Things for the baptism of an adult. Baptizing a Child: Rules, Tips, and Practical Issues

V. Vasnetsov. Baptism of Prince Vladimir

The problem of preparing adults for baptism has long been discussed in the Russian Orthodox Church. The results of a sociological survey conducted by the Levada Center in February 2009 once again confirmed its relevance. Although 72.6% of Russians identified themselves as Orthodox, of these 72.6%, only 15.4% have the Gospel at home, 15.6% have a prayer book, and 39.5% have no religious books at all. Only 6.4% of the "Orthodox" know the Creed by heart, 49.2% - "Our Father". Every year (at different intervals) only 14.7% receive Communion, while 55% do not receive Communion at all. When asked about their worldview, 11.8% (again, out of 72% who consider themselves Orthodox) answered that they do not believe in God, but believe in some higher power.

Perhaps, the hasty, without preparation, mass baptism of people 15-20 years ago led to such results. The need for serious preliminary preparation for baptism has been repeatedly discussed, but only at the level of verbal recommendations from the hierarchy. The initiative of the Yekaterinburg diocese is the first attempt to streamline catechesis. With the blessing of Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, the Missionary Department of the diocese developed a "Summary of the Basic Principles of Preparing Laity for Baptism" and a thematic set of 12 categorical conversations with those wishing to be baptized. These are 4 blocks of 3 conversations each: about the meaning of life from the point of view of the Holy Scriptures and the Orthodox faith, about God's purpose, about man during his creation and about the fall as the destruction of this purpose, about God's attitude to man and the world. The last, fourth block "consists of conversations that help the catechumen to realize his personal spiritual path of salvation in communion with God and His Church." “In these conversations it is necessary to reveal the following questions: 1. baptism as dying and resurrection with Christ; 2. The Church as the house of God, the Body of Christ, the spiritual family; 3. the duties of faithful Christians; 4. service in the church community,” the document says. As the NA was informed in the diocese, although some priests doubted the validity of a long announcement in rural parishes, the meeting decided to take the proposed concept as a basis.

Everyone recognizes the need for catechesis, but the question of its forms remains open. When can a person be considered ready for baptism? Is it necessary to take into account his educational level and health? Are there things that cannot be understood before baptism? We interviewed priests from different dioceses, opinions were divided.

Priest Alexander SANDYREV, cleric of the Bishops' Ascension Metochion of the city of Yekaterinburg, head of the missionary and youth departments of the Yekaterinburg diocese:

- At the diocesan meeting there was a discussion about which catechism to conduct in small towns and villages, some priests expressed doubt that they would not be able to conduct a long reading. But Bishop Vincent is uncompromising: before baptism, 12 conversations must be held. In our church, for more than a year, we have been holding 12 conversations with everyone who wants to be baptized, within 3 months. A person must at least know the 10 commandments and the gospel, understand that in the sacrament of baptism he is literally combined with Christ, that is, he gives his will into His hands. Today, many have a consumerist attitude to faith: when it’s hard, it’s hard, they pray, and when it’s good, they forget God. And this spiritual infantilism begins with a formal attitude towards baptism.

In addition, after baptism, a person must enter the community. Become not just a parishioner (he defended the service and left), but a responsible member of the Church participating in the life of the parish. All this we try to convey in these conversations.

Of course, it is necessary to speak with rural residents in a special way, taking into account their living conditions. Ideally, in general, you need your own catechism for each social and age group: for young people, for teachers, for the military, for doctors. But the principle must be general - a person must be prepared for baptism for a long time, and each person must be approached individually.

Priest Sergiy KRUGLOV, cleric of the Spassky Cathedral in the city of Minusinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, also ministers to the House of Invalids:

– In the first centuries of Christianity, people who sincerely believed in Christ nevertheless prepared for baptism for a long time. Until now, we remember this at every liturgy, when the deacon proclaims: “Elitsy, annunciation, depart.” Previously, after these words, the catechumens - that is, those preparing for baptism - left the temple, today this prayer only reminds us of the traditions of the first centuries. Probably, in our time it is impossible to return to them, the conditions are completely different. But there is no doubt that even today an adult needs to be prepared for baptism. I think that a person must first at least know by heart the Creed, understand its content, as well as the essence of the main gospel events. Of course, we need general rules blessed by the hierarchy, but in the Church everything, including the canons, is not applied according to a single standard, but in accordance with a specific person, taking into account his characteristics, age, health, education, and upbringing. Obviously, in a hospital, even the minimum requirements I have listed can be presented to few people. Here the priest must act according to the situation. But even a seriously ill old person can at least explain the basics of faith.

