The rites of Baptism and Confirmation are practiced in our church.
Infant Baptism is common, and encouraged, as we believe that Baptism is God’s Work – not our own. In baptizing children we acknowledge that it is God alone who is at work in our lives. Just as a child is fully dependant upon a parent, so we are fully dependent upon God. Faith and eternal life are a gift received through the Holy Spirit and not a right that we have earned. In Baptism, parents promise to “faithfully bring their child/children to the services of God’s house, to teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and the Ten Commandments, place in their hands the Holy Scriptures and provide for their instruction in the Christian faith.”
Confirmation is an opportunity for those who have been baptized to make public affirmation that the gift of God’s Holy Spirt given in baptism has become a personal and meaningful faith in Christ Jesus. It is their desire to publically confess their faith and continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. Most children who are baptized in the Lutheran Church will be given special instruction in the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism. They will be taught the 10 commandments, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s prayer and the Sacraments (baptism and communion) from a Lutheran perspective. When they have completed their instruction they will be confirmed as adult members within the church.