Baptistery

Definition and Meaning

A baptistery (Korean chimnyetang) is a pool built for administering baptism by immersion, that is, by lowering a person's entire body into the water and raising it again. The term can refer either to a baptismal pool inside a church or to a separate building constructed solely for baptism, a type of structure built since the early church. In Korea it is also called a chimnyejo or a "baptismal pool." It differs in function from the baptismal font, a small basin used for baptism by sprinkling or pouring water on the head.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament records baptisms performed in rivers or at the water's edge. The baptism of Jesus took place in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17), and Philip went down into water by the roadside with the Ethiopian eunuch and baptized him (Acts 8:36-39). Denominations that emphasize immersion hold that the language of being "buried with him by baptism" and raised to "walk in newness of life" in Romans 6:3-4 corresponds to the action of going down into the water and coming up again.

The Didache, an early church document, instructs that baptism be administered in running water, though it adds that if water is insufficient, water may be poured on the head three times. The third-century house church at Dura-Europos in Syria is known to have preserved a room equipped with a baptismal basin. From the fourth century onward, freestanding baptisteries were built throughout the Western church. After the Reformation, groups that insisted on immersion, such as the Baptists, at first baptized in rivers and streams; later, the practice of installing a baptistery inside the sanctuary became widespread.

Practice in the Korean Church

In Korea, baptisteries are found mainly in churches of denominations that hold immersion as the norm. These include churches affiliated with the Korea Baptist Convention, the Korea Bible Baptist Church, and the Korean Christian Churches (Churches of Christ). The baptistery is commonly installed in the wall behind the platform or beneath the platform floor. When it is placed beneath the floor, it is normally kept covered and opened for baptismal services. It is often accompanied by a water-heating system, steps, and a space where candidates for baptism can change clothes.

Pentecostal denominations such as the Korea Assemblies of God are also known to practice baptism by immersion, and some of their churches have baptisteries.

Denominations that mainly baptize by sprinkling or pouring, such as the Presbyterian churches and the Korean Methodist Church, recognize immersion as a valid form of baptism. However, their churches generally do not have a separate baptistery. Churches without such a facility may borrow another church's baptistery, use a portable tank, or hold outdoor baptismal services in a river or the sea. The differing understandings of the mode of baptism among denominations are discussed in the article Baptism by Sprinkling and by Immersion.