CHILD
DEDICATION
“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel 1:27–28 (NIV)
Child Dedication at New Life is a ceremony where parents make a commitment to raise their children to hear, believe, and obey God. Our church family is a witness to this and commits to help and encourage these parents to raise their children in the Lord.
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Child Dedication is not the same as infant baptism or christening. Parents are promising to raise their child(ren) with Godly principles and with the desire that one day, their child will receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We believe that the Bible teaches that baptism should occur after a person has made a personal choice to follow Jesus Christ, as outlined in Matthew 28:19-20. We therefore wait until a person is at an age where they can make a spiritual decision for themselves before considering baptism.
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DEDICATION CLASS:
A Required Class for Parents
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A week prior to each dedication service.
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There is no cost or registration for the class. However, you must register for the dedication service below.
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Please note: Parents only have to attend the dedication class one time. If parents have a subsequent child, they won't have to attend the class again before that child's dedication but must register for the dedication service.
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EXPECTATIONS OF PARENT(S):
1. At least one or both of the parents have made a commitment to having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We recognize that there are many families in which only one parent has come to faith and the spouse that is not yet a believer would like to participate—that is okay.
2. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are regular attendees of New Life's Sunday services and are following Christ in their own life.
3. Parent(s) align with New Life's beliefs, purpose, and values.
4. Parent(s) commit to modeling personal purity and to lead by example in matters of faith and conduct. That means living a life of sexual purity according to God's standards—avoiding pornography, pre-marital sexual relations and living together before marriage. Therefore, parents that are living together and are not married will not be able to participate in the dedication ceremony.
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