What Implications does the Policy Have for the Life of the Church - Essay Example

WHAT IMPLICATIONS DOES THE POLICY (CANON B15A) HAVE FOR THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH of due: Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 3 Bibliography 8 Introduction The Church of England passed a policy (Canon B15A) that permits the admission of children to communion before confirmation. This policy came about when the house of bishops and the Synod made arrangements and agreed that, parishes were encouraged to consider offering children an opportunity to part take in the holy communion. The General Synod in the sessions of February 2006 finalized earlier less formal arrangements by passing regulations under Canon B15A (c) (Guild for diocesan board of finance, 2014). The intention of this writing is to reveal how this policy will affect the life of the church as a whole. Also, we are going to look at how this policy is implemented and the process that the child undertakes before being admitted. Before the children had to undergo baptism, confirmation and then they could participate in the Holy Communion. The church respects the Holy Communion that is why the children and an adult must go through baptism to part take in it. According to (The Archbishops Council, 2006:33) baptism is considered as the gate of entry into the life of the church of God. This rite is intended for those who would like to know their Christian faith and also to learn the Christian manner within the life of the people of God. How the admission happens The parish priest commences the process by requesting the PCC to agree and let the parish implement the policy, the reason why they do not implement without instruction is because the church wants to ascertain that there is a clear guideline to undertake the program, this also shows that the policy is strict and measures have to be taken to ascertain that it meets the purpose. At this stage, the parish needs to have a clear program for how they intend to implement the process. In this, the parish has to write down all the activities that should be undertake during the program and also it has to show how the objectives have to meet. Secondly the parish should have an outline of the Program on how to nurture of those children, families and parents who intend to go through with the program. When planning for the program the parish should consider the different groups of people, for example, the once below 5 years, 5 to 10 years, 10 to 15 years, 15 to 20 years in this program the parents also need to be considered because they are the once who are responsible. Thirdly the Program has to also be realistic and attainable, which will bring a person to confirmation. The program should be given a specific time frame and also should be done during the weekends because it is when the children are mostly free. Lastly, the parish should have consulted with the children’s officer in the diocese over the arrangement, and in the long run gives the bishop advice if to agree (The Church of England, Diocese of Chester, 1998:4). The process of admission for parishes When the PCC has given the go ahead to the parish is when now they can start the program. A three to six month training of preparation is initiated including the preparatory sessions with the children, their parents and families, leaders of all the children and young people organizations in the church, schools especially church-schools and the leadership (The Church of England, Diocese of Chester, 1998:5). This process is important because the children and the parents are prepared for the program; after the children get the program they can now start planning their schedules to fit the program. Also, church does an orientation, whereby the children are given an overview of what is going to be happening. They also get to meet their facilitators for familiarization. After the Program is finalized a fixed date is picked to welcome the children to communion. Implications of the policy for the life of the church The Program which is set to nurture and educate the children, also leads the children to confirmation and into an adult member of the church. Some of the topics taught include the relevance of baptism, Holy Communion and confirmation, biblical understanding of children and faith, the historical tradition, how to nurture people in the Christian faith, being part of the church community and any issues of practice for the parish (The Church of England, Diocese of Chester, 1998:5). In the program, the children are taught the meaning of the different things concerning the church this will help the know-how and understanding the different rites of passage in the church. For example, the children at the end of the program will be able to know the reasons behind the different rites of passage. They would understand baptism, communion and confirmation. As the policy states the children are allowed to undertake in communion before confirmation so, with this program, they are able to understand the communion better. This process is a chance for the parish to develop and maintain on its strategy for including children in the church permanently and is also the basis of ministry to the children and their families in the parish. The program is good for the church because all the church members are included in the process. The process makes the church grow because the children who undergo through this process are molded to become strong members in the church because it brings community sense. In this program, the people are taught and supported in the parental role and task this helps in creating of more stable homes and families. The program is also rich in guiding the children to take up Christian lifestyles. The children are taught on how to be responsible in their lives. For the parents, they are given ways in which help in parenting. When there is understanding between the children and the parents it brings about better relationships. With the program the church becomes a place where the children and the young people are listened to and heard, they are also encouraged to grow their faith, and to come to the realization that they are in the part of the body of Christ. With this, it will encourage young people to come to church based on the fact that it is the venue where they grow and are shown love. The church also becomes and inclusive community which helps the church to grow. The program will help the children who are not able to talk to their parents to open up and be helped in the church, this will help tame some of the behaviors such rebellion, drug abuse, teen sex, peer-pressure and so on. At the end of the programs the young people will have discovered the riches of Christian tradition and assumed personal faith, they will have discovered the foundations of spirituality in prayer and worship. A deepened understanding of the faith and development of Christian vision for shaping of human life in the future, the program will help in making the young adults to critically think about Christian life and they would learn how to live a Christian lifestyle. The children are able to understand different practices in the church and learn to respect and honor them. This will ensure that when they become parents they will able to do the same to their children (Delap 2006: 128-141). Their sacramental life will be enriched and will know the importance of the Holy Communion and the meaning of it in their lives. Also, a church sacramental life has been enriched and whose connections with the emerging worlds of children have been greatly strengthened (Guild for diocesan board of finance, 2014). After the whole process, they are able to honor their sacramental life and live accordingly. With the implementation of such programs the church will be able to outreach the people who do not know the Good News; the children can also play a part in inviting their friends to come and part take in the program. Conclusion The policy of admitting children to communion before confirmation is really helpful for the children to grow to know the way they are expected to lead. It enables the children who are admitted to the program to deeply understand the role of Holy Communion in church. The children are able to also learn different things pertaining the church. The church also helps them to deal with issues in their adolescence and teen this is because the church is able to teach and guide them through. The policy helps to grow the life of the church. The church is also able to meet with the vision and mission that was commissioned by God which is to reach all souls. Reaching out will help the church to grow tremendously because these classes will be done year after year hence reaching a lot of people and also helping people part take in the Holy communion. The policy was to help children to be part takers so the Holy Communion and by this program they will be able to do that. Bibliography Delap D 2006 Rights on the Way in P Bradshaw (ed) A Companion to Common Worship Vol 2 London SPCK pp 128-141 Guild for diocesan board of finance, 2014. [Online] Available at: tttp://www.cofeguilford.uk [Accessed 8 4 2014]. The Archbishops Council, 2006. Common worship: Rites on the way. London: CHP The Church of England, Diocese of Chester, 1998. admitting children to holy communion before confirmation. london: CHP Read More