Child Dedication

How We Handle Child Dedication

What is Child Dedication?

Typically, the dedication of a child consists of Christian parents coming before their church to publicly proclaim that they understand that their child is a gift and a trust from God, that they will train them up in God’s ways, and they ask for the support of the people in their church in raising the child up in God’s ways.

It is you, the parents, who are doing the dedicating. The pastor does not have any sort of magical “pastor powers” whereby he can somehow zap your child with some sort of spiritual something. Child dedication does not place any kind of extra-special blessing or protection upon your child, nor does it ensure their immediate or eventual salvation.

Child dedication is not infant baptism. Though some very good churches practice infant baptism, Good News Church believes that the Bible’s instruction regarding baptism is that we are to baptize followers of/believers in Jesus Christ (See Matthew 28:19). We recognize believer’s baptism as the only biblical expression of baptism.

It is also important to note that the practice of child dedication (in the sense of a public ceremony) is not commanded in Scripture. However, what child dedication symbolizes – the idea that your children ultimately belong to God and therefore you must deal with them according to God’s will – is commanded in Scripture. Parenting is a stewardship. God loans us His children for about 18 years and we are to use those years training them up in the ways of God, and not according to our own ways. This is true for all Christian parents whether they publicly dedicate their children or not.

Lastly, it is important to realize that child dedication does not stand on its own. That means, if parents go through some sort of public ceremony dedicating their child to Christ, but do not follow that up with things like: teaching them the Scriptures, praying for them, training/correcting them, and modeling for them a positive example of what it means to know and follow Jesus – then the dedication was essentially meaningless. It doesn’t do anything. Child dedication is simply the public acknowledgement and commitment to our responsibility to raise our children “in the Lord” (See Deuteronomy 6:4-7 & Ephesians 6:1-4).

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Ok, what if I want to dedicate my child?

Fill out our form to set it up. We can coordinate a Sunday that works for both you and the church. Oftentimes, we try to do multiple families together at the same time.

I'd Like To Dedicate My Child

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Then What Happens?

On that particular Sunday, you will meet with the pastor about 30 minutes prior to the start of the service to discuss what is about to happen. He will tell you where to stand, what to do, etc. During the service, the pastor will explain to the congregation what child dedication is, maybe read some Bible verses about parents and children, and then he will call you (parents & child) up to the front. He will ask you the following questions to which you would answer in the affirmative (we do, we will, etc.):

1. Do you confess your faith and commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?
2. Do you acknowledge your child is a gift and trust from God, and that you are responsible to God for his/her Christian nurture?
3. Will you pray for your child’s salvation and teach your child the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ?
4. Since your child will learn by both your word and example, will you set a Godly example in prayer, in commitment to the Scriptures, in giving, and in serving others within the church and at home?
5. Do you, at this time, present your child before God, saying that whatever God might want your child to do or be, you are willing to release them to His perfect plan?

Then the pastor will ask the congregation this: Do you, as a congregation, undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?

After that, the pastor will pray regarding all of this. Then, you will go back to your seats.

Child dedication consists of Christian parents coming before their church to publicly proclaim that they understand that their child is a gift and a trust from God, that they will train them up in God’s ways, and they ask for the support of the people in their church in raising the child up in God’s ways.

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I would like to dedicate my child

The first step is to fill out our form to set it up. We can coordinate a Sunday that works for both you and the church. Oftentimes, we try to do multiple families together at the same time.

I'd Like To Dedicate My Child