We are so grateful for a God who is so intimately involved in our lives. Before even creation he knew us, in the womb he oversaw our fearful and wonderful creation, at birth he placed us into family and at the end of our days he longs to collect us to himself.
The act of dedicating a child is in keeping with the jewish practice of bringing the baby to the priest on the 8th day. Just as we saw in the story of Jesus. For the child, this is a an act of proclaiming blessing over them. For the parents, this is both a public confession of their desires and ambitions and a petition to family for support.
THE CEREMONY
Here is a template of the basic ceremony that we conduct at Lighthouse Church in Ladner. Contact the church office to set up a time for your child dedication.
- Introductory comments and introduction of the family
- Question to the parents:
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- What does it mean for you to bring your child today for dedication?
3. Explanation of what Dedication is
- Dedication is an invocation to the Lord to continue the careful attentiveness he gave in the womb into the entire growing life of this little one. It is a prayer for protection throughout the trials and challenges of life on this earth.
- Dedication is a recognition by parents that life is always the Lords. The child belongs to God and their job is to care for the child so that in maturity he/she will honour God with his/her life.
- Dedication is a community event. It serves as a public confession on the part of parents that they need support. Not only the Lord’s but the extended and church family’s as well.
4. Charge to the extended family
- It is your responsibility to provide a caring, supportive group for this family. I charge you
- to be faithful in prayer for them, and undergird their efforts to establish a strong Christian home built on Christian principles.
- to demonstrate a real interest in and concern for child’s name as he/she grows physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
- Do you receive this charge? We do
5. Charge to the Church family
- All of us here today as the church of Jesus Christ are also called to be family for each other. Over and over again we are called to care and love one another. I charge you to do all that you can to provide and support a place of worship in this community where child’s name may hear the full counsel of God's Word. I urge you to be faithful in providing programs for instruction in discipleship, and to demonstrate affectionate kindness towards all of our little ones. And I charge you to covenant before God to set an example by your lives and to maintain an atmosphere in our church which shall inspire child’s name to desire the Christian way of life.
- Do you receive this charge? We do.
6. Scripture and word for the Parents
- A scripture and thought prayed upon and brought for the occasion as a prophetic word by the pastor
7. Charge to the Parent(s)
- And now, parent(s) in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses:
- Do you solemnly undertake to bring up child’s name in the fear and admonition of the Lord? · (With God’s help I will)
- Do you promise early to seek to lead him to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and serve Him as his Lord?
- Do you pledge to make your home a "school" for Christian instruction? ·
- Do you promise, as far as in you lies, to set before your son examples of consistent Godly living?
8. Prayer of Dedication
- Pastor takes the child and prays over him/her.
9. Declaration
- And now, on the authority of God's Holy Word, and as a minister in Christ's church, I dedicate you child’s full name unto the Lord, and unto His service, according to His will. May we all bow for prayer.
10 Wrap up
- “In that you have dedicated your son/son to the Lord, we now lend child’s name back to you, that by the grace of God and the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit, you will bring him/her up in the ways of the Lord.”
- Presentation of a gift from the church.
FAQ
- How long does this ceremony last?
- It is generally about 10 minutes.
- Do we have to speak?
- As in the wedding ceremony, the idea is that this is a public confession of your commitment so answering the charges is essential. The question is meant to add some informal opportunity for parents to express their intent. Usually only 1 person speaks. If this is a point of anxiety please speak to the pastor about it.
- What if one parent is not a believer?
- The ceremony can be adapted to accommodate various circumstances. It depends on the level of support coming from the non-believing parent as to how it would be adapted. Wether the other parent wants to stand up in support or not be involved at all. Talk to the Pastor.
- What if I didn’t have my other children dedicated? Can we do more than one?
- Yes, if a family did not have them dedicated and decides to dedicate them upon the arrival of a new baby, it is completely doable. Just let the pastor know who is being dedicated.
- How is this different than a catholic child baptism?
- Some Christian churches practice baptism instead of dedication. They use this as a way to bring a baby into the Church and thus into protection and salvation. Our tradition stems from a conviction that baptism is for those who are mature enough to express their own confession of faith (ie: teenager or adult). We believe that children are automatically protected by God and sanctified by the homes that they live in and that their sins are not counted against them in eternity until they reach an age of accountability (an age known by God alone).
- Could we use gender neutral pronouns in the dedication?
- No. We hold to the conviction that God makes us male or female while we are developing in the womb and we are not intended to alter that choice after our own feelings or raise a child to believe that they should make that choice when they are older. See our Statement of Essential Truths and Position Papers for more details.