When Someone Believes on Jesus and is Ready to Get Baptized

[Composer]

What is yal's Biblical understanding about a new believer who is ready to publicly confess Jesus Christ as their Savior and ready to get baptized, and that Church delays their baptism until the congregation agrees to accept that one into the body of Christ?

My youngest son got baptized at a particular Church that I took him to, the pastor knew my pastor in the town where I lived. But my son did not attend that Church where he got baptized, which is in another town nearby.

And when my oldest son wanted to get baptized, I told him to go to that same Church that baptized my younger son, as an option, as I named other Churches also that he could attend that would baptize him. When he went to that same Church that baptized my younger son, the pastor refused to baptize him, because my younger son was not attending Church there.

What of this type behavior by that pastor?

 

[Composer]

I was raised in a mainstream denominational Church. But I only claim one denomination in Christ, and that is His Church of The Spirit. I do not believe in the many divisions going on within Christ's body of believers caused by men's doctrines. And when it comes to someone who first believes on Lord Jesus, I believe they should be baptized right then, because it should be an act between the believer and Lord Jesus Christ, and not man trying to come in between God and the believer.

And I do understand conditions of a new believer with a known bad reputation that the pastor or Church leaders may be aware of, and that is not just hearsay. But can't that be a reason for that new believer to turn to Christ and want to get saved? Apostle Philip when the Ethiopian believed on Jesus and saw water, and asked what prevents him from being baptized right then, Philip complied right then. He didn't wait to see if the Ethiopian was sinless or not, or if he was a good role model to become a Christian.

I remember a friend at work invited me to his Church for a Sunday evening service. He wasn't there, nor was the regular pastor. When I was leaving, and got to my car, this elderly lady in the Church showed up standing next to me as I was entering my car. She started plugging me with personal questions, like how old I was, how many times I'd been married, if married at all, obviously doctrinal issues taught by that Church denomination. She was not connected to the Church leadership, as I asked. She was just being rude and nosy, as if I needed her approval to even show up there. Those kind of Churches I never go back to. She didn't know me, and I didn't know her.