Baptism
What is a baptism?
Baptism is, in the Christian sense, the beginning of a good path. Baptism is an affirmation of God's “Yes” to us. In the rite of baptism, we experience our adoption as God's children and as part of God's family. The rite of baptism with water is a visible of sign of the tension in which we will live our lives: without water, no life is possible. At the same time, water is powerful and can be life-threatening. In baptism, life is given: life in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Who can be baptised?
Baptism is open to anyone who wishes it. We are delighted if you are thinking of having your child baptised in our church. We also baptise young people on their path to confirmation. Equally, if you are coming to us as an adult wishing to be baptised, you are more than welcome.
The role of the parents
Parents are given the enriching yet challenging and sometimes difficult task of bringing up their children. In baptism, parents promise to the best of their ability to parent their child in accordance with the Christian faith.
What should we consider when choosing godparents?
Godparents stand alongside the parents in supporting a child through life. They are a trusted contact for the child and support the parents in parenting in accordance with the Christian faith. Ideally, at least one godparent should be a member of a protestant Lutheran church. Christians of other denominations, e.g. Anglican, Catholic or Orthodox, are welcome as additional godparents. Godparents should be present at the baptism.
Where, when, how, with whom?
If you are considering a baptism with us, please give us a call initially to find a suitable date. We will then arrange a meeting to get to know you better and talk about the organisational side of things.
To book a baptism, please fill in this form.
Membership is a part of baptism
If you live in London or Oxford and are not yet a member of our church, registering your membership is a prerequisite for baptism. As an international congregation we are fully dependent on monthly membership fees to fund our personnel and running costs.
What else should we think about?
We love families to contribute to the flower arrangements in church on the day of the baptism. If the baptism is not taking place as part of our usual Sunday service, we ask that families pay the organist´s fee. We are more than happy to establish contact with the relevant people.
We also welcome donations to our congregation.
If your family keeps a family register, please bring this along to our initial conversation and/or to the baptism. The baptism will be certified with a seal and registered in the register of baptisms in the congregation.