Children are a gift from God, and Wellspring Church is thrilled to partner with and be a resource to parents who would like to dedicate the raising of their children to Jesus Christ.
What is Child Dedication?
Child Dedication is a public declaration that parents will embrace their God-given role to raise their child in a way that honors and glorifies God. A child dedication service gives parents an opportunity to publicly express their desire to lead a Godly home that spiritually nurtures children to grow in maturity and knowledge of Jesus Christ, as well as cultivates a desire to love and serve God and people.
This service is also a commitment by the Wellspring Church family to pray for, support and come alongside these families in a time of need.
Why do we practice Child Dedication?
Wellspring practices child dedication for two biblical reasons.
First, the Bible calls parents to be the primary spiritual leaders of their kids. In Deuteronomy 6, Moses instructs the Israelites to teach their kids everything about God.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on 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 doorframes of your houses and on your gates. — Deuteronomy 6:7-9
Second, we see precedent in scripture. In I Samuel 1, Hannah prayed earnestly to the Lord for a son, crying out to Him through the inability to conceive. She promised God to dedicate the raising of her son to Him, if only He would hear her prayers.
"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
Mary and Joseph also took Jesus to the temple to dedicate him to the Lord.
"When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord"—Luke 2:22
Through this public dedication, you honor God by accepting your biblical role as the primary spiritual leader of your kids and through giving thanks to God for blessing you with your child.
Does Child Dedication mean my child has received Salvation?
Child dedication at Wellspring is a ceremony and commitment for parents and does not ensure the salvation of any child. All people were born sinners because of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). Child Dedication does not mean that a child has received salvation. Rather, it means that the parent will strive to teach the Gospel in their homes, which is Christ’s death for our sins. As a church, we commit to partner with parents in praying that the child would one day make a personal decision to declare Jesus Christ as Lord of his or her life. Parents should be in constant prayer for their child to come to salvation.
For information about the Gospel and how we teach it in our Kids ministry, click here.
Why not Baptism?
The Bible describes instances of parents bringing their children to the temple priest (see two examples above), who holds the child and gives them a blessing. There is not one instance in the Bible where a priest baptizes a child, nor does he impart salvation. For this reason, we do not baptize infants, but do encourage people who profess Jesus as Lord to be obedient to God’s word and be baptized.
For more on the practice of baptism at Wellspring Church, click here.
When should I dedicate my child?
While many people choose to dedicate their children soon after birth, a child of any age is welcome. We recognize that everyone's life circumstances are different. Perhaps one or both parents were not saved when their children were infants, have married into a mixed family, or have an older child who they would like to dedicate at the same time as their younger child. You are welcome to come and have your children dedicated.
Do I need to be a member of Wellspring?
While you do not need to be a member at Wellspring Church to dedicate your child, we do ask that you attend for at least 6 months and commit to Wellspring as your home church. Due to the nature of the service, it would also be helpful to be in agreement with our beliefs. This demonstrates a wise spirit of partnership in the gospel of Jesus Christ between parents and Wellspring Church.
I would like to dedicate my child(ren)
If you are ready to dedicate your child(ren), please sign up for the next available date. That registration will be on this page (see above) as soon as a date is set. Wellspring typically offers child dedication services a couple of times per year based on interest.
What does a Child Dedication Service look like at Wellspring?
Before the Service: Wellspring Church will announce plans for a Child Dedication service several weeks in advance. In this time, you are invited to register to be a part of this service online. You are also encouraged to notify any family members and loved ones you would like to come bear witness to this dedication. We create a slide with a picture of the family, a certificate of dedication, and a letter for each child to be opened on his or her 13th birthday. For the slide we need you to provide a family photo, a full name and date of birth of each child you'd like to dedicate.
During the Service: Parents will be called up on stage with their children to be recognized, given a gift and prayed over by a member of the Wellspring Church pastoral staff. The congregation will be charged with accountability to pray for and support the families dedicating children as well.