The Sacrament of Baptism
A Brief Description from the United Church of Christ Book of Worship
A person is incorporated into the universal church, the body of Christ, through the sacrament of baptism. The water, words, and actions of the sacrament are visible signs that convey the Christian’s burial and resurrection with Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-4). The invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the water and upon the candidates for baptism is an affirmation that it is God who takes the initiative in the sacrament. “Baptism is both God’s gift and our human response to that gift.” It is “a sign and seal of our common discipleship. Through baptism, Christians are brought into union with Christ, with each other and with the church of every time and place.”
In the United Church of Christ people are baptized either as children or adults. Baptism should occur only once in a person’s life. Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit is the mark of their acceptance into the care of Christ’s church, the sign and seal of their participation in God’s forgiveness, and the beginning of their new growth into full Christian faith and life.
When an infant or young child is baptized, one or both parents and/or one or more sponsors promise to assume certain responsibilities for the Christian nurture of the baptized child.
Baptism is not only a personal celebration in the lives of the individual candidates and their families, but also a central celebration in the life of the local church which embodies the universal church in a particular place. For this reason, baptism should take place in the presence of the community of faith gathered for public worship. In officiating at a service of baptism, the pastor acts as a representative of the church universal.
UCC Theology, Doctrine, and Book of Worship
It is the policy of our church and the practice of our Pastors that celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism adheres to the theology and doctrine of the United Church of Christ. The Book of Worship of the United Church of Christ will be the primary resource for the liturgy of this sacrament.
Common Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Baptism
The Pastors of our church follow the expectations of the “Common Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Baptism” (2011) for officiating the sacrament, making it the baptism you receive with us more universally accepted by a wide range of denominations, especially those of the Reformed and Roman Catholic denominations.
Next Steps - Meeting with the Pastor(s)
If you are interested in being baptized and/or having your child baptized, the next step is to contact the Pastor(s) for them to hear about your interest, to share with you more about this sacrament and answer your questions, and to schedule and plan the baptismal service.
Baptismal Vows - Adults & Older Teens
PASTOR: Do you desire to be baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
CANDIDATE: I do.
PASTOR: Do you renounce the powers of evil and desire the freedom of new life in Christ?
CANDIDATE: I do.
PASTOR: Do you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
CANDIDATE: I do.
PASTOR: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?
CANDIDATE: I promise, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s mission in all the world?
CANDIDATE: I promise, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of this family of God’s people, sharing regularly in the worship of God and enlisting in the work of this local church as it serves this community and the world?
CANDIDATE: I promise, with the help of God.
Baptismal Vows - Infants & Young Children
These questions may be used when the candidates are too young to speak for themselves. Those who are being baptized as infants or young children, where an adult is taking the vows for them, are to go through the “confirmation program” as young teens, and then take the “confirmation vows” for themselves in the “Rite of Confirmation.” Parents may choose to have “Sponsors” (also known as “God Parents”), who are themselves baptized believing Christians, to share in the vows of this sacrament; however, sponsors are not required, parents may also choose not to have sponsors.
PASTOR: Do you desire to have your child baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
PARENT(S): I/We do.
PASTOR: Will you encourage this child to renounce the powers of evil and to receive the freedom of new life in Christ?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): I/We will, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Will you teach this child that they may be led to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): I/We will, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): I/We do, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow with this child in the Christian faith, to help this child to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, by celebrating Christ’s presence, by furthering Christ’s mission in all the world, and by offering the nurture of the Christian church so that they may affirm their baptism?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): I/We do, with the help of God.