At the parish, too, each must be approached individually. You can demand more from a young man with a university education than from a simple old woman. But elementary ideas about Christianity, about the spiritual meaning of baptism, we must give to everyone who wants to be baptized. I hope that Yekaterinburg's initiative will eventually be supported by other dioceses. And the nuances will be refined on the ground, taking into account experience and mistakes.

Archpriest Roman BRATCHIK, Rector of the Church of the Assumption in the city of Kurchatov (Kursk Region), teacher of the course "Science and Religion" at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of Kursk State University:

— From the Gospel we know how many people departed from Christ. Therefore, no matter how well we prepare people for baptism, it is naive to hope that after baptism everyone will begin to actively become churched. But to tell everyone that by being baptized, he becomes a member of the Body of Christ, and in accordance with the fourth commandment, he must go to church every Sunday for services, participate in other church sacraments, we are obliged. The rest depends on the will and conscience of the person himself.

But I see danger in any formalism. The previous rector of our church, Father Georgy Neifakh, whom I knew well for many years, never conducted a special catechism. He approached everyone individually, with some he could talk five or even ten times, and sometimes limited to one conversation. And after baptism, a person could approach him with any question of interest to him, and Father George gave him as much time as needed. He helped hundreds of people come to Christ, including many highly educated people (Kurchatov is a city of nuclear scientists).

At that time I served in a village on the border with the Belgorod region. People from the cities of Stary Oskol and Gubkin often came there to be baptized. They tended to take an active interest in Christianity. And for the villagers, baptism was most often just a good tradition. For example, the mother of her son brought him to be baptized before the army, but he himself does not show any interest. But I thought: “I will let him go unbaptized, what if something happens to him? And if he is baptized, maybe God's grace will make up for what I do not have time to give him. And baptized. But when people were baptizing a child, and three years later they brought the second to be baptized, I asked if they had communed the elder at least once. “No time,” they replied. I said that since they don't go to church, I won't baptize their child. He advised me first to come to the temple with the elder, to take communion with him, then we will return to the conversation about the baptism of the second. Offended. When I told this story to Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Kursk, he grinned: “Well, try!”. I think that every priest's soul hurts, and he is looking for options on how to bring people to church.

Once again, I refused to baptize the villagers when I found out that they were ordered to be baptized by a grandmother, to whom they went to remove the evil eye. He explained to them that this is not only not a basis for baptism, but even a baptized person who goes to such grandmothers, until he repents, cannot be communed.

Basically, I did not refuse baptism to the villagers. Had one talk and relied on the mercy of God. It is natural for an educated person to read the Gospel, but many ordinary people do not read books at all, to demand that they read the Gospel, in my opinion, is unreasonable, it is more correct to retell the main things. But an educated person can be approached with higher requirements. Not only by knowledge of the texts. If a person knows the text of the Gospel well, quotes, but is esoteric in spirit, considers Christ one of the great initiates, wants to be baptized because, in his opinion, there is good energy in the temple, it is unacceptable to baptize him - it's like throwing a shrine to dogs. In recent years, I have had several such cases, naturally, I refused everyone, offered to talk so that they would understand how far their views were from church ones. I think it would take more than one or two conversations, but, unfortunately, people left more often. This is their choice, but in conscience I could not baptize people with such views. I also categorically refused to baptize those who, on principle, did not want to learn anything about faith.

Yet we must not forget the power of God's grace. Any priest can give more than one example, when a person got into the temple by accident, he was hardly persuaded to take communion, and suddenly, by God's will and mercy, everything was miraculously revealed. For the first time I myself went to the Pskov-Pechora Monastery for company. My wife was baptized, and at that time I was fond of Eastern philosophy, yoga. Soon after her baptism, Father Georgy Neifakh came to visit us, with whom they studied together at the university. He persuaded me to go there. At the same time, Father Vladimir Volgin arrived there, with whom my wife was baptized, we got to know each other. But Father John (Krestyankin) made the biggest impression on me, of course. Then I began to come to Father Vladimir (he served then in the Kursk diocese), rode a bicycle around the Vologda region, attended services there too (not all churches were still functioning, it was in 1985), and read the New Testament. The words of the Apostle Paul made the greatest impression on me then: “If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, then I am a ringing brass or a sounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but I have no love, it does not profit me at all” (1 Cor. 13:1-3). In the context of my then passion for yoga, where everything is aimed at gaining some higher knowledge and strength, this was especially shocking. Father Vladimir Volgin had love, he lived modestly, ascetically, and people who came to him felt that they had met a person of a different spiritual level. I'm not talking about Father John (Krestyankin). It seems to me that this is very important - trust in the priest. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to prepare priests, to ordain those whose life will inspire other people.

