What is child dedication?
In Short: Child dedication is a public declaration of one or both parents acknowledging that their child is a gift from God and committing to teaching their child about the Lord (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit etc). The parent(s) acknowledge that they are responsible for instructing, modeling, and discipling their child in how to live, treat others, and learn from God’s word as a Jesus follower (Christian). The parent(s) are publicly dedicating or committing themselves, in front of their church community, to do their best to guide their child in Jesus-centered living based on God’s word in hopes of leading their child to seek a relationship with Jesus where they choose to follow him as a disciple of Christ.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (NIV)
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 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.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
In addition to child dedication being a declaration and commitment on the part of you, the parent(s), it is also an opportunity for your church family to make a commitment to you. Within the child dedication, the congregation will be asked to commit to you, the families, their encouragement, prayer, and assistance in raising your children to follow Christ. They will commit to walking alongside you as you raise your children in our church family.
Why do we do it?
The short answer is that God instructs us to do so and gives us examples in scripture of people who model what we are to do as Christian parents.
Longer answer: In Scripture, God’s Word gives a couple of images of dedicating one’s child to God. First, in chapter 1 of 1 Samuel, we see Hannah pray for a child and she promises her son to God before she even receives him. Then when God answers her prayer, she follows through and dedicates her son to a life of serving God. The gift of her son being given and raised to focus on hearing and obeying God resulted in Samuel growing with God and being known as a man of God who became God’s prophet (1 Samuel 3:19-21). This led Samuel to become the key instrument in the lives of both Saul and David, who became Israel’s Kings.
Second, in the New Testament, we see this with Jesus's parents. They bring Jesus to the temple (aka – Church) to be consecrated, dedicated, and to give thanksgiving to God (Luke 2:22-38). We see a wonderful image of a priest and prophetess praising God for this child.
Now, church traditions vary in how this dedication is expressed. Some choose to have a baby baptized by full immersion or a sprinkling of the head. This tradition sees this as a sign of being a direct link into the church community. Other traditions, such as those practiced at Renfrew Baptist Church, teach baptism as an act done after a person comes to faith in Christ and then declares their salvation through the biblical symbol of Baptism, in front of their church community.
Renfrew Baptist Church chooses to follow two biblical examples that we have come to understand in our modern context as ‘child dedication.’ In this case, the parent(s) not only thank God for their child but dedicate their child to God and promise to raise their child, to the best of their ability, to follow Jesus and honour God.
We also understand that the act of ‘dedication’ does not save a child, make them a Christian, nor is it an automatic ‘heaven-bound’ moment. Yet through this process of dedication, the parents hope that their child will come to have a relationship with Jesus at a young age because of the modelling and spiritual teaching they have seen and heard from their mom, dad, grandparents, extended family, and church family. And throughout this process, we ask for God to help all people and parents to love this child in God’s way.
How old should your children be when dedicated?
Answer: The two scriptures that were referenced above would suggest that the children are babies. But…that does not mean that there is a time limit as to when parents can dedicate their children, committing to raise them in a godly manner while demonstrating what it means to be and live as a Christian. I (Pastor Robin) dedicated one of my kids in their first year of life, while for the second one, we procrastinated etc…until they were 12. I am so grateful my wife and I chose to involve the church community with us and go through the dedication process of committing and giving thanksgiving to God for our older child. I recognize it’s more awkward and seems childish the older your children become, but it’s still a heartfelt and humbling act of love to do for our kids and our church community.
Child Dedication next steps
If you have any further questions or would like to move forward with having your child dedicated during a church service, please contact families@renfrewbaptist.ca. and we will coordinate a date for this to occur. And thank you so much for making Renfrew your home church and allowing us to journey with you and your family as you learn to follow Jesus.