Sinner's prayer

The Sinner's prayer (also called the Consecration prayer and Salvation prayer) refers to any prayer of repentance and is most often associated with evangelical Christian denominations. Denominations that use this prayer often do not consider it to be mandatory for membership or conversion. Some Christians see reciting the Sinner's prayer as the moment defining one's salvation, others see it as a beginning step of one's lifelong faith journey, while still others understand it to be a form of "re-commitment" for repentant believers.

The sinner's prayer is most often performed in an altar call during worship services or where converts are invited to repeat the words of some form of a Sinner's prayer. It is also frequently found on printed tracts or chick tracts, urging people to "repeat these words from the bottom of your heart".

The Sinner's prayer takes various forms and is prayed silently, aloud, or read from a suggested model. While there is no specific formula considered essential, it usually contains an admission of sin and a belief in or recognition of the penal substitution of Christ for the penitent person's sins.

The use of the Sinner's prayer is common within some Protestant traditions, such as the Methodist churches and various Baptist churches, as well among evangelical Anglicans. While not traditionally a part of the language of the Lutheran and Roman Catholic traditions, it is used among certain circles of adherents belonging to these faiths. It is also present in movements that span several denominations, including Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, and Charismatic Christianity. It is sometimes uttered by Christians seeking redemption or reaffirming their faith in Christ during a crisis or disaster, when death may be imminent.