When grace touches the heart, many things open up on a different level. And we first of all receive the grace of God in the sacraments of the Church. Therefore, our priestly task is not to look for a reason not to admit people to these sacraments, but to bring them to them as soon as possible. The first of these sacraments is baptism! It is impossible to write down all situations. Much depends on the conscience and experience of the priest. I think they will tell him how best and faster to prepare a particular person for baptism.

Hieromonk MAKARY (Markish), cleric of the St. Alekseev Ivanovo-Voznesensk Theological Seminary, head of the communication service of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Kineshma diocese. From 1985 to 2000 he lived in the USA, was baptized in 1987:

Baptism is the door by which a person goes to the Savior. No wonder our attention to this sacrament, and the obstacles that Satan puts on the very threshold of the Church. These obstacles are to be eliminated by the joint efforts of the laity, the clergy and the hierarchy.

Every priest (including myself) could give dozens of practical examples, both typical and rare, when the performance of the sacrament of baptism is forced to depend on certain external factors: illness, age or other special twists in the fate of the person being baptized, his high level education or, on the contrary, the lack of such, informal acquaintance with church life and Christian doctrine, and finally, personal characteristics and a specific life situation. I remember how an unfamiliar girl came to the temple with a request to baptize her. I had a conversation with her, as expected, handed the gospel and a prayer book, told about the procedure for preparing for baptism ... She listened attentively, but when she realized that she would not be baptized now, copious tears flowed from her eyes. What happened next, you can probably guess: I confessed her and baptized her. I think I did the right thing.

In this regard, the fears of some clergymen are understandable that strict regulation of the preparation for the sacrament of baptism can be harmful: if before we performed the sacrament at our own discretion, now we will have to adhere to strict formal norms. The above example seems to confirm this fear - but only as if.

The decision of the Yekaterinburg Diocesan Assembly to prepare for Baptism must be welcomed and hoped that similar measures will follow in other dioceses. It is aimed at healing perhaps the most serious systemic shortcoming of our church life: the lack of communication with the ruling bishop. As they say, "Roman papists have a pope in Rome, while Orthodox have their own pope in each parish." This must be overcome by any means, and immediately. I imagine a conversation with that girl in a new environment. I would tell her: “You want to be baptized - that's great, the Lord hears you and will take you to Himself. But now, immediately, it’s impossible to baptize you: our Orthodox church life is arranged differently, in such and such a way ... ”But I could not have uttered this last phrase if there hadn’t been a clear and precise order of the hierarchy on baptism in our diocese .

But we still have to finish with the question of infant baptism. After all, the message from the Yekaterinburg diocese does not say a word about the difference between the baptism of adults and babies, and it seems that it is about adults. But, according to my observation, today only one out of ten of us is baptized at a conscious age: what to do with the rest, with their parents and godparents, who also (and to a much greater extent!) require enlightenment and teaching the basics of faith? Will a priest be able to tell parents who want to perform a “solemn ceremony”: “According to the order of the bishop, you need to take a course of twelve catechumens lectures ...”? Will they not say something completely unchurch in response and will they not rush to some sectarians and self-saints? And in order to prevent this from happening, what serious efforts in the matter of general Orthodox education should we undertake?! ...

Archpriest Boris BALASHOV, rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" in the city of Klin, Moscow Region, teacher of the Orthodox gymnasium, theological correspondence courses (Klin), theology department of the Klin branch of the Moscow State Social University, head of the Christian Life publishing house, editor-in-chief newspapers "Orthodox Wedge" and the TV program "The Road to the Temple":

- I have heard optimistic reports from one speaker about how many thousands of people were baptized in their diocese during the reporting period. The believers in the hall enthusiastically applauded. And I, an irresponsible and not so young priest, did not clap, but recalled how we were accepted as pioneers in childhood and only one loser in the class was not accepted. But for some reason, the slogan: "Pioneer - an example for all the guys" was not implemented in any way.

Now, if the speaker said that in his diocese all the churches are full of people, that many young people aspire to become priests, that every second church has a Sunday school, if not for children, then at least for adults, I would stand up and applaud the loudest !

But who said, "According to your faith, be it to you"? Oh, it's Jesus Christ. What strange words we still hear in the Gospel reading during the sacrament of Baptism: “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you all the days to the end of the age. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20).

That's lovely! Christ promises to be with us always, all the days of our life and even after its end, even after death to be with us. Does that mean we're not afraid of anything? Well, as you say, for this you still need to do something. And what?

Since the Gospel presents the relationship between Jesus Christ and the human soul like the relationship between the bride and groom or husband and wife, let's think about how a young man and a girl can build a strong happy family?

The first stage is getting to know each other. People met and liked each other. Further, in order to deepen the acquaintance, a conversation begins - a dialogue. They tell each other about themselves, share their thoughts. Mutual understanding is built between them, friendship deepens, love can arise.

