Dedications

ACCORDING to the Bible, everyone (adult or child) who recognises his or her need of a Saviour, and who then repents and believes in Christ, should be baptized (Acts 2:38,41; 8:36-38). But in the Scripture there is no record of infants or very young children being baptized. This is because they are not yet able to understand the need of a Saviour.

Yet God places a high priority on children. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14). God’s love for children is also shown in the Old Testament. We believe children are loved by God, and until they come to an age of understanding (the "age of accountability"), they have a place in the kingdom of God. This means if a child dies before developing to a point where the knowledge of Christ can be understood and applied through forgiveness, we believe that child will inherit eternal life in heaven as an heir of God’s kingdom.

In Luke 2 we see Jesus' parents taking him to the temple "to present him to the Lord" (Luke 2:22). Later, the Gospels tell us little children and infants were brought to Jesus to bless them (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). Following this practice, we encourage parents to publicly dedicate their children to the Lord. This is normally done in a church service. The parents acknowledge the child as a gift from God, and promise to set a godly example for the child and teach the child about God's love and grace towards us in the hope that the child one day will accept Jesus as Lord personally.

Some who have accepted Christ as adults wonder if the baptism they received as infants (in some churches where babies are 'baptized') fulfills the New Testament mandate of water baptism (1 Peter 3:21). We believe baptism in water should follow salvation (acceptance of Christ and his forgiveness of our sins), as shown in the New Testament. For this reason we urge all new converts to follow the biblical pattern of water baptism in obedience to Christ.

What is Baby/Child Dedication

Baby dedication and child dedication are the act of acknowledging your child as a God-given gift and making the committment as parents to raise your child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is an act of worship, thanksgiving, dependence, trust, and commitment. The practice of child dedication has been modeled throughout the Bible.

We recognize that salvation only comes to a child through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not passed on to a child through dedication. Parents covenant to raise their children by modeling Godly principles with the desire that one day, their children will receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.