Baptism Permission Slip

I just wanted to provide a resource that many of you might be in need of.  We don’t often think about these things until it’s too late, or the moment has already passed us, but having a prepared Baptism Permission Slip might prove to be something good to have on file, and even put on your churches website for download!

We just came through our Kidz Week @APCofCburg and had several kids that were interested in being baptized.  Only problem was that they had visited our church with other friends or family, and considering their age, well, let’s just put it like this…I’ve learned that you don’t just assume that all parents want their kids to be baptized (go figure).

However, this leads us to today’s resource.  If we can provide parents with a Baptism Permission Slip, for them to approve the baptism, this will hopefully accomplish several things:

1. Give the parent the opportunity to provide permission for their child to be baptized
2. Give the parent an invitation to come to church, to see their child get baptized
3. Give the Pastor a chance to introduce himself to the family
4. Avoid angry parents…and worst case scenario a law suit
5. And, obviously lead to the minor being baptized

So, basically, we, as church leaders, have a responsibility to at least honor the wishes of the parents of a minor.  It doesn’t do the church any good if we are (even though it’s Biblical) baptizing children or even teenagers, without the support and permission of their parents.  Ultimately, it’s God’s plan and desire that families attend church together, and experience spiritual transformation together, however that is not always the case.

Feel free to copy and paste the text from Baptism Permission Slip, I can’t say it’s “legally binding”, but it can at least be considered a proper gesture to those that might be involved.  Clearly, if you feel at any point, you feel it could be a legal matter in your situation, I highly recommend seeking legal counsel that could provide you with the proper legal documentation for all liability purposes.

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