On Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10th, 2009 we had the privilege of seeing a number of families dedicate their children to the Lord at both services. At Mars Hill we believe in baby dedications as a public showing that parents are dedicating the raising of their children to the Lord. Parents commit to live their lives by the grace of God in such a way as to be a positive example as a follower of Jesus so your children will find it easy to follow you as you follow Jesus, and that you will not be a stumbling block to your child’s saving faith in Jesus. If you missed them, you can see the videos below. If you want to know more about baby dedications at Mars Hill, click here

9am Service

11:15am Service

At Mars Hill Church we don’t baptize babies, but we do celebrate their birth by publicly allowing parents to bring their little ones up on stage and introduce them to the church. These are the babies that were dedicated on Mother’s Day 2009 at Mars Hill Church West Seattle.

Some things to understand about dedicating your children to the Lord:

1. The practice of baby dedication is based on scriptural precedent, rooted in the Old Testament, in which Jesus was presented to the Lord in the Temple as an infant (Luke 2:22-35).

2. It is also based on and acknowledges God’s blessing upon and concern and care for children (Isaiah 54:13; Matt 18:1-5, 10; 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17; Acts 2:39; 1 John 2:12-13).

3. It is you, Parents, who are doing the dedicating. It is a commitment you make in your heart before Jesus and agree together to live out in your home. The dedication we perform during the church service is simply a public acknowledgment of that commitment.

4. You acknowledge that your children are a gift given you by God (Gen 33:5; Psalm 127:3-5). As such they are a blessing, a great privilege, and a source of joy (Prov. 23:24-25)—and a lot of work too we know! But ultimately we recognize that they have been created by our Father in heaven, and as such belong to him and have simply been entrusted to you as stewards to raise in Jesus (Exodus 13:2, 12).

5. You commit to live your lives as parents by the grace of God in such a way as to be a positive example as a follower of Jesus so your children will find it easy to follow you as you follow Jesus, and that you will not be a stumbling block to your children’s saving faith in Jesus.

6. Your church leadership and community (elders, deacons, and members) commits to support and equip you by the grace of God to fulfill your responsibility, and likewise to be good examples to your children.

Baby dedication is not:

Baptism: Baby dedication is not “dry” baptism of infants nor is it a substitute for baptism. Mars Hill Church recognizes believers baptism as being the only biblical expression of baptism.

Magic: Baby dedication is not “magic,” nor is it a formula of any kind that manipulates God, nor does it place any kind of extra-special blessing or protection upon your children, nor does it secure or ensure their immediate or eventual salvation.