Baptism is the means by which people, both young and old, state publicly that they wish to be known as followers of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ; this is why baptism of those who are able to express their faith is often known as “Believer’s Baptism”. It is an event that has considerable significance for Christians everywhere. You can find out more about Jesus at the Jesus.net website.
It is the practice of the Church of England to baptise children as well as adults, and only those who live in the village have the right to be baptised in that church. If you do not live in the village but are on the Church’s own Electoral Roll then you also have the right to be baptised in that church. To qualify for your name to be put on the Electoral Roll you must attend Sunday services regularly for 6 months.
But for both adults & children it is about making a decision to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and the service involves making promises before God and the Church family to be a disciple of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 28:18-20). This is a tough commitment to make in the 21st century (see Mark 8:34-38), and is something to be thought through seriously, which is why everyone who seeks to be baptised is required to attend one of our Baptism/Confirmation courses before a date is set for the actual Baptism or Confirmation.
Our Baptism services always take place at one of our All Age Sunday services whilst Confirmations take place at one of the churches in our Deanery.
To find out more about Christianity have a look at the Christianity Explored website.
Believer’s Baptism is appropriate for those who have not been baptised into the Christian faith before. Many older people were baptised as babies, so if you are unsure whether you have been baptised before then please speak to the Rector who will be able to help. For those who have been baptised before, then a service of Confirmation, where your previous Baptism is “confirmed” by the Bishop is more appropriate.
Both services provide an opportunity to make a public declaration of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Where a person desires to be confirmed or baptised, we would expect to see them regularly attending Sunday services and be serving in the church in an appropriate capacity, as we do with all our members.
For adults we would also expect them to be participating in one of our Bible study groups, and for primary aged children we have Sunday Club each week on a Sunday.
For more information, or to discuss Baptism or Confirmation, then please do get in touch with the Rector.
Some material used has been adapted from Common Worship and is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000
Some material used has been adapted from articles on the website of Baptism Integrity.