The second stage is building a family. When a relationship of mutual understanding is built, the connection of two souls has become strong, the time has come to unite two lives into one. A family was born. This usually ends all children's fairy tales about love. And in a happy marriage, a good fairy tale is just beginning.

Third stage. And now we must learn again, only now learn to live together, to coordinate all our actions, to mutually forgive each other all insults, to bear the cross of family life together, to help each other in everything. So the family becomes strong and complete.

And the words of the Savior quoted above are very similar to what we said about building a good family.

The first stage is “teach”: that is, introduce people to Christ, help build a personal relationship with Him. Reading and comprehending the Gospel, we hear the words of the Savior addressed to us. We learn to understand Him and what He wants from us. By praying, we learn to open our souls to God and respond with our hearts to God's love. Through reading the Gospel and praying, we begin to see our sins, which we previously considered, at best, to be simply shortcomings or mistakes. And now we are ashamed before God and ourselves. Here we are preparing for repentance.

When the Apostle Peter was asked how to become heirs of the Kingdom of God, he replied: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

And if there is no faith and no repentance for the sins of a past life, is it possible to be cleansed from sins through baptism and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit? If we believe the apostle Peter, we are forced to give a negative answer. After all, the point is not only that God forgives our sins, it is necessary that we be cleansed from their spiritual consequences.

When a person accepts the sacrament of baptism without repentance and changing his life and without conscious faith, sins and temptations are often thrown upon the newly baptized with redoubled force.

The second stage is the sacrament of baptism. The man entered the family of Christ - the Holy Orthodox Church. Enter - entered, but to build a new spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ did not start and does not even try to start. What good will come of it? Is it a deception of the Lord? He promised to love and believe, but he is not going to fulfill.

Here we often hear an indignant chorus of voices: “Well, we do believe in the existence of God, don’t we?” So what? Demons also believe in His existence (James 2:19), however, this faith of theirs does not at all save them from sin or from being condemned to the world's garbage dump - fiery Gehenna. Faith is a personal connection of faith, as complete trust in God. We say sometimes: "I believe in this person." So after all not about faith in existence this rights speech.

The third stage is churching, that is, the acquisition of the spiritual experience of life within the Christian community - the parish.

But only if these spiritual stages are observed in building a personal relationship with God, the promise of Jesus Christ will apply to us - to be with us always.

And what about us now, in our post-Soviet era, when the vast majority of people only want to formally become Christians? Talk to them about God, about His love, about immortality. And for a better understanding of the truth of faith, take examples from earthly life, including examples of how people's relationships can be built, and many others.

Is it possible to baptize without preparation, without repentance and without faith? To baptize is baptized, but where are the fruits of baptism?

How did Christ feel about the barren fig tree? After all, it grew, and was covered with leaves. But she met on the path of Christ, He did not find any fruit on her, cursed her and she immediately withered (Matthew 11, 12-20).

First, we must try to convince a person that he does not treat God lightly. Second, help him begin to build his relationship with the Savior. Let him read at least three times the Gospel of Luke or Mark, make an effort to understand Christ and His love, try to answer it, see your sins, looking at His image. So that repentance can ripen. At a minimum, he must learn and comprehend at least the prayer “Our Father” and begin to pray in his own words for himself and for those close to him.

I think that in most cases it is not worth trying to teach these people elementary dogma. The preaching of the apostles to the Gentiles was Christ-centered. This is how it should be now at the stage of initial catechesis. The main thing is that relationships of trust, faith and love begin to develop with Christ. It will be, we can expect in the future, although not immediately, the fruits of baptism - the renewal of life.

It seems to me that this is the real minimum when a person can be led to the sacraments of baptism, repentance and communion. But then many who want to be baptized, become a godfather or baptize their children will go to other churches. Yes, the cash desk of other parishes will be replenished once. But many of those who accept these conditions will become related to your temple. In addition, many people who have taken the easy path will come back to you later. After all, patients prefer to go to doctors who are trying to treat, and not just write out sick leave.

How to be? Shall we calmly trust in the all-sanctifying grace of God and the magical effect of the sacraments? But the Church categorically denies all magic. The grace of God, of course, is omnipotent, but Jesus Christ nevertheless entrusted His Church with the apostolic mission for all ages, which is why the Orthodox Church is called Apostolic. And for some reason, the apostles themselves gave their lives for the preaching of the Gospel?! They would sit at home and wait for God to do everything for them!

So maybe oblige everyone to conduct catechesis? But will catechesis be of any use if it turns into formally performed activities? Before the revolution, the Law of God was a compulsory subject in all educational institutions. This did not save the country from the catastrophe of the revolution and spiritual degradation. In addition, the older generation is fed up with the formally carried out ideological work in our long-suffering country. Faith without love is dead, and love cannot be forced!

