Bethlehem Lutheran Church

In the not-too-distant past, adults wanting to become Christians attended a few weeks of instruction and were quietly baptized on a Sunday morning.  Here at Bethlehem we are taking a second look at the process that leads to adult baptism, a process through which we take the time, hand-in-hand, to form and initiate adults into the Christian faith.  We are just one amongst many congregations looking at a return to our roots.  There is much to learn from our predecessors on how to assist adults in their transformation that leads to life with Christ.  Early Christians struggled with their place in a modern, hostile and at time violent society (the Roman Empire) just as we often struggle to find our way in a modern world that doesn’t always value the beliefs, traditions and values of Christians.

Holy Baptism is the event where God reaches out and touches the person who is being initiated into the Christian community. Recently there has been a renewal of an ancient and traditional process of forming and initiating adults into the Christian faith.  The process is known as the catechumenate; a word based upon the Greek for the instruction given to a person or inquirer, prior to and immediately following their baptism.

During the formative years of the early Church (150-500 AD), church leaders used the catechumenate as a process by which new Christians were brought into faith.  These early Christians realized that initiation into the Christian faith was a process that required commitment, involved certain stages in the growth of the inquirer and that it necessarily involved the entire faith community.  They also understood that such a process takes time.  It was not something that could be rushed or accomplished alone with a Pastor after a few short weeks of instruction.  To quote Tertullian, a third century North Africa lay theologian, “Christian are made, not born.”

Since 2008, Bethlehem has embraced the catechumenate to bring adults into relationship with Christ through Baptism as well as a process to affirm and strengthen those desiring to renew or affirm their baptism.

At Bethlehem we invite any and all to make an inquiry about their faith or their desire to be baptized.  For those who are interested, they are invited to participate in the Journey of Faith.  Over time sponsors are appointed for individuals in the process.  The sponsor becomes a vital link between the inquirer and the congregation.  Sponsors help shepherd the inquirers into the ministries of the congregation and the wider Christian community.  During Journey of Faith sponsors and inquirers participate in weekly sessions on Wednesday evenings. 

First and foremost, the Journey of Faith is a process of conversion.  It is about changing hearts and transforming lives.  Along the way, inquirers participate in a number of rites at Sunday worship in which the Bethlehem community gradually affirms the inquirers full membership and commitment to following Jesus.  The fullest of these rites is Baptism or Affirmation of Baptism celebrated at the Easter Vigil.