Baptismal Integrity Resource Pages

The very best that we can offer

Malcolm Hill, vicar of St Mildred, Lee (Southwark) explains why he continues with a homespun service instead of using Common Worship.

A service of Thanksgiving, Naming and Blessing is what the vast majority of people want, and need, for their children. They do not want infant baptism which all its commitment to the Christian Faith. So let’s go for the very best that we can offer.

Common Worship does not do this. The compilers offer us something which is very second-rate. It is half-hearted, lacks a sense of occasion, and is not personal enough.

In effect, Common Worship says that Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child is not a real christening, because, it says, Baptism is Christening (page 338). But ‘to Christen’ means ‘to bring to Christ’, and the Thanksgiving is as much a Christening as Baptism. In fact it is more so, because we know that Christ did this with children, whereas it is not known if children were baptised in Biblical times. There is no record of Jesus baptising children. It is never helpful to say what a service is not, but in this case the result is disastrous in that it gives the deliberate impression that Thanksgiving is second rate.

The heart of the Thanksgiving service, and the biblical reason for its use by the Christian Church, is the Gospel passage Mark 10:13-16, and Common Worship does not even bother to print it. Parents want to pray prayers of gratitude to God for their child, but are given no specific individual prayers to pray about being mother and father. Why can’t the parents be asked actually to name their child in the context of a Christian service, rather than the “What name have you given this child?”

The words used with the giving of the Gospel are inadequate, especially “Take this as your guide”. Surely the Good News is about how, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, all may enter into and enjoy forgiveness and peace with God - why not include this (as was done in the original Grove Books service) with the giving of the Gospel?

Parents want specific individuals to stand as sponsors or supporters for their children, but the question to "supporting friends" only asks them to support the parents, which misses a very important part of the job!

Do we really want to give the option of the Lord’s Prayer in a language that needs to be put in a museum? It is far more relevant and helpful for everyone if prayers are printed as part of a service leaflet, which should include prayers for the parents, the child and those who will look after and influence the child, and which should finish with the Grace.

By all means use the very thin and second-rate Common Worship service, if you can afford the books or the existing leaflets, which are costly and in small print. But if we want to use the spirit of Common Worship, then let’s get into creating our own services, using the basic pattern of CW and with it a personalised local service leaflet, using imagination, creativity and flare, and giving the impression that this is the best that is on offer.

In producing our own services we have the flexibility to make them as personal and relevant as the occasion may demand. Christians may want to make some specific commitment regarding the upbringing of their children. Those who are not active Christians may be happier with a commitment to encourage the development of their child in body, mind and spirit.

Let’s not fossilise that which continually needs to be kept relevant.