What to do? I think it is necessary to carry out educational work with all our might and, if possible, encourage it. To promote catechesis in all forms, of course, also in preparation for baptism. Publish relevant contemporary literature. To prepare in parishes not only priests, but also active believers for educational work. And candidates for the priesthood should be prepared in educational institutions not formally, as only performers of the liturgical ritual, but as educators of the people. And, most importantly, you need to love your job!

Today, any adult or teenager who wants to receive the sacrament of baptism in the Orthodox Church must at least read the New Testament, as well as the Orthodox Catechism, which sets out the foundations of the teachings of the Church and the Orthodox faith. It is necessary to accept the Savior himself with His teaching with all his soul and try to see all the evil he has done in life and repent of it, so that "the water remains water and the grace bestowed in the sacrament is not wasted in vain, but multiplied." Usually two godparents take part in the baptism of children, although for the baptism of a boy it is enough just a godfather and a godmother for a girl. After the rite of baptism, the parents of the child and the godparents themselves are called godfathers.

In the Orthodox Church, baptism itself is performed by a threefold immersion directly into the font itself, where the holy water is located along with the head - in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism by pouring is allowed only when it is simply impossible to postpone it, and conditions do not allow to perform a traditional baptism. Alexy II urged the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to baptize people through a full immersion with their heads in holy water in the font, and not through a simple pouring and even more so sprinkling. During baptism, the sacramental words are invariably pronounced: "The servant of God is baptized in the name of the Father, amen. And the Son, amen. And the Holy Spirit, amen."

Women, when they come to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, usually put on a long white shirt, in which they are baptized. It is highly advisable to have a large towel with you to dry your hair afterwards. If necessary, it can be thrown over the shoulders, because the wet fabric becomes tight-fitting and partially transparent. It would be quite reasonable for an adult woman to approach the priest, asking him for a separate baptism in order to avoid embarrassment. However, for those believers who really understand what exactly should happen to her (to him), this ceases to be a significant factor and many plunge into the font completely naked. Some churches have a special screen behind which a person undresses as much as he sees fit. After that, the priest pours water on top of him, seeing only the head. It doesn't matter to the priest in what form you decide to be baptized. What matters is your opinion and your feelings. There should not be shoes or socks on the feet, because after baptism the feet are anointed with Holy chrism.

Baptism is usually performed by a bishop or a priest. In extreme cases, the sacrament of the rite can also be performed by a layman in a life-critical situation. In this case, the rite is considered to be completed if the layman uttered the prescribed secret words. If the baptized layman remains alive, then the priest does not repeat the sacrament of Baptism, but only performs the rite of chrismation. After this, a person can be admitted not only to Communion, but also to all Church sacraments. In the event that such a person dies before being chrismated, then it is quite possible and should be prayed for in any church. Moreover, it will even be possible to take out particles of proskomidia. Immediately before baptism, an announcement must certainly be made - a deep and comprehensive explanation of the foundations and the very meaning of the entire Orthodox faith. More in the books of the Pokrovsky Sad publishing house at the link pokrovsad.com

At the very beginning, the baptism of a person’s godparents, or he himself, must three times renounce Satan “and all his works, and all his ministries”, after which he confesses (tell out loud) three times his sincere desire to “combine with Christ”, after which he consciously read Symbol of faith. It should be familiar to every baptized person or his godparents.
After that, the priest reads the great litany and blesses the water in the font with a hand folded in a nominative finger-composition. Next, the priest anoints the water and the person being baptized with oil, after which he performs the actual baptism, that is, immersion. When reading the 31st psalm, white clothes are put on the baptized (earlier, in the ancient church, a wreath was also put on the head of the baptized, as if he had been canonized as a martyr and "royal priesthood"). The priest performs chrismation and, together with the baptized and the recipients, goes around the font three times. At this time, the Apostle (Rom 6:3-11) is read with the Gospel (Mt 28:16-20). After that, the priest wipes and washes the myrrh, cuts the hair of the baptized person and pronounces a special litany and dismissal.

How does it happen that an adult's baptism is often necessary, after all, in Orthodoxy, immediately after birth, in infancy? To do this, you need to remember the history of the country, because during the Soviet era there was an active attack on the church, and many people could not be baptized or baptize their children. Now that it's possible, most people want Another group of people who get baptized as adults are the Protestants. In their understanding, the baptism of an infant is the choice of his parents, and not the child himself. Therefore, an adult person who made this choice consciously should be baptized.

What comes before baptism

As the ministers of the church say, the baptism of an adult should not be a mere formality for him. A person must come to this consciously, understand that already as a true Christian he will need to live according to the laws of faith, fulfill all the necessary prescriptions, dogmas, etc. First of all, a person needs to talk with a priest, explain his situation and desire. Further, the priest may invite him to hold public discussions, which are designed specifically for those who want to be baptized. You also need to read spiritual literature, although much depends on the level of your readiness for baptism.

