A central component of the liturgy for baptisms in the Episcopal Church is the baptismal covenant, in which congregations make five theological promises to act in Christian ways “with God’s help.”
Some congregations are adding a sixth promise to the covenant, acknowledging their responsibility to care for God’s earthly creation.
“The church is moving more and more toward allowing experimentation in many areas, including this one,” Terry DeLisio, a lay leader in the Diocese of Chicago, said in an interview. She is helping to coordinate the northern Illinois diocese’s implementation of an expanded baptismal covenant in congregations that wish to try it.
