion if someone is willing to make a verbal confession of their faith.

Would your conference allow me the liberty to believe otherwise on the subject while submitting to their practice simply for the sake of joining the fellowship as a member?

Would your conference accept that those who do not hold their particular belief and practice are in fact true followers of Jesus?

Yes and yes.