Child dedication is a symbolic ceremony undertaken by Christian parents soon after the birth of a child. The rite is intended to be a public celebration and dedication of a child to God and a statement by the parents that they will train their children in the Christian faith and seek to instill that faith in them. The congregation also affirms that as a church family, they will also seek to encourage the parents to bring up the child in the faith.
The idea of dedicating a child to the Lord can certainly be found in the Bible. Hannah was a barren wife who promised to dedicate her child to God if He would give her a son (1 Samuel 1:11). Luke 2:22 begins the account of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple after forty days in order to dedicate Him to the Lord, as was Jewish practice.
Child / baby dedication is not one of the two ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) required of Christians in the New Testament. But while baby dedication is not an officially instituted ordinance of the church, there is no conflict with Scripture as long as parents do not view it as assuring the salvation of the child.
During a baby dedication at Emmanuel, The Pastor leading the dedication will have the family being dedicated on Stage. Often the Pastor will ask to hold the child being dedicated. You will be presented with some scripture and asked to make two commitments in the form of these questions:
Q. Will you commit yourselves to living your lives in such a way that ________ will grow up in a family that honours God in every way, so that she will learn to live a Godly life?
Q. As the Lord is your helper, will you instruct _______ in the ways of God, by teaching and by example, at home and in the Church, so that he/she will grow up with the desire to put her trust in Jesus Christ as her/his personal Lord & Saviour?
Then the Pastor will lead you and the congregation in a prayer of dedication. You will also receive a certificate and gift from the church.
If you are interested in having your child dedicated during one of our Sunday gatherings at the church, or have any questions, please feel free to fill in the form below and a staff person will get back to you.