Profession of faith

Dear ____________________________,

It is a great joy and privilege for us to be witnesses to the faith you wish to confess today before God and in this Church. I therefore ask you to answer the following questions in all sincerity:

Do you wholeheartedly believe that the Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of your faith and life, and that his doctrine of salvation is faithfully taught in this Christian Church?

Do you believe in God’s Covenant promises, signified and sealed by your baptism, affirming your union with Christ and his Church?
Do you humbly repent of your sins before God and seek your salvation, not in yourself, but only in Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord?

Do you promise, humbly relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to strive to live by His Word, in all areas of life, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?
In order to grow in Christian doctrine and life, do you promise to read the Bible and pray regularly, to be faithful to the celebrations of this Church and to participate regularly in the Lord’s supper?

Do you promise to pray for your brothers and sisters in this Church and to serve them according to the gifts God gives you?
Do you agree to contribute to the mission of this Church with your offerings, your time and your talents, and do you promise to make the Good News of Jesus Christ known to those around you?

Do you promise to submit willingly to the spiritual authority and discipline of this Church in all things according to the Scriptures? — Yes, with God’s help.

-prayer-

Having heard the profession of faith of our brother/sister ________________, we will now baptize him/her according to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that this sacrament may be administered for the glory of God and the edification of the Church, let us seek his blessing in prayer.

Administration of Baptism

___________, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Exhortation

Dear ____________________________,

We rejoice that Jesus Christ is your good Shepherd and that you place your only assurance in him. According to his command, you are now received into the Church of Jesus Christ. You now have your place at the Lord’s Table and share in all the privileges and responsibilities of this communion with God’s people. Receive now this word of exhortation (according to 1 Timothy 6:11-14):

“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Church’s answer

Dear brothers and sisters of this Church,

Since believers belong to God’s Covenant, the Lord’s promises are for them, and they have the same Lord, faith and hope, please answer the following questions:

Do you promise to surround this brother (sister) in love?

Do you pledge to pray for him (her)?

Do you promise to encourage him (her) to walk faithfully in the faith he (she) has just professed, and to support him (her) in the communion of believers?

— Yes, with God’s help.

or

Exhortation to the Church

As for you, members of this Church, surround this brother (sister) in love, pray for him (her), encourage him (her) to walk faithfully in this faith he (she) has just professed, and support him (her) in the communion of believers. For we have the same Lord, the same faith and the same hope.

-prayer-

Blessing

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen!” (1 Peter 5:10-11).

or

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

-hymn-

Adopted unanimously by the synod of September 17, 2011, in St-Georges.