Baby Dedication at CHRIST IS KING

We do baby dedications once a year at Christ Is King. We typically do them on Mother’s Day. In order to have your child dedicated, you must be members of CHRIST IS KING CHURCH. If you would like to dedicate your baby to the Lord, you can register by clicking this link.

What is a baby / child dedication?

A baby dedication is a ceremony in which believing parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit a child to God's will and to raise that child according to God's Word and God's ways. It’s an acknowledgement of the parents that the child is a gift from God and that their desire is to honor God as they raise that child. 

What is the Biblical purpose and history of a child dedication?

The scriptural root of a child dedication is found in 1 Samuel 1:27–28, where a godly woman named Hannah prayed year after year for God to give her a child. He answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel. When Samuel was born, Hannah prayed these words:

"For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord."

In Luke chapter 2 of the New Testament, following the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple and dedicated Him. In both Scripture passages, the parents entrusted their child completely to God.

The writings of Moses found in Deuteronomy 6:5–9 describe God's plan for how a parent should raise up a child:

"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 upon 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

One key step in marking your desire to nurture your child in the ways of God is to dedicate him or her to God publicly, through a child dedication ceremony.

Baby Dedication FAQs

What can I expect during a child dedication ceremony?

During the dedication service, parents express vows before God, their family, and the church, declaring their desire to raise their child in a God-honoring way. Because parents are the key role models for their children, they play a primary role in the dedication service. The parents are the ones who are dedicating the child to the Lord. Parents will hold and lay hands upon their child, while church pastors, leaders and other family members surround the family as a sign of blessing and support.

By dedicating your baby, you are affirming the following commitments:

• We receive this child with gratitude, as God’s gift to us and our family.

• We commit to each other as parents, creating a stable environment in which our child can mature. We are making a covenant to strengthen our marriage relationship.

• We commit to be parents of personal faith, recognizing our children are more likely to follow God’s path by the model they first observe in us.

• We commit to lead a faith-filled home that honors God in all our relationships and in the choices we make in spiritually growing our family.

• We commit to be parents with patience, recognizing that with our inherent strengths and weaknesses, our desire to shape our child is a loving act that will require time, prayer, and God in order to produce in our children what He and we hope for.

Does Christ Is King baptize infants?

Scripture provides evidence that Baptism follows an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for salvation (Acts 2:41, 8:12, and 10:47–48). And the New Testament records the baptisms of adult believers only, following faith in Jesus.

In the Bible, we find parents bringing their children to Jesus. He held them, prayed for them, and told us to welcome them. But He did not baptize them and He did not tell anyone else to baptize them. CHRIST IS KING CHURCH believes Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation, once they have the maturity and ability to understand what that means. 

Dedication is not a sacrament; nor does it impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their sinfulness and receives forgiveness and eternal life through Christ and His work on the cross.

Rather than baptizing infants or children, Destiny encourages Christian parents to dedicate their children. This is a ceremony in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing for their child and publicly commit to raise him or her in accordance with Scripture.

Can parent(s) assign godparents? 

Although the term “godparent” is not used at Christ Is King, we do welcome parents to invite friends and family members committed to supporting them to stand with them during the dedication. The presence of these significant adults symbolizes their commitment to play a supportive role in the child’s spiritual development.