What we now call 'confirmation' was originally part of a wider ceremony of Christian initiation and only became a separate event when bishops were no longer able to preside at every baptism.
Confirmation is carried out by the bishop for those who have been baptised and now wish to affirm for themselves their faith and their intention to live a life as committed followers of Jesus Christ. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by the confirming bishop, the Church also asks God to give them power through the Holy Spirit to enable them to live in this way.
Confirmation may also be combined with adult baptism in which case the element of confirmation signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit following on from baptism in water. The biblical background for this is the baptism of Jesus himself in which, as the gospels tell us, the Spirit descended on him when he came up out of the water after having been baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-33).
Anyone may be confirmed who has been baptised, who is old enough to answer responsibly for themselves, and who has received appropriate preparation. In the Church of England it has been traditional for people to be confirmed in their early teens, but there is no set age for confirmation.
The purpose of confirmation preparation is to ensure that those who are confirmed understand what it means to live as a disciple of Christ and are ready to participate fully in the service. At St Nicolas, confirmation preparation usually takes place during three or four weekly early evening sessions after Easter.
The Church of England's rules lay down that those who wish to exercise certain leadership roles in the Church of England, including ordained ministers, readers and licensed lay workers need to be confirmed as a sign of their commitment to living as disciples of Christ as the Church of England understands it.
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