Pastoral Care / Meeting Your Needs / Child Dedication
Proverbs 22:6 (TEV)
"Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life."
Deuteronomy. 4:9 (NLT)
"But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.”
Welcome to Grace Church's Child Dedication page. We at Grace Church welcome the opportunity to assist parents in raising their children to love and honor the Lord. Child Dedication is just the first step in this exciting but challenging journey.
 What is Child Dedication?
Child dedication is nothing more than two parents agreeing to do everything in their power to teach their children about the Lord and be an example to them of what it means to be an obedient Christian. Nowhere in scripture do you find a command for parents to go through a “dedication service” of their children. But God does command us as parents that part of our service and responsibility to Him is to do all we can with God’s help to see to it that our children love God. So, just as we are to dedicate our whole lives to serve God (Hebrews 12:1,2), part of that is to dedicate ourselves to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
There are many examples in the Old Testament of parents dedicating their children to the Lord. We see the example of Hannah dedicating her son Samuel (I Samuel 1:11) and of Samson’s parents giving him over for the Lord’s service. (Judges 13:3-5)
Back to Top
What about infant baptism?
Infant baptism became popular about 300 years after the New Testament was written as a means of parents dedicating themselves and their children to the Lord. Nowhere in scripture do you see a command to baptize infants, and we believe that this has caused great confusion in the church regarding the purpose of baptism. In the Bible, baptism is reserved for those who have understood the Gospel message and have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. They are making a declaration through their baptism that they are a believer and that they want to follow the Lord in their lives. Since infants are incapable of understanding the Gospel and what it means to follow Christ, we believe that baptism is not the way to go about a child dedication. That is why we offer an alternate method of accomplishing this.
 Who should participate in a child dedication service?
The answer to this is simple: anyone who has trusted Christ as Savior and who has children who are still part of their household and under the authority of their parents. It is never too late as parents to dedicate ourselves to raise our children the way God instructs, even when they are teenagers. (Actually, this might be the most important time to do this!) So we encourage all parents, whether or not they actually participate in a child dedication ceremony to dedicate themselves to raising their children according to God’s instructions.
Back to Top
When and where will the service take place?
We offer child dedication services at the 5:00pm worship service on the fifth Saturday of months with 5 weeks. You can look at the Child Dedication dates, and then RSVP for the date most convenient to you. You may RSVP by filling out the RSVP/Interest form at the Growth Connection booth in the foyer of the church. You can also RSVP by filling out the response form online and specifying child dedication. If you have any other questions, feel free to call the church office at 720-895-9000. Be sure to invite all of your friends and family to witness your child's dedication service!
Back to Top
|