Dedicating Your Child to the LordSample

What Dedication Is (and Isn’t)

Child dedication is a sacred moment of partnership between parents, the church, and God - but it is not salvation or baptism. In Scripture, baptism always follows a personal decision to place one’s faith in Jesus. It’s an outward declaration of an inward transformation, a choice each person must one day make for themselves.

Dedication, however, is about the foundation. It’s about parents committing to raise their child in the presence of Jesus, shaping their heart and character through daily formation, and leading them to live on mission for God’s purposes. It’s the beginning of a lifelong journey where faith is nurtured until the day your child makes their own personal decision to follow Christ.

By dedicating your child, you’re declaring that your home will be a place of worship, discipleship, and love - a space where God’s presence is known and His Word is lived out. You’re writing the first chapter of your child’s faith story, creating a spiritual history they can one day look back on with gratitude.

Dedication doesn’t replace salvation or baptism - it prepares for it. It lays the foundation for your child to grow in faith, encounter Jesus personally, and publicly declare one day, “I have decided to follow Jesus.”