The role of the baptizing priest

Priests are meant to teach people how Jesus is and baptize those who choose to become like him.² The baptizing priest has a duty to teach the candidate what the priest knows and lives about the character of Jesus, subject to the limits of capacity—but not effort—in the candidate.

As a symbol of submission to God, a baptismal candidate must conform to what they understand about God. To be worthy of baptism, you have to make any changes necessary to live as you understand God would in your place. The priest you apply to for baptism decides whether you are worthy of it. By performing the ordinance, a baptizing priest is certifying to God that the candidate has been true and faithful to everything he has taught them about God.³

Once the priest is satisfied with the candidate’s repentance, he leads the recipient into the water,

24 ...calling them by name, saying:
25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. (3 Nephi 11)

It is very difficult for a baptizing priest to adequately ascertain the worthiness of a candidate he does not know well. The greater the proximity of the priest to the candidate, the more effectively he can teach the candidate, and the more accurately he can assess whether they are fully living the gospel in the details of their lives. Ideally, the baptizing priest will be the husband or father of the applying candidate.

While a priest may baptize a candidate with less instruction,⁸¹⁷ interaction, and verification,⁸¹⁸ such baptisms provide far less of an opportunity to the candidate to learn about and live like Jesus before the baptism and a much lower likelihood that they will continue to do so after baptism. The gospel is designed so that, where possible, adherents can remain with the person teaching them more about Jesus until they have exhausted what the priest has to teach them. In ancient times, technological and geographical limitations forced gospel interactions to incidental contact on one extreme and leaving everything to accompany a gospel teacher on another.⁸¹⁹ In the modern era, the internet provides opportunities for much greater contact without the need to uproot one’s life to follow a preacher.