But all these are only auxiliary factors, the most important thing is the true desire of a person, which is not a tribute to fashion or something like that.

adult

Let's stop at this important point. The baptism of an adult is different from the usual. By virtue of his age, a person can pronounce the words he needs at baptism, he understands and realizes his actions, respectively, you can do without godparents who do everything instead of babies. If an adult is being baptized, what is needed for this? You should bring (no matter how expensive) a christening shirt, a large white sheet, and slippers. The priest performs the necessary ceremony, the person’s head is washed three times or immersed in the font. During the ceremony, a person holds a lit candle, and then a cross is drawn on his forehead with oil.

Baptism among Protestants

Already for the reasons indicated at the beginning of the article, it is clear why Protestants adopted the baptism of an adult. At the same time, the rite itself can be carried out in different ways. Some must plunge into the water completely in a special pool or river. Some are sure that it should be an exclusively open body of water. For others, it is enough, as in Orthodoxy, just to sprinkle a head in a pond can also take place in different ways: some clergymen dip a person once, others three times. The way of dipping can also vary: face up or face down. According to some Protestants, all these differences are not very significant, while others are firmly convinced that only their opinion is correct. Protestant baptized, as well as Orthodox, must dress in white clothes.

Baptism of an adult: 7 stages of the preparatory period + 7 components of the rite itself + 5 rules that must be followed + 5 attributes that you will need.

It is never too late to find God.

If for some reason you were not baptized in infancy, you can even in adulthood find out how an adult is baptized and agree on a ceremony in a church you like.

In principle, adults and children are baptized using a similar ritual, but there are still a number of fundamental differences that you need to be aware of.

What does adult baptism give?

It would seem, well, what difference does it make to priests, whom to baptize - an adult or a child - is there one rite?

The sacrament of baptism is indeed the same for everyone, but age nuances are present.

The rite of baptism as one of the seven sacraments

The word "baptism" itself has Greek roots and is literally understood as "dipping into water." Actually, this is the essence of the ceremony.

Of course, the water should not be simple, the font for immersion is special, and only the priest conducts the ceremony.

Baptism is one of the 7 Christian sacraments, recognized by all denominations, albeit with some reservations and nuances.

It is after the ritual of the cross that a person finds Christ, becomes a full-fledged church parishioner, who can attend divine services, participate in church holidays, confess, take communion, etc.

The essence of the rite is three times immersion in water with the head. It was precisely this method that Alexy II called upon the clergy in his time, which led to the appearance in a number of churches of special fonts, in which not only a child, but also an adult could fit.

Although to this day, baptism is not always performed by complete immersion in water, especially when it comes to an adult. In small churches, there may not be a font in which someone other than a baby would fit, so water is simply poured on the head and chest.

At the same time, the priest says special words:

And also - reads a series of prayers.

It is believed that a baptized person renounces the forces of darkness, is cleansed of all sins and gets a chance for a new church life.

In fact, a person goes through the ritual of the symbolic death of his former self in order to resurrect already with Christ. By the way, Jesus Christ himself was baptized by John in the Jordan River. So how can you not follow his example?

And for baptized people, there is one more holiday, since the day on which the ceremony was performed is considered the Day of the Angel.

How is adult baptism different from infant baptism?

We are used to the fact that mostly children are baptized, while the parents themselves decide when their baby should undergo a special ceremony - up to a year or later.

And, as practice shows, small children are easier to tolerate baptism than those that are older.

It is not uncommon to meet an adult who desires to be baptized because, as a child, his parents denied him the chance to receive Christ.

In the 90s, such rituals were generally carried out en masse, because in Soviet times, parents who decided to baptize a child succumbed to persecution. There were those who secretly agreed on the baptism of the baby, wanting to save his soul, but there were many parents who did not want to risk their own careers.

The children grew up and made a conscious decision to undergo the rite of baptism, which is fully approved by the church.

Baptism of an adult has a number of differences:

1. The meaningfulness of making a decision - the children do not understand where they were brought and what they are doing with them, but an adult must understand this.
2. The responsibility you take on. Toddlers can do some bad deeds due to their stupidity, but a baptized adult is obliged to reconsider his views on life and stop sinning.
3. The absence of godparents. Godparents are needed for a baby to teach him to live according to the commandments of God and to bear responsibility for him until he is fully grown up. But an adult must himself be responsible for his actions, both good and bad.

The rite itself is not too different, except that the preparatory period for adults is more complicated and more authentic than for kids.

Baptism of an adult: preparation for the ceremony and the ceremony itself

You should prepare well for the ritual itself, and for this you need to know in advance what an adult needs to be baptized.

