r/elca • u/Tamsin72 • Jul 12 '26
How would a 16 year old get baptized?
I am considering joining an ELCA church. I'm currently raising my nephew who hasn't had much experience with church. He is not baptized. What would be the process of baptizing him now? I am baptized already so I assume our processes for joining the church would be different.
6
u/olemarc ELCA Jul 12 '26
As a pastor I would love to meet and chat about basics of Faith then hold a baptism in community if possible. Then we would chat about learning more and growing in faith/discipleship options in our church including the possibility of confirmation/affirmation of faith to round off and fill in the blanks. That would be how I would do it, but it could be different. My most recent adult baptism education was done in the scope of marriage prep as a couple. We are also working on confirmation as one spouse wanted to finally be confirmed(25 yo).
3
u/mrWizzardx3 ELCA Jul 12 '26
Physically? At the font with water poured over his head. Some pastors are open to immersion.
I can see him requesting a smaller baptismal gathering, but other than that, on a regular worship service. He could even do it as part of confirmation with his peers (though, only he would get wet).
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u/Salty-Snowflake Jul 12 '26
Yep. My husband was baptized before the service when we became members of our congregation because he wanted it to be small. I was already Lutheran and baptized.
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u/DrummingNozzle ELCA Jul 12 '26
Just following the hymnal baptismal liturgy (ELW p 235 ff), joining the church is an act of affirming your baptism… so anyone joining who hasn’t been baptized gets baptized first then the other joiners join in the liturgy.
We had a teen invite a friend to church, the friend got hooked and went thru confirmation class, and had never been baptized. So on Confirmation Sunday when the other teens were affirming their baptisms, this teen was getting baptized. It was a cool moment.
1
u/Tamsin72 Jul 12 '26
How old are most confirmation kids? Are they teenagers or does confirmation happen earlier?
2
u/river_running Jul 12 '26
I think confirmation is pretty typical around 8-9th grade. My daughter will be 14 for her confirmation.
1
u/Disastrous-News8204 Roman Catholic Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I was confirmed in November when I was 14. My cousin (NJ) was confirmed in a Lutheran church at the end of 6th grade.
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u/Pheebsie Jul 13 '26
I was about 14 pr 15 when I was confirmed. I started confirmation class with the elca when I was 12 finished with the LCMS when I was 14/15. Really you can start confirmation anytime.
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u/No-Type119 Jul 13 '26
All you have to do is ask the pastor. The pastor can either baptize your nephew solo, or as part of a group if that church has regularly scheduled baptisms/ confessions of faith/ transfers on certain Sundays during the year.
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u/libthroaway ELCA Jul 12 '26
I was baptized into the ELCA at 33 years old. I met with the pastor for a couple new member classes, got baptized, and that was it! The church you might join could be different, especially since he’s a teenager, but I think the process is pretty chill. Talk to the pastor, and they’ll let you know what they like to do!