Babies. Just the word makes me smile. The birth of a new baby is a time for celebration in the church. No matter the circumstances surrounding that birth, a new person has come into the world – a new person known and loved by God.
The birth of a child is a great opportunity for the church to minister to a family. I hope your church has in place ways to support, encourage, and minister to families welcoming children through birth and adoption.
Some churches include baby dedications as part of that process. A few denominations have a script already provided for these occasions. Others are left to their own devices. If this is you, how do you write a baby dedication script? What elements do you need to include? I’ve provided some suggestions below. I’ve also included the sample script I wrote for my church.
What is the purpose of baby dedications?
The purpose of a baby dedication is two-fold.
First, it is to ask the child’s parents to commit to the biblical model of teaching their child the things of the Lord.
“4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 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.” (Deut. 6:4-7 NIV)
“Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6 ESV)
Second, it is to ask the church to partner with and equip the parents in this endeavor. This is done through prayer, teaching, encouraging, and ministering as a loving church family and the body of Christ. It’s a reminder to be patient with the children in the congregation as they learn and grow. It is a call to serve in children’s ministry, youth ministry, and the other arms of the church that support and minister to families.
“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25 NIV)
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Rom 12:15 NIV)
Keep those dual purposes in mind as you craft your script.
What elements should you include in a baby dedication script?
Your script can be short or long, depending on what best fits the number of families and your setting. In general, shorter is better since younger siblings are usually around. Your baby dedication script should include the following elements no matter the length.
- Introduce the child to the congregation. (It’s fun to show pictures, but that’s optional.)
- Ask the parents to verbally commit to the responsibility of raising the child to know the Lord.
- Ask the congregation to verbally commit to support and help the family to do that.
Churches often give a gift to families as well. That could be a certificate, a small New Testament, a story Bible, 40 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Children, parenting books, or whatever creative thing your church family is equipped to give.
I also like to include Scripture in these scripts. This emphasizes that these things are the Lord’s command and biblical, not just something we made up.
This is also a good opportunity to remind the congregation of your church’s mission statement. After all, by raising the child to know the Lord, they are part of your church family. That means they need to learn and grow in the areas spelled out in your church’s mission statement (which I’m assuming is based on Scripture itself).
How do you write a baby dedication script?
Now we get down to the nitty-gritty. How do you put all that together into a concise script? I find it easier to start with a sample baby dedication script and tweak it to fit what I want to do. So, how about I start by showing you a script I wrote?
As you read it, look for each of the three sections listed above. Look also for where the church missions statement is included.
Leader introduces each family.
Leader: Luke 2:52 states that “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature [or physical growth] and in favor with God and [hu]man[kind].” Parents, God has entrusted you with a magnificent responsibility of guiding your children as they grow. Do you lovingly accept this responsibility? If so, answer, “We do.”
Parents: We do.
Leader: God has given you the gift of life in these children you hold and love. Will you protect and nurture this gift? If so, answer, “We will.”
Parents: We will.
Leader: God expects you to teach a child through the example of a godly life. Will you strive to live lives consistent with God’s Word before your children?
Parents: We will.
Leader: Deuteronomy 6:5-7 proclaims, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.” Parents, will you dedicate yourselves to teaching the ways of Christ to your children? If so, answer, “We will.”
Parents: We will.
Leader: At First Baptist Church we focus on God-centered worship, Gospel expansion, biblical training, and joyful service Parents, will you dedicate yourselves to involve your children in God-centered worship? Will you teach your child how to share the gospel and model how to do it? Will you commit to If so, answer, “We will.”
Parents: We will.
Pastor: Church family, God does not call parents to walk alone. Will you help these parents keep their commitment to guide their children as they grow in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and other people? If so, answer, “We will.”
Congregation: We will.
Pastor: Will you help them protect and nurture the precious gifts of life God has given them? If so, answer, “We will.”
Congregation: We will.
Pastor: Church family, will you also provide godly examples for these children to follow? If so, answer, “We will.”
Congregation: We will.
Pastor: Will you help these parents teach these children the ways of Christ? If so, answer, “We will.”
Congregation: We will.
Pastor: Will you joyfully serve the families and children of our church by volunteering in Little Explorers, teaching and assisting during children and youth activities? If so, answer, “We will.”
Congregation: We will.
Pastor: Let us pray…
Leader: Let’s celebrate these commitments with applause.
Leader: As these families leave the platform, we will be presenting them with Story Bibles to use at home. Continue to keep these families in your prayers in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
Present Bibles as families leave the stage.
What would you include in your baby dedication script? Let me know in the comments below.
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I was fumbling in the internet and I came across your script. I have delivered messages in the church during child dedication and I really admire your ideas. God bless your work and bless you always. Would like to see more from you.
Thank you. I’m so glad we could be a blessing! The best way to get see from us is to join the PRM E-Team (https://parentroadmin.com/e-team/) and subscribe to our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/parentroadministries). Both are free.
It is helpful.
Praise the Lord!
Do we request that child’s parents should come with a new Bible for the child in the course of the dedication?
You can do that, or you can give the family a new Bible for the child.