What Is a Sacrament?
A sacrament is a ceremony of great importance. It signifies outwardly and publicly what has taken place in a person’s heart and life. At Broken Bread Toronto we recognize five sacraments: Baptism, Infant Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, and Covenant Membership.
1 / baptism
Baptism is the sprinkling* of water on an individual and it signifies two things: First, it signifies union with Christ. Just as Christ died and rose to new life, a Christian has died to their old way of sin and through trust in Christ, has been raised to new life. Second, it signifies membership into God’s covenant community with all its blessing and commitments. If you have come to believe in the gospel and are now a follower of Jesus Christ, you should be baptized. It is commanded by Christ to show that we publicly and joyfully identify with him and his people.
*Some churches administer baptism through immersion or pouring, BBT opts for sprinkling.
2 / infant baptism
Infant Baptism is the sprinkling of water on a child and it signifies that God’s care and blessing, in a providential way, includes the children of believing parent(s). It shows that God cares for everyone in our families and that his plan of salvation goes beyond individual believers. Infant baptism does not save a child, the child will have to profess faith personally later in life, but it points to a Heavenly Father who desires to bless his children and his children’s children. Due to the nature of infant baptism, we require that at least one parent already be a Covenant Member of Broken Bread Toronto.
3 / confirmation
Confirmation is a public profession of faith by someone who was baptized as a child. It confirms the hopes, blessing, and promises, contained in one’s infant baptism. If you believe the gospel and are now a follower of Jesus Christ, you should be confirmed as a way of making your faith a public and joyful declaration. The minimum age to participate in confirmation at Broken Bread Toronto is 13 years of age.
4 / communion
Communion is the taking of bread and wine which is the body and blood of Christ. Jesus asks believers to do this in remembrance of his costly death for our sins and in proclamation of our new life through his resurrection. Those who have made a public profession of faith either through baptism, confirmation, or accountable membership in a local church may participate in this communion. Those who are not baptized, confirmed, or are not committed vitally to a local church are asked to refrain. Communion at Broken Bread Toronto is administered about once every six weeks.
5 / covenant membership
A covenant is a strong and lasting commitment of love made between two people. A business deal is called a contract but a marriage between husband and wife is called a covenant. In Christ, God pays the ultimate price to rescue us and take us as his bride. The covenant people of God are those who believe in the love of Christ and have decided to live in a manner consistent with that love. Therefore to be a member of a church is to be part of a covenant community - a people devoted to God, to each other, and to the mission of Christ in the world. While we welcome anyone to benefit from the ministry of this church and to be a part of this community on a general level, only those who have made such commitments, as evidenced in their beliefs and lifestyle, can become Covenant Members of Broken Bread Toronto with the attendant benefits and commitments . If you are a Christian, you are called to be committed to a faithful, bible believing church so that you can grow, serve, and be held accountable to the faith you profess. Before anyone can be considered and accepted into the Covenant Membership of Broken Bread Toronto, they must clearly be a consistent part of our community and worship for about 4 months. (Our BBT Membership Covenant can be found here)