St Luke's Church
Upper Villiers Street, Wolverhampton
The
baptism of believers' children at St. Luke’s
It's
important to realise that baptism (or 'christening' as people sometimes
call it) is ...
- not magic - it doesn't make a person
a Christian
- not some kind of spiritual insurance policy
against evil
- not a way of giving your child a foothold
in the life of the church (that depends on you bringing your
child to church!)
- not something that should be done for
tradition's sake, or to please the grandparents!
- not a necessary qualification for your
child to be married in church in the future.
- not a way of giving your baby a name
Baptism is a sign that a person has become a member of the Christian church, through repentance (turning away from sin) and faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to wash away the guilt of our sin.
Obviously, very young children are unable to make this step of faith themselves, but the Church of England believes it is right to baptize children whose parents are Christian believers. This is why, in the baptism service, parents have to declare that they themselves have repented of their sin and are living by faith in Jesus Christ, in obedience to God's word, as members of the church.
At St. Luke’s, we welcome enquiries from parents about the baptism of their children. If you are not currently attending church regularly, we would encourage you to start doing so (see Sunday meetings). We would also ask you to attend a short baptism preparation course to help you think through what you believe.
In the meantime, you
might consider asking about a Service of Thanksgiving.
Want to start
coming to church
Want to find
out more