It will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with the essence of baptism in order to avoid unpleasant surprises for yourself.

Preparing for Adult Baptism

Often, both the parishioners themselves and the priests ignore the preparatory period. It happens that an adult comes to church and asks: “What do I need for baptism?”, And they simply list what needs to be bought, name the amount and set a specific time.

Everything is so simple that a person does not even have time to realize the essence of what is happening.

It happens that a priest approaches the issue as responsibly as possible, but a man or woman who wants to find Christ does not want to complicate their lives and simply demands to be baptized without any preparation.

Of course, no one will refuse you, but it is better to follow all the recommendations of the clergyman and go through full preparation for the sacrament.

The preparatory period for the baptism of an adult consists of several stages:

• Understanding the essence of Christianity and its branch - Orthodoxy.
• Bible study.
• Attending worship services - it is advisable for an adult to attend at least 3 services before baptism.
• Memorization of basic prayers, such as "Our Father", "Mother of God", "Symbol of Faith".
• A conversation with the priest about the ceremony itself, and it may take several conversations to get answers to all your questions.
• Abstinence in food, entertainment and intimate relationships, at least a few days before the ceremony.
• Preparing your body: Of course, you must be clean before the sacrament, and not smell bad.

Important! Women, trying to look their best, must understand that they will be dipped headlong. This means that you do not need to make up or build complex hairstyles. All this will flow, and you will look just comical. Also, do not buy too thin a baptismal shirt so as not to shine with a “naked” body.

In addition, you need to stock up on ritual items, without which the sacrament of baptism itself will not pass.

But godparents are not needed for an adult. Sometimes priests make concessions and allow one or even two pairs of godparents to be taken, although there is no point in this.

Important! Remember that the church is not funded by the state, but lives on donations from parishioners. Of course, a fixed fee for the Christian sacrament is not very good, but it is wrong to give absolutely nothing to the church.

As you can see, preparing for the baptism of an adult takes a lot of time, so take this into account when choosing the date of the ceremony.

The rite of baptism of an adult

There are different variations of baptism that an adult undergoes. It all depends on the church in which the sacrament takes place.

But most often the rite of baptism of an adult consists of 7 mandatory steps:

• Announcement. After special prayers, the priest must blow three times in the face of the candidate for the church, which symbolizes the renewal of his life path. According to the Old Testament, this is exactly what the Lord did when he revived his creation - Adam. At the same stage, prayers are read that protect against evil spirits, and an adult standing in front of the priest is blessed.
• Questions. Now the “revived” and “blessed” one needs to turn to the west (after all, it is there, according to all Christian teachings, that the forces of darkness live) and answer the priest’s questions, which boil down to loyalty to Christ and renunciation of Satan.
• Prayer "Creed". It is this prayer that is read together with the priest after the adult renounces the Devil and confirms his loyalty to God. In this case, you need to stand facing east.
• Candles and oil. The main preparations are over, but in front of the font, all those present (sometimes only the godfathers) are given lit church candles so that they hold them, illuminating the path of the person who decided to be baptized. The priest, dressed in light robes, smears oil on his forehead, limbs, neck and other parts of the body, blessing both the thoughts and deeds of the Servant of God.
• Font. After reading a few more prayers, the adult is immersed three times with his head in the prepared font. In some cases, it is only sprinkled with holy water.
• Cross. Of course, after the font, a baptized person needs to dry off and put on a dry shirt. Only after that the clergyman can put a cross around his neck.
• A haircut. The final episode is the shearing of several hairs from the forehead, the back of the head and near the ears (in the form of a cross). Do not be afraid to ruin your hair - usually the priests act very delicately and the traces of their intervention are almost invisible.

That's all - it remains only to accept congratulations from loved ones in honor of your union with Jesus Christ.

Here is a video that will help you see firsthand how this sacrament of baptism is performed and, perhaps, inspire you to repeat the experience of adult heroes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkbHBHV14R0.

How is an adult baptized?

Rules for adult baptism

Despite the fact that baptism is a holiday, it is not necessary to turn it into folk festivals, to convene a crowd of people who will make noise during the ceremony.

Yes, you can invite your loved ones to share your joy with you, you can even celebrate this event after, but do not turn it into an indecent booze, indulging in gluttony and debauchery.

