Baptism is a wonderful celebration to welcome someone new into the family of God’s people, and rejoice in God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ.
Ministry around baptism is also explicitly about church growth. At the beginning of every baptism service these words are said:
“In baptism the Lord is adding to our number...”
As society changes, the patterns of decision-making around when baptism happens are changing too. We continue to welcome those who bring their babies and young children to baptism, but older children and adults also make the decision to be baptised.
These are candidates and families making a considered choice, which comes from a spiritual seriousness that can be nurtured and grown.
But whatever age someone is when they are baptised, extending a warm welcome and staying in touch afterwards will encourage them to explore and deepen their faith.
Useful links
Research, resources, ideas and downloads to help you do just that can be found on the national Church of England’s Church Support Hub here.
Most of the resources are free but there are some quality printed products you can purchase on the Church Print Hub.
There is also information presented for families seeking to have their child baptised offered on the Church of England’s pages all about Christenings, so do point parents and godparents to this site and encourage them to take a look.
See the Children’s pages for more about faith activities for children.