Baptismal Vows
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #23
June 9, 2025
Baptismal Vows
I didn’t preach yesterday. Instead, I attended my Grandson’s baptism at the Saddle River Reformed Church in Upper Saddle River, NJ which is also known as the “Old Stone Church.” https://oldstonechurchonline.org/
My daughter and son-in-law gave me the honor of asking the questions to the parents before the baptism. I have asked these questions many times in my 40+ years of parish ministry. Sadly, there have been times when parents have made these promises but have not been faithful to them. I am always disappointed when parents make such promises before God and a Christian congregation but do not fulfill them. In such cases, it seems to me that such parents are not only lying to the congregation, the board of elders and the pastor, but are also lying to God. I don’t know how merciful God will be with people who are so unfaithful.
In our tradition, baptisms are not private. They are first approved by a local board of elders before the baptism is performed at a public worship service. The parents promise to raise the child in the Christian faith, and the congregation promises to accept the child into the fellowship of the congregation and assist the parents in raising the child in faith. Many people make promises during our baptisms, and all of those who make such promises must fulfill them for a child to be raised in faith.
I remember a number of occasions when parents have come before a board of elders requesting a child to be baptized and I knew in my gut that their assurances of faithful participation were false. Yet, erring on the side of grace, the elders approved these baptisms. The result was that we never saw the child, or the family, after the baptism was performed. I always felt anger when this happened and wished that the elders would impose higher standards for those seeking baptism. I once suggested that families be required to attend church every Sunday for six months before they could request baptism. Elders always told me that I was being “too harsh.” Yet, I saw no point in baptizing children that we would never see again. Attendance prior to baptism, in my mind, is the best indicator faithful activity after baptism.
Still, there is no way to guarantee that a family who makes baptism promises will raise a child in faith. We must, however, do our best to encourage and assist families in doing so. As I have for my first three grandchildren, I’ll be doing my best to shar my faith with Matthew, my fourth grandson to be baptized. What will his future in faith be? I don’t know, but I will do my best to help his parents, who made these promises, to fulfill them. I certainly will be praying for him, and my other three grandchildren. I pray that they all will have faith and that God’s protection will always be upon them. There are no guarantees except that I guarantee to do my best.
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