A christening is a ceremony in which a baby is officially given their Christian name, in the presence of family and friends. It is a religious service, held in a Christian church and is conducted by an ordained minister.
A baptism is a religious sacrament (or ritual) that initiates someone of any age into the Christian church, and involves water being sprinkled or poured over the person’s head. It is common for a baby to be baptized as part of the christening ceremony.
A christening is a joyous occasion, as the baby is welcomed into the Christian church and the start of their journey of faith. It is a traditional ceremony, and involves not only the naming of the baby but also the naming of godparents. In most churches, the godparents must also have been christened in order to take on that role.
The godparents are usually involved in the life of the child, supporting and encouraging them in various ways, almost as surrogate parents, although there is no legal relationship between the child and their godparents. Although the format of the service is laid down, each service will reflect the wishes of the parents and elements can be added to personalize the ceremony if desired.
Because a christening is a religious ceremony, it has to be conducted by an Ordained Minister rather than by a celebrant. I can conduct christenings in any church chosen by the parents with the permission of the local vicar. It may be, for instance, that I conducted the wedding service for the parents and they wish me to lead the ceremony for their child: it is not unusual for me to conduct various ceremonies within a family over generations.
CHRISTENING ENQUIRIES – Important
Please contact me by email at first.
The date should already have been confirmed with the vicar at your church of choice, and the vicar should have confirmed that he / she is happy for me to lead the ceremony.
I will check my availability, and we will arrange a meeting at your home or at the church: a meeting by Zoom or Teams is also possible.
I shall send you some basic information ahead of our meeting.
When we meet, I shall ask you for a lot of information about parents, godparents and of
course the baby to be christened, so that I can prepare a draft of the service.
I shall be in touch with the vicar of the chosen church to ensure all goes smoothly on the day.