Public Profession of Faith – Form 2
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ:
We thank the Lord our God for the grace given us by adopting us to be His children and receiving us into His covenant. We acknowledge His love and power, by which He instills in His children the desire to publicly profess their faith in Him in the presence of His holy church and thereby receive all the responsibilities, as well as the privileges, of communion with the people of God.
Today we are privileged to welcome into the full life of the church’s fellowship those who wish to confess their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. When they were baptized, God made clear His claim on them as His own, and they were received into the church. Now they wish to share fully in the life of this congregation and of the whole church of God. And so today they will publicly accept and confirm what was sealed in their baptism, confess their faith in the Lord Jesus, and commit themselves to God as His willing servants. We thank God for having given them this desire and pray that as we now hear their confession, He will favor us with the presence and guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Vows
_________, will you now stand, and in the presence of God and His people answer sincerely the following questions:
Do you wholeheartedly believe the doctrine contained in the Old and the New Testament, and in the articles of the Christian faith, and taught in this Christian church, to be the true and complete doctrine of salvation, and do you promise by the grace of God to continue steadfastly in this profession?
Do you openly accept God’s covenant promise, which has been signified and sealed to you in your baptism, and do you confess that you despise and humble yourself before God because of your sins, and that you seek your life, not in yourself, but only in Jesus Christ your Savior?
Do you declare that you love the Lord, and that it is your heartfelt desire to serve Him according to His Word, to forsake the world, to put to death your old nature, and to lead a godly life?
Do you promise to submit to the government of the church, and also, if you should become wayward, either in doctrine or in life, to submit to its admonition and discipline?
_________, what is your answer?
Each individual then answers: I do.
Reception
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I now welcome you to all the privileges of full communion. I welcome you to full participation in the life of the church. I welcome you to its responsibilities, its joys, and its sufferings. May you, by the diligent use of the means of grace and with the assistance of your God, continue in the profession that you have just made. “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20–21
).
The minister may ask the congregation to rise, and say:
Let us together confess what we believe:
Congregation:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer
Lord, our God, we thank You that by Your Word and Spirit we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. May those who confessed Your name today never cease to wonder at what You have done for them. Help them to continue firmly in the faith, to bear witness to Your love, and to let the Holy Spirit shape their lives. Take them, Good Shepherd, into Your care, that they may loyally endure opposition in serving You. May we, with all Your children, live together in the joy and power of Your Holy Spirit. We ask this in the hope of Christ’s coming. Amen.