The Church does not dispense the sacrament of baptism in order to acquire for herself an increase in membership but in order to consecrate a human being to God and to communicate to that person the divine gift of birth from God.

Balthasar’s statement frames baptism primarily as a divine act rather than an ecclesial strategy. He rejects a merely sociological view in which baptism functions to “grow” the Church’s numbers, insisting instead on its sacramental purpose: consecration of the person to God and participation in God’s own life. The phrase “birth from God” evokes Johannine language (cf. John 1:12–13; 3:3–8), underscoring baptism as new birth and incorporation into Christ. The Church, on this view, is minister and witness of grace, not its proprietor; her mission is to mediate God’s gift to the person, even when that gift does not translate into measurable institutional gain.