How is baptism done in the United Methodist Church?
Sprinkling is most commonly used, but pouring and immersion are also permissable. To sprinkle, the pastor’s hand is dipped into water and placed on the head of the person being baptized. For immersion, the person being baptized is completely dipped beneath the water. The third option is simply to pour water from a pitcher onto the head. United Methodists are more concerned with the symbolism and meaning of the event than the exact form that might have been used in early times. If the mode of baptism were essential to our Christian belief and practice, its is believed that the New Testament would be clear-cut in saying so. Source: Questions and Answers About the United Methodist Church by Thomas S. McAnally.
