Preparing for baptism in the Episcopal Church

Parents who are not active church-goers or have no knowledge of The Episcopal Church often return to a church to have their child baptized. Many adults who never had a relationship with a faith community seek baptism when they join a congregation for the first time. As our society becomes more secular, those who enter our churches are neophytes in more ways than in previous generations. Clergy can give this accessible resource to families who seek to have an infant or child baptized, or to an adult who has not been affiliated previously with a faith tradition and desires to be baptized. Many new parents do not have an understanding of the service of Holy Baptism in The Episcopal Church, what is "required" of them as a parent, or how to prepare their child to receive the sacrament, including what it implies for the child's future formation and their family's involvement in living a Christian life.