One Church, one baptism?
The Christian church believes in one baptism into the Christian church, whether this be as an infant or as an adult. This means that if you have been baptised into another denomination of the Christian church, Roman Catholic or Protestant, you do not have to be re-baptised to join the Anglican church. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward commitment to the teachings of Jesus.
Baptism of infants
As parents, bringing your child to baptism means you will be asked to declare publicly on behalf of your child that you believe in God and that you will bring your child up to follow Jesus. It is the custom in the Anglican Church for a child to have three Godparents: two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. Godparents can be family members or friends. Godparents promise to pray and support the child and to help the parents to bring up the child in the Christian faith. They make the same promises as the parents.
The baptism is conducted as part of the normal Sunday service to welcome the child into the Church. You do not have to be a regular churchgoer to have your child baptised as the Church believes that God’s love is available to all, regardless of their background.
Alternatives
If you feel unsure or unable to make the baptismal promises, the Chaplain would be happy to discuss the option of a service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. In this service, you thank God for the gift of your child and the child is blessed. The child can then be baptised at a later date.
Baptism of older children and adults
Infant baptism is a long established practice of the Anglican Church, but there are an increasing number of people coming forward for baptism when they are older. In this case the individual can make the promises for themselves, but should be supported by persons who can guide them in the Christian faith.
Baptism and Communion
It is the practice at St Thomas Becket church that on baptism day we give Holy Communion to the newly baptised in a way which is suitable. Then the normal discipline of the Anglican Church is followed that means entry to Communion has to wait until a person is Confirmed.
Want to talk things through? Get in touch
Please do get in touch with the Chaplain or Assistant Chaplain to discuss things further if you are interested in having your child baptised or if you yourself want to know more about becoming part of the church.