Baby Dedications
At Bethany, we believe in baby dedications and base this view on the Biblical example’s of Samuel and Jesus. We are told in 1st Samuel 1 that Hannah presented her son Samuel to the Lord. In Luke 2:22 we read that Mary and Joseph brought their baby, Jesus, to the temple in Jerusalem in order to present him before the Lord.
At Bethany, we do not believe that a child’s dedication is a guarantee of “salvation” (going to heaven) for the child; only a confession of faith in Christ does that. Before the age of accountability, we believe that all children are the Lord’s. We defer water baptism for children until they reach that age of understanding – the time when they can consciously and independently choose to make a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ and their desire to serve Him as Lord.
While we dedicate children to the Lord, in reality this ceremony is a dedication of the parents. Through this act, parents are presenting themselves before the Lord and committing to the Lord to raise their child in a loving Christian home and to teach them about Jesus Christ, both directly and through the example of their lives (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). The parents are also asking the community (the church) to help support them as they raise their child. Thus, dedicating one’s baby to the Lord is also a commitment on the parents’ part to ongoing participation in the Christian community. Finally, a baby dedication is an opportunity for parents to publicly express their gratitude to God for the blessing of their child.
Bethany is committed to supporting parents in their responsibility to disciple their children. As your church community, we are also joining with you to commit your child to the care of Jesus Christ and are praying a blessing over your life and that of your child. Recognizing grace for unique and extenuating circumstances, we believe it is best if both parents fully support and participate in this dedication. A baby dedication is a wonderful opportunity to gather with family, friends, and your church family to celebrate the gift of your child and your commitment to Christ to serve the child as Christian parents.
Baby dedications are held on the third Sunday of each month in all Sunday services. Please fill out the Baby Dedication Form and mail or e-mail it to the church office (Att: Kelly Gregory) to begin the process of saving a date for your dedication. Please contact Kelly Gregory with questions and to confirm that your application has been recieved.
