Each candidate was also encouraged to use all the gifts God has given for the sake of God and others, and to discover ways to serve through these gifts. When all of this was faced, and the direction of life in Christ made visible, the candidate was invited to the waters of Baptism. That was then. Our parishes in Canada presently have many different ways of preparing people for Baptism. Some people are baptized after one session.
Many parishes still use a ten-week course as the basis for preparation.
Some of this has served the church well. For the most part, clergy teach church doctrine to the candidate. If transformation were emphasized as a part of Baptism, this would result in the whole parish being renewed in faith as candidates present themselves. This process would be affirmed as life-long. Many denominations have begun to incorporate these things into a preparation period.