Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biblical purpose and background 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 to the Lord to give her a child. God answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel. After 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 2, found in the New Testament, after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple and dedicated Him.
In both Scripture verses, the parents were willing to entrust completely their child to God.
There are other verses in the Bible describing how a parent should raise up a child. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads:
"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."
God puts people and places in your child’s path to help you spiritually lead him/her. One of your first steps in remembering your child is a gift from God is a public dedication.
Do I need to be a partner at The Jar to have my child dedicated?
You do not need to be a partner of The Jar to have your child dedicated in a group or public ceremony at The Jar. We do challenge parents to make sure they are calling The Jar their home church. Why? In dedicating your child to God, you are stating that you are willing to partner with God and the church to raise your child in cooperation with God’s intentions. To partner with any church, a parent would be wise to decide if he or she agrees with its beliefs and vision.
What are the child dedication guidelines?
To have your child dedicated at The Jar:
What can I expect during a child dedication?
The dedication service has been compared to a wedding service where, rather than a bride and groom, parents express their vows before God, their family, and church. Parents express their desire to raise their child in a God-honoring way by being asked to affirm the following commitments:
Why doesn’t The Jar baptize infants?
Dedication is not a requirement and it does not impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation (wholeness) comes only through Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their sinfulness and receives forgiveness and eternal life through Christ and what He did on the cross.
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.
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. We believe Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation once they have the ability to understand what that means. As a general rule for how old one must be to have that ability, the church has determined that a believer should be in the 5th grade or older to be baptized.
Instead of baptizing children, we encourage Christian parents to dedicate their children. This is a ceremony in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing on their child, and publicly commit to raise their child in accordance with Scripture.
At what age can a child take part in a dedication service?
We encourage our parents to consider the health of their infant child and to wait until their infant is two months old. The average age for a child to be dedicated is two to eight months old. There are situations when a family wants to dedicate a child who is older, even over nine years old. Many parent(s) choose to dedicate an older child for the following reasons:
Can a single parent participate in the child dedication?
Yes! We recognize that child dedication signifies the commitment of parents (including single parents) to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Christ. Additionally, we highly encourage single parents to dedicate their child as they commit themselves to raise him or her without the presence of a spouse. The decision to dedicate a child is not dependent on the beliefs of the ex-spouse; however it is a discussion we challenge single parents to have with their ex-spouse. We acknowledge the extra effort required for a single parent to raise a child and, as a church, we are committed to supporting single parents in providing a Christian foundation for their child’s upbringing.
Can parent(s) assign godparents?
The term "godparent" is not used at The Jar. We do welcome parents to invite friends and family members who are committed to supporting the parents, to stand with them during the dedication. Their presence can signify their commitment to play a supportive role in the child’s spiritual development.
What are my next steps to have my child dedicated?
If you don’t have any other questions, you can sign up for the class!
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 to the Lord to give her a child. God answered her prayer and she gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel. After 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 2, found in the New Testament, after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple and dedicated Him.
In both Scripture verses, the parents were willing to entrust completely their child to God.
There are other verses in the Bible describing how a parent should raise up a child. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads:
"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."
God puts people and places in your child’s path to help you spiritually lead him/her. One of your first steps in remembering your child is a gift from God is a public dedication.
Do I need to be a partner at The Jar to have my child dedicated?
You do not need to be a partner of The Jar to have your child dedicated in a group or public ceremony at The Jar. We do challenge parents to make sure they are calling The Jar their home church. Why? In dedicating your child to God, you are stating that you are willing to partner with God and the church to raise your child in cooperation with God’s intentions. To partner with any church, a parent would be wise to decide if he or she agrees with its beliefs and vision.
What are the child dedication guidelines?
To have your child dedicated at The Jar:
- We ask parents to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- We ask parents to be sure their beliefs line up with The Jar’s statements of belief.
- We ask parents to be regular attendees of The Jar.
- We ask parents who are living together and are not married to take steps to acknowledge and surrender to God’s plan for their individual lives before participating in a child dedication service.
What can I expect during a child dedication?
The dedication service has been compared to a wedding service where, rather than a bride and groom, parents express their vows before God, their family, and church. Parents express their desire to raise their child in a God-honoring way by being asked to affirm the following commitments:
- Do you thankfully receive this child as God’s gift to you and your family?
- Do you make a covenant to be a parent committed to creating a stable environment in which your child can mature?
- Do you make a covenant to be a parent of personal faith; to recognize your children are more likely to follow God’s path by the model they first observe in you?
- Do you make a covenant to lead your home so it is a faith-filled home that will honor God in all your relationships and the family choices you make in spiritually growing your family?
- Do you make a covenant to be a parent that will encourage this child to grow in faith, by reading the bible to your child, praying with your child, and by continuing to bring your child to The Jar?
Why doesn’t The Jar baptize infants?
Dedication is not a requirement and it does not impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation (wholeness) comes only through Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their sinfulness and receives forgiveness and eternal life through Christ and what He did on the cross.
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.
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. We believe Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation once they have the ability to understand what that means. As a general rule for how old one must be to have that ability, the church has determined that a believer should be in the 5th grade or older to be baptized.
Instead of baptizing children, we encourage Christian parents to dedicate their children. This is a ceremony in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing on their child, and publicly commit to raise their child in accordance with Scripture.
At what age can a child take part in a dedication service?
We encourage our parents to consider the health of their infant child and to wait until their infant is two months old. The average age for a child to be dedicated is two to eight months old. There are situations when a family wants to dedicate a child who is older, even over nine years old. Many parent(s) choose to dedicate an older child for the following reasons:
- The parent(s) are new believers in Christ and their children were never dedicated.
- The parent(s) are having a younger child dedicated and want to have their older child dedicated at the same time.
Can a single parent participate in the child dedication?
Yes! We recognize that child dedication signifies the commitment of parents (including single parents) to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Christ. Additionally, we highly encourage single parents to dedicate their child as they commit themselves to raise him or her without the presence of a spouse. The decision to dedicate a child is not dependent on the beliefs of the ex-spouse; however it is a discussion we challenge single parents to have with their ex-spouse. We acknowledge the extra effort required for a single parent to raise a child and, as a church, we are committed to supporting single parents in providing a Christian foundation for their child’s upbringing.
Can parent(s) assign godparents?
The term "godparent" is not used at The Jar. We do welcome parents to invite friends and family members who are committed to supporting the parents, to stand with them during the dedication. Their presence can signify their commitment to play a supportive role in the child’s spiritual development.
What are my next steps to have my child dedicated?
If you don’t have any other questions, you can sign up for the class!