What is a Baby + Child Dedication?
Many Christian churches practice Baby and Child Dedications instead of infant baptism.
A Baby and Child Dedication is a ceremony in which a Christian father and mother make a commitment before the Lord to submit their child to God's will and raise that child according to God's Word and ways. As a parent, you have the greatest influence in your child's spiritual upbringing and development. God has entrusted you with teaching and demonstrating to your child the importance of and the how to's of following Jesus Christ through your words, actions and lifestyle.
A Baby and Child Dedication is a ceremony in which a Christian father and mother make a commitment before the Lord to submit their child to God's will and raise that child according to God's Word and ways. As a parent, you have the greatest influence in your child's spiritual upbringing and development. God has entrusted you with teaching and demonstrating to your child the importance of and the how to's of following Jesus Christ through your words, actions and lifestyle.
Responsibilities Involved in a Baby + Child Dedication
Christian parents who dedicate a child are making a promise to the Lord to do everything within their power to raise their child in a godly way, prayerfully until he or she can make a decision on their own to follow God. Parents who make this vow of commitment are instructed to raise their child in the ways of God and His Word, and not according to their own ways. Some of those responsibilities include teaching and training the child in God's Word, demonstrating an example of godliness, disciplining according to God's ways, praying earnestly for your child, and faithfully bringing them to Church.
The people of Family Life Church are also making a commitment during a dedication ceremony. The people of Family Life Church are committing to come alongside the child and family to love, care, support, encourage and be an example of a godly community of followers of Jesus. The people are committing to faithfully follow Jesus Christ and demonstrating through words and actions what it means to be the Church, follow Christ, and be in Christian community.
The people of Family Life Church are also making a commitment during a dedication ceremony. The people of Family Life Church are committing to come alongside the child and family to love, care, support, encourage and be an example of a godly community of followers of Jesus. The people are committing to faithfully follow Jesus Christ and demonstrating through words and actions what it means to be the Church, follow Christ, and be in Christian community.
Examples of Baby Dedication in Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
These verses are an example of the commitment that parents are to make to God as it pertains to raising their children. Parents are to love God with all of their heart, soul and strength and keep the commandments of God on their hearts. They are then to impress this same love for God and obedience to His ways on their children. In all the family does, they are following Jesus by living in the ways of God and being obedient to the Word of God.
1 Samuel 1:11, 26-28 -
Hannah dedicated Samuel to God. “And she Hannah made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (- 1 Samuel 1:11) When God answered Hannah’s prayer by giving her a son, she remembered her vow: “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life, he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there. (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
Luke 2:22 -
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.”
A baby dedication is something that Mary & Jospeh did with Jesus as instructed in the Old Testament.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
These verses are an example of the commitment that parents are to make to God as it pertains to raising their children. Parents are to love God with all of their heart, soul and strength and keep the commandments of God on their hearts. They are then to impress this same love for God and obedience to His ways on their children. In all the family does, they are following Jesus by living in the ways of God and being obedient to the Word of God.
1 Samuel 1:11, 26-28 -
Hannah dedicated Samuel to God. “And she Hannah made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (- 1 Samuel 1:11) When God answered Hannah’s prayer by giving her a son, she remembered her vow: “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life, he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there. (1 Samuel 1:26-28)
Luke 2:22 -
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.”
A baby dedication is something that Mary & Jospeh did with Jesus as instructed in the Old Testament.
FAQ's
Can a single parent participate in a Baby + Child Dedication Service?
Yes! A Dedication Service signifies the commitment of parents (including single parents) to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Christ.
Do Godparents participate in the Dedication Service?
Yes. At Family Life, we allow Godparents to participate in the service. We also encourage each family to invite friends and family members who are committed to supporting the parents in their endeavor to raise their child in the ways and Word of God.
What should I expect?
On the day of the dedication parents will be asked to arrive 15 minutes before the service to get checked in at the kids check-in station. One of our pastoral staff members will meet you there to go over the service and let you know when in the service the Dedication will be taking place. During the service parents will sit with their children until they are called to the front for the Dedication. The Pastor leading the Dedication will ask the parents if they are committing to raising their child in the ways and Word of God. A simple 'yes' or 'we are' works as a response. The Pastor will then ask the church if they are committing to come alongside the family to love, support, care, and encourage the family and to provide a godly, Christ honoring, and loving example of what it means to follow Jesus and be the Church. After the response of the church, the Pastor will pray for you and your child. At the conclusion of the prayer, your child can remain with you or can go to their age specific kid space.
Yes! A Dedication Service signifies the commitment of parents (including single parents) to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Christ.
Do Godparents participate in the Dedication Service?
Yes. At Family Life, we allow Godparents to participate in the service. We also encourage each family to invite friends and family members who are committed to supporting the parents in their endeavor to raise their child in the ways and Word of God.
What should I expect?
On the day of the dedication parents will be asked to arrive 15 minutes before the service to get checked in at the kids check-in station. One of our pastoral staff members will meet you there to go over the service and let you know when in the service the Dedication will be taking place. During the service parents will sit with their children until they are called to the front for the Dedication. The Pastor leading the Dedication will ask the parents if they are committing to raising their child in the ways and Word of God. A simple 'yes' or 'we are' works as a response. The Pastor will then ask the church if they are committing to come alongside the family to love, support, care, and encourage the family and to provide a godly, Christ honoring, and loving example of what it means to follow Jesus and be the Church. After the response of the church, the Pastor will pray for you and your child. At the conclusion of the prayer, your child can remain with you or can go to their age specific kid space.