There are several rules that an adult should follow during baptism:

1. True faith. If you do not take the ritual of the cross seriously, if you do not believe in God, if baptism is a tribute to fashion for you, then do not expect grace to descend on you. On the contrary, it will only get worse, because you will add one more to the already existing sins - lies and hypocrisy in the face of the Lord.
2. Free choice of location. You have the right to choose any Orthodox church for the ceremony - no one should put forward their own conditions for you - to be baptized only here or nowhere. If you have your own spiritual mentor or have heard positive reviews about a priest, you can contact him directly to perform the rite of baptism for an adult.
3. Implementation of the rules. Despite the fact that all Orthodox churches adhere to a single procedure, it still has some nuances depending on the venue. This is why you need to speak with a representative of your chosen temple ahead of time in order to prepare for your baptism in the best possible way.
4. Good health. You should not be baptized if you are sick. In this case, it makes sense to postpone the ceremony to another day. Women, when choosing a date, must take into account their monthly cycle - during the period of lunar bleeding, you can’t even attend church.
5. Concentration. During baptism, an adult should be as focused as possible on what is happening, get all sinful thoughts out of his head, ask God for guidance on the true path. You can't think of something completely different. If you can’t concentrate, read a prayer, it will help put your thoughts in order.

The baptism of an adult is a rather interesting rite, even to witness which is exciting. And to experience something like this in adulthood is an incomparable experience.

Today, a person comes to the Lord through illness, sorrow, problems, or, over time, realizing that material values ​​​​are fragile, and spiritual ones are relative, and he begins to seek support in the Church, from the Lord through His commandments and teachings. Entry into the Church, otherwise called churching, begins with the Sacrament of Baptism. How the christening takes place, and how to prepare for it, will be described later.

How to choose godparents?

The first task, and perhaps the most important, that parents who want to baptize their child face is to decide who can be godparents. Why the most important, because the godmother or godfather will have to be responsible for the spiritual development, upbringing of the child. That is why it is desirable that godparents be Orthodox people and go to church. Godparents must not be married. An aunt, grandmother, sisters and brothers can become godparents for a child.

How is the baptism?

Before the baptism. It is advisable for godparents to attend public discussions, which describe in detail how it goes. The sacrament of Baptism consists of reading prayers over a person who is preparing to be baptized, in another way, this rite is called an announcement. After the end of the announcement, the Baptism itself begins. The most important moment is the immersion of an adult or a child in the font, you need to dive three times. After immersion in the font, a cross is put on the person being baptized, and he is anointed with the sacred Myrrh. After that, a detour is made three times around the font - a symbol of eternity. After that, men and boys are brought to the altar, and girls and women are only brought to the altar. Baptism ends with the cutting of the hair and the washing away of the sacred Myrrh. The baptism of children is somewhat different from the baptism of adults. You can make a video of the Sacrament of Baptism, which will remain in your memory for a long time, and will bring joy at every viewing.

Adult Baptism

Before Baptism, it is important for an adult to know what components the Orthodox faith has, and for this it is advisable to read the New Testament, read about the Sacraments of the Church. In addition, one who wishes to be baptized must know the following three prayers: "Our Father", the Creed, "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice." These prayers can be taken from the prayer book. Before baptism, it is necessary to observe a three-day fast, i.e. do not eat dairy food, meat, eggs, and of course refrain from bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. And also during fasting, it is undesirable to attend entertainment events. Baptism itself is the same for both young children and adults, the only difference is that the adult performs the necessary actions on his own, and the godparents help the child. To dive into the font you need to buy clothes. For men, this is a baptismal shirt, a woman can wear a long sleeved shirt or can purchase a dress designed specifically for baptism. Baptismal clothing must be new, clean, and white. And you will also need a towel, a cross, candles, slates, because in the Sacrament there are moments when a person should not be wearing shoes and socks. In the temple, a woman must be in a headscarf.

Baptism of a child

As for the baptism of a child, then, as mentioned earlier, everything should be done for him by the godparent, namely: read prayers for him or with him, help get dressed, help when immersed in the font, etc. Godparents must advance purchase a baptismal shirt, a cross for a child. After immersion in the font, the priest passes the child to the godparent (the godfather takes the boys from the font, and the godmother takes the girls), so the godfather should have a towel in his hands. Further Baptism of the child takes place in the same way as for an adult.

Choosing a gift for the godson

When one of the relatives or close people finds out that they will become godparents, they immediately think about what to give to the godson. In fact, choosing a gift is not difficult.

Since ancient times, godparents gave their godson a pectoral cross, clothes for baptism, and an icon of the saint whose name the child was named.

For an infant or small child, you need to purchase such a cross that it is light, and the rope should not be long.

Even in ancient times, instead of clothes for baptism, the godmother gave the godson "kryzhma" - a white cloth, as a symbol of purity, the state in which a person is perceived from the font. Today, such a fabric can be a towel, a white diaper. Baptismal clothes can be sewn by the godmother. It can be decorated with lace or embroidery.

One of the best important gifts, of course, will be the Bible, as well as other books that can be purchased at the church shop. But the most valuable gift is the godparents' prayer for their godchildren.

Video on the topic of the article.