Child Dedication

Raise your child with us.

Being a parent is one of the greatest joys in life, but it's no easy task. Good news: you don't have to parent alone. That's where child dedication comes in.

Why child dedication?

Parent your child alongside the church.

You get to stand in front of your church family and commit to raising your child alongside that family. As a parent, you’re the most important influence in your child's life, but you're not the only influence your child needs. That's where your church family comes in.

Child dedication is an opportunity to invite others to develop and influence your child as they grow in their faith. It can relieve a lot of parenting pressure because you get to partner with people who will love and lead your child well.

Your kids didn't begin following Jesus by accident. When you dedicate your child, you're deciding that you'll raise them knowing who Jesus is. Check out what Deuteronomy 6:4-7(opens in a new window) says about this:

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.

We love God with everything in us, and we model that for our kids because we know that our example is far more powerful than our words. We teach our kids what it looks like to follow Jesus. And we talk about it and think about it often. Leading kids to live like Jesus isn't a checkbox on a parenting to-do list. It's an intentional, ongoing conversation that shapes who they are now and who they're becoming.

Three common questions

Things parents often ask.

01 · Salvation

Do my kids need to be dedicated for them to be Christians?

Child dedication is a great step for your family, but it's not the same thing as salvation. Salvation is what happens when your child decides to start a relationship with God, and baptism is when they decide to go public with their faith. Child dedication is less about your child's choice now and more about setting them up for those choices later. When you dedicate your child, you're committing to raise them in an environment where they hear about Jesus and have an opportunity to accept Him. It's a great practice, but it is optional.

02 · Significance

What's the big deal about child dedication?

Child dedications are a spiritually significant milestone for your whole family. When you dedicate your child, you're choosing parenting decisions that honor God: finding trusted relationships through a small group, modeling what it looks like to be planted in the church through serving, and showing your kids an example of an irrationally generous life. It sounds like more to do, but you're actually lightening the load. You’re committing to do these things in partnership with the church.

03 · Timing

When can you dedicate your child?

That's your decision. You can dedicate your child whether they're three days old or 13 years old. The age doesn't matter as much as the principle. Child dedication is an important step in your family's faith life because it sets a foundation that your family will be known for following Christ. So consider choosing a family verse, picking family values, or finding friends who will help you grow in these values and become the people God has called you to be.

Take the next step

Let’s parent together.

Parenting doesn't have to feel overwhelming. Trust that with multiple voices and collective influence, our kids will be trained up in the right ways they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Sign up to dedicate your child, and a pastor will reach out with the next steps.