Valid Baptism
Hello, recently my wife and I have started attending a WELS church. We quickly felt at home there and decided to look into membership and have our son baptized. He is a little older at just under 2 years. As he is a little older than a traditional infant baptism, he was a little difficult to handle, so during the baptism the pastor dipped his hands in the water and wiped it out sons head three times instead of pouring it over his head. Is this method still a legitimate way to baptize? I am still trying to learn more and make sure our son was properly baptized while we on our path to membership. I was too embarrassed to ask our pastor, as we are still learning. Thank you for your time.
A valid Baptism is the application of water and God’s word (Matthew 28:19). The Bible does not prescribe how to apply water in Baptism. The Greek word for “baptize” can mean the application of water in various ways (Mark 7:3-4; Luke 11:38). The Baptism of your son was legitimate, proper and valid.
Don’t be afraid to ask the pastor who baptized your son questions like this. He will be happy to address them. Conversations like that can help build a relationship with him. God bless you and your family as you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).