Those who desire to publicly profess their faith shall be examined by the consistory on their motivation and knowledge of the doctrine of God’s Word. The public profession shall take place in a church service with the use of the adopted Form.
The examination of those who desire to publicly profess their
faith consists af two aspects:
1. their motivation, whether they have a sincere desire to
confess the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and to show this in a
Christian way of life;
2. their knowledge of holy Scripture and the confessional
standards adopted by our churches.
Whereas this examination is the responsibility of the consistory,
the whole congregation is involved when the names of those people
have been publicly announced and no objections have been brought
forward.
The Form clearly refers to “the doctrine of the Word of God,
summarized in the confessions and taught here in this Christian
Church”.
Making public profession of faith, then, includes the declaration
that the adopted confessional standards are in accordance with
God’s Word.
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It also includes the acknowledgment of the church in which this public profession is made as a faithful church.