An open letter to members of the Church of England.

Baptism, Communion, Confirmation and the recruitment of new churchgoers.

In July 2011 General Synod debated Bradford Diocesan Synod ’s motion that it should legislate under Clause 1(c) of Canon B15A to permit baptised adults to receive communion without having been confirmed, or even being ready and desirous to be confirmed. The motion was withdrawn before a vote; but received much support. I seek here to broaden that support, in Synod and beyond, so that the same or a similar motion may later be adopted, if not in this Synod then in the next.

The theological consensus has now for many years been that baptism is fully enough to admit to communion. By still requiring baptised adult members of the Church of England to be confirmed before receiving communion we make it unnecessarily difficult to recruit new churchgoers from the lost sheep of our own flock, the many baptised but unconfirmed adults who now stay away. Recruitment implies persuasion, by clergy, laity, or both. Thanks, however, to the parish communion movement and its successors, most of our services are now of Holy Communion, to share fully in which an adult must have been confirmed. A baptised but unconfirmed adult who is not a churchgoer has therefore three choices; not to begin coming to church; to begin coming but, unless later confirmed, not to take full part; or to seek confirmation straight away. The step from habitual absence to early confirmation is likely to be too steep: confirmation is a public, deep and formal commitment, which a new worshipper will probably not be ready for, nor yet desire. On the other hand, exclusion from communion will rightly seem unreasonable. Persuasion, under the present rule, is therefore likely to fail. Under the changed rule it would be more likely to succeed. It should include guidance from the clergy on the nature of Holy Communion.

It is adults who bring children to church: the changed rule, by bringing in more adults, would also bring in more children.

I end with replies to two objections raised in General Synod’s debate. The Bradford Synod values confirmation: it simply wishes General Synod to open an alternative path for the Christian life, on which communion would come first but confirmation would often follow, carefully prepared for. It wishes the Church’s consent to this to be made general and explicit, not left local and tacit; if tacit it cannot be made public, and will not influence recruitment.

John Fawcett, Strait End, Dent, Cumbria, LA10 5QW. 12th December 2011.

johnhfawcett@tiscali.co.uk originator of the Bradford motion.