Holy Baptism
“Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the Church” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 298).
In the waters of baptism we are lovingly adopted by God into God’s family, which we call the Church, and given God’s own life to share and reminded that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ.
The Rite of Holy Baptism can be found on pp. 297-308 of the Book of Common Prayer.
The rite of Christian initiation contains a series of vows, made by all present, called the “baptismal covenant” (BCP, pp. 304-305). After the candidates have renounced evil and committed themselves to Christ, the presider asks the congregation to join them and “renew our own baptismal covenant.” Responding to a series of questions, the people affirm belief in the triune God (through the Apostles’ Creed) and promise to continue in the Christian fellowship, resist evil and repent, proclaim the gospel, serve Christ in all persons, and strive for justice and peace. The BCP also suggests the covenant for use, in place of the Nicene Creed, on four days when there are no candidates for baptism: the Easter Vigil, the Day of Pentecost, All Saints’ Day or the Sunday thereafter, and the feast of the Baptism of our Lord. In the Episcopal Church the baptismal covenant is widely regarded as the normative statement of what it means to follow Christ.
