Baptism & Confirmation

"We gain access to Christ’s redeeming power by exercising faith in Him unto repentance, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost through confirmation, and enduring to the end. Keeping the covenant of baptism is the first step in binding ourselves to God so the Holy Ghost can cleanse, strengthen, and change our nature for the better." (From The Invitation to Be Baptized and Confirmed in Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel)

The Year Before

We invite parents to use the year preceding their child's baptism as a time to prepare them for baptism and confirmation. To help parents and their children prepare for the ordinance of baptism, we encourage them to use the following resources as appropriate with their child:

• Appendix A: For Parents--Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God's Covenant Path, found in the back of the Come, Follow Me manual

• The August 2023 issue of the Friend, titled, Special Issue: Baptism and Confirmation

• Gospel Study Guide: Baptism in the Gospel Library

• Gospel Study Guide: Gift of the Holy Ghost in the Gospel Library

• Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel, titled, Study and Teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

• General Handbook (GH) Section 18.7.2 for guidance about planning the baptismal service

• GH Section 18.7.7 for instructions about the baptismal ordinance, and Section 18.8.2 for instructions about the confirmation ordinance

The Month Before

While your child is preparing to be baptized, please complete the following steps:

• Work with your ward Primary presidency to schedule the baptismal service, which are typically held on the 2nd Saturday of each month

• Work with a member of your bishopric and Primary presidency to plan the baptismal service; in order to keep the baptismal service "simple, brief, and spiritually uplifting," (GH 18.7.2), our stake schedules baptismal services 30 minutes apart, so please plan accordingly

• Contact your Ward Executive Secretary to let him know you'd like to schedule an appointment with your Bishop for your child to be interviewed for baptism

• With your child, meet with your Bishop to discuss your child's preparation for baptism and confirmation

The Day Of

• Plan on arriving at the Stake Center 30 min before your scheduled baptism

• To ease traffic flow, please invite family members and others to park on the south side of the building and to arrive on time

• Please follow any additional instructions provided by your ward Primary presidency

• Afterwards, take a moment to record your experiences of the day

We hope being baptized and receiving the precious gift of the Holy Ghost marks the beginning of a lifelong journey along God's covenant path.