CHILD DEDICATION

WHAT IS CHILD DEDICATION?

At Journey Church, we wholeheartedly believe that children are a gift from God and as parents, the stewardship of that gift carries great joy and responsibility. God’s central role in the lives of parents and children is essential to growing and establishing a healthy and wholistic home. (Psalm 127:1).

We believe that parents’ actions in raising their child are of great importance to God. There is a responsibility as followers of Christ to raise children in a way that will please the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4).

Scripture offers an example of dedicating children to the Lord in 1 Samuel 1:11, 26-28, where Hannah vowed to dedicate her child to the Lord if He would grant her one. The Lord honored her request and she kept her vow, dedicating Samuel to the Lord. “…then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).

As a Christian parent, by dedicating a child to the Lord, you are acknowledging your need for God in your family; inviting God to be active in your family life; submitting your own desires for your child to God’s desires for him/her; making a commitment to raise your child in God’s way.

We believe that your child is not only yours, but truly a gift from God. We are earthly stewards of the life God has placed in our home. (Psalm 127:3-5).

Some of the responsibilities the Lord has entrusted to parents include continuously praying for their children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9); instructing them in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6); setting a godly example (Deuteronomy 11:19); and disciplining them as the Lord would discipline us (Proverbs 29:15, 17; 13:24). As parents, you are only able to do these things through Christ’s strength (Philippians 4:13).

What Child Dedication is NOT:

This is not the day of salvation for your child. Salvation is the free gift of God, received when someone grasps their need for Christ and makes the conscious decision to enter into a relationship with God. Not only is it not salvation, it isn’t baptism either. Baptism is the public profession of faith as described above. Once a child is old enough to make a decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior, then they can make the choice to be baptized.

How do we celebrate Child Dedication?

There are a couple of ways that we do child dedication. Every Mother’s Day (May) and in the fall (November) we plan a child dedication as part of our Sunday morning service. We can also schedule a Sunday that will work for your schedule and to make it possible for family members and friends to attend. We want to celebrate with you as a church and express our commitment to partner with you.

How do we schedule a time to have our child/children dedicated?

Simply fill out the form below and hit “submit”. We will follow up with you to answer any questions and schedule a Sunday for dedication.