Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation at Christ Church
Confirmation
In Confirmation, baptized persons are “confirmed” in the Christian faith with the laying on of hands by a bishop.
This is a service where we ask the Holy Spirit to bless those who come forward to reaffirm the faith they professed in Baptism. When Baptism promises were made on behalf of young children by parents and godparents, confirmation serves as an individual’s personal declaration of faith in God and an offering of life to God’s will and a commitment to life within the community of Christ, not only at Christ Church but around the world. Confirmation is a time of exploration, discovery and commitment which will require participants to grow in community with God and each other as well as engage in the life of the Church.
Reaffirmation
Those who have been baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church (or any member church in the Anglican Communion) and wish to recommit themselves to the Christian life of faith may choose to reaffirm their baptismal covenant.
Reception
Those who have been confirmed in other denominations by a bishop in the historic succession (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or Eastern Orthodox) may be received into the Episcopal Church. Many people choose to be Received as a way of affirming their baptism; of acceding a stronger affinity with the spirituality, ethos, practice, and sensibility of the Episcopal Church; and of ritually acknowledging a deeper, more mature faith commitment.
