Do I need to belong to the church before being baptized?

In the logic of Covenantal baptism, the act of baptism signifies the act of joining the church, regardless of “formal” membership. Therefore, in a symbolic sense, baptism is the way you belong to the church. In other words, this is a bit like asking “do I need to be inside the house before I can walk through the door?” The door is the way you get into the house.

If you are a consistent attendee but not yet a member, and you’d like your young child to be baptized, we would encourage you to formally join in membership and at that time we’d baptize your kids, but we are open to baptizing your kids before you’ve become an official member.