Arranging Christenings at Holy Trinity

SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF CHILDREN

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1. What is baptism?

Baptism is a central part of any church's practice and belief. At a child's baptism the parents and godparents publicly declare their belief in the Christian faith which includes

i. Promises to raise their children to learn and know about Jesus

ii. Promises to come to church regularly

iii. Promises to live life according to Christian standards

2. I don't attend church, does that matter?

Yes, it does.

If you are going to have your child baptised you need to fulfil the obligations that the baptism promises require of you (see above).

3. If I don't attend church and still want to have my child baptised what should I do?

You need to begin to put into practice the three key promises that you will make at para.1 above. This means we would expect the following of the parents

i. If you are going to raise your child to learn and know about Jesus you need to begin learn about the Christian faith yourself. We would, therefore expect you to attend a short course (5 weeks) in Christian basics. We run these every 3 to 4 months.

ii. During this time we would expect you to begin to attend our church services details of which can be found on the "Service Times" page of this website.

iii. Your lifestyle should change to reflect your Christian commitment.

So if, for example, you are living together without having married, we would not conduct a baptism until you were committed to one another in marriage (otherwise your lifestyle is in direct opposition to the statements you make publicly during the baptism service).

4. If we are unwilling or unable to fulfil the requirements Under paragraph 3, what next?

We can offer a Service of Thanksgiving. This is a short service to thank God for the birth of your child in which we pray for God's blessing on your child and family. Unlike the baptism, it involves no promises and no statements of faith. This means that, as long as you believe in God, you may participate fully in the service without committing yourself any more to church than you do now.

5. If we go ahead with the baptism can we book a date now?

It is our normal policy at Holy Trinity, in line with the rules of the Church of England, not to fix a date for baptism until we are satisfied that you are adequately prepared for it. We would, therefore, be unlikely to fix a date until after you had attended the Christian Basics course.

6. Are there any restrictions on who can be a godparent?

The Church of England rules state that a godparent should be both baptised and confirmed.