The Community of Christ affirms Matthew 28:19 as expressing Christ's command for baptism. Believers are baptized in the name of God (Father), Christ (Son), and the Holy Spirit. However, the Community maintains more flexibility than some traditions regarding the exact wording of the baptismal formula, reflecting its more open approach to doctrine and practice.

The Community understands the essential element of baptism to be the believer's profession of faith in Christ and commitment to follow him, with the invocation of the divine Trinity (understood in Community-specific ways) accompanying the water baptism. The Community preserves the Trinitarian understanding while allowing for variations in practice and interpretation consistent with its progressive theology.