Baptisms

In baptism, we celebrate the salvation and forgiveness of sins made possible through Jesus Christ.

Jesus commands his people: “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

For adults and children alike, we continue this practice of baptism today in accordance with Jesus’ command.

During the baptism service, on behalf of their children, parents (and godparents) promise to raise their child to know, follow, love, and serve Jesus Christ.

What next?

Like weddings, baptisms involve significant promises – especially the promises about following Jesus. These promises are made before God, family, friends and the members of our church.

So, it’s important that you understand the Christian faith and the promises being made before God. Here are some steps to follow as you make up your mind whether baptism is right for you/your child.

Step 1: The first step is to attend a Sunday service and speak to one of our ministers. If you are organising a baptism for a child, we suggest attending the 10 am service where we cater for children and young people with dedicated age-appropriate activities.

Step 2: After the initial meeting, we will arrange some follow-up meetings to discuss what baptism involves – both for parents and children.

Since baptism symbolises becoming part of Jesus’ family, we expect you/your family would begin regularly attending our Sunday services – e.g., 10 am or 6 pm.

We also strongly recommend that you take part in one of our regular courses that explain the Christian faith, such as Christianity Explored. These run almost every term.

Step 3: Booking in a date for baptism.

The timeframe between your initial enquiry and the baptism service will be about 3 months. Generally speaking, we’ll lock in a baptism date once you’ve been consistently attending our services for 4 weeks and/or completed one of our exploring Christianity courses.

This means, if you have a tight time frame (e.g., a relative has arrived from overseas), we may not be in a position to accommodate your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When would the baptism service be held?

Baptisms usually take place in our Sunday Services.

2. What about godparents?

If you have godparents (it’s not compulsory) we strongly recommend they become part of their local Anglican church. Along with parents, godparents make important promises before God in the baptism service… including promising to raise their godchild to know, love and serve Jesus.

3. How much does a baptism cost?

Nothing. However, while there is no expectation, we gratefully accept donations towards the running costs of our church.

As you become members of our church, we would expect you to financially support the ministry of our church – just like everyone else.

4. What do we wear to a baptism service?

Most people attending our church are dressed in smart casual clothes. You are very welcome to dress more formally, but that’s not a requirement.

5. We need to hold a baptism quickly because family are coming from overseas and we have limited availability. Can you be flexible about the requirements?

We realise that a child’s baptism is a significant family occasion. In fact, it’s so significant that we think it’s important for parents to understand, truly believe and commit themselves to the Christian faith into which their child will be baptised. This process of preparation and personal reflection takes time… at least 3 months. (Refer to Step 3: ‘Booking a date for a baptism’, above.)

For these reasons, we may not be able to accommodate your needs.

6. My parents were married/baptised at St Jude’s. We’d like to continue the tradition, but we’re not interested in becoming churchgoers. Can you be flexible about the requirements for baptism?

See question 5. Also, please refer to Step 3: ‘Booking a date for a baptism’, above.

7. My grandmother wants my child baptised but we’re not Christians. Can we please have our child baptised for our grandmother’s sake?

See question 5. Also, please refer to Step 3: ‘Booking a date for a baptism’, above.

8. We don’t live near Dural, but we have a connection to St Jude’s. Can we still get our child(ren) baptised at St Jude’s?

If you are willing to go through a similar baptism preparation process at a church we know/recommend, then yes, we can explore this possibility. We’d just need to factor in some advanced notice for these arrangements.

For more info, contact us.