The Plymouth Brethren affirm Matthew 28:19 as establishing the normative Trinitarian baptismal formula: baptism administered "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This explicit command ties the rite to the confession of the Triune God and underscores that Christian baptism is not merely a symbol of washing or repentance, but a covenantal act embedded in Christian doctrine. The three-fold invocation makes clear that baptism is distinctly Christian and Trinitarian, not a generalized religious ritual.

Brothers viewed this passage as foundational to understanding the proper administration of baptism in local assemblies. Unlike Roman Catholic doctrine emphasizing the priest's role or certain Protestant traditions permitting variation, the Brethren took the explicit formula seriously as Christ's own instruction to the apostles. The repeated reference to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew's concluding commission (v. 19) reinforces the apostolic obligation to teach and baptize in full Trinitarian confession. Baptism in the Brethren understanding was the believer's public declaration of faith in the Trinity and incorporation into the body of Christ.