Being involved in baptism preparation is a special privilege. It’s exciting to help someone discover what a significant step baptism is in their journey of following Jesus, and to walk with them as they get ready to obey the Lord in the very first step of the Christian life.

This short guide is intended to help you as you prepare them to witness to their faith by getting baptised.

You can work through the steps all at once or over a few sessions. That’s your choice. But do be sure you work through each section, because as you do, they will have the opportunity to ask questions, reflect on what they find, discover some helpful answers and develop an understanding and confidence about their baptism.

As you begin, take a little time to pray together. You can thank the Lord for what He’s done in your lives. You may wish to ask Him to help you, guide you and speak to you.

When you work through the scriptures section, remember you don’t have to be an expert to lead them through. Allow them to reflect on what they’re reading without any demand to “get it right” straight away. As they start to unpack their ideas, you can contribute your own thoughts too. It’s when you’re discussing things together that you’ll make your best discoveries. If they raise questions that you can’t answer at all, don’t feel under pressure. Just tell them that you don’t know and that you’ll find out. You can get in touch with us or ask a trusted friend or leader.

When you get to the “God’s Story” section, take some time to familiarise yourself with a couple of the illustrations. If you have your own illustration about Jesus, you can use it here. At the end of the section, take it in turns to use one of the illustrations to explain what Jesus has done for us. A great next step would be to think of someone else you could share it with, too.

The “Your Story” section gives the person being baptised the opportunity to share their story and tell others about the impact Jesus has had on their life. When they’re baptised, they can tell it to their family and friends. In addition, if they have a short testimony ready, they can share it at other times, too. It’s important to limit the story to 100 words. This makes it easier to memorise and retell it in a focused way. To help you understand how to go about it, look over a few examples. Listen to their story and write it out word for word. Don’t worry at all if it isn’t dramatic. The most important thing is that it’s clear and true!

The “next steps” section is designed to step you through the process leading up to and including getting baptised. It will help your friend decide where and when they’d like to get baptised, how to make the basic arrangements, and encourage them to invite friends and family.

Here are some really practical steps to help you set up their baptism day:

• You’ll need to contact the leader in charge of baptism classes to let them know your friend is ready to be baptised. Give them their name and details.
• Decide with your friend where and when they want to be baptised – either at church or somewhere else. If your friend is getting baptised at church, the leader can take you through what needs to happen with that.
• If you’re going to baptise them somewhere else, make sure you get invitations out with the date, the time and the address. Think about whether you want food or refreshments afterwards.
• Your friend will need to bring their testimony written out, a change of clothes and a towel.
• It will be really important to practise what to do when you’re baptising your friend. Check with the baptism leader exactly what to do.

Remember, if you have any questions let the baptism leader know.