Dedicating Your Child at Westside

Overview

Just as building or growing anything important requires planning and care, parents need to have a plan and a strategy for the long term discipleship of their children! This class will talk about what it looks like to build the foundation of your family around knowing and loving Jesus and is open to all parents of any age. This class is also required for any parents wishing to dedicate their child(ren) at Westside.

Throughout the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Ephesians 6:4), God makes it clear that he intends family to have a defining impact in the spiritual growth of a child, and that parents are in a unique position to effectively disciple their children to know Jesus and live for him throughout their life. This is a massive responsibility and great privilege, but God does not intend that parents do it alone. 

The local church is designed to function as a community of people who support each other spiritually and practically (Romans 12:3-8, Titus 2:2-5).

Child dedication is an event that brings these two influential elements together:

  • Parents bring their child before the church body and make a covenant with God to raise their child to know and love Jesus.
  • The church community recognizes this commitment, prays for the child and the parents, and commits to supporting them in the future.

Dedicating Your Child

Parents who want to dedicate their child must meet the following requirements: 

  • You are a member of Westside Church. This means you have taken the Membership Class and completed the Membership application process, including a follow-up with a church elder. 
  • You have taken the Parenting Foundations Class. This course is designed to look at God’s purpose and plan for Christian Families. Our intention is that after taking this class you will have a good idea of what it means to have biblical goals for your family along with some practical ideas on how to achieve them. You can find out when the next class is HERE.

If you meet the two requirements and wish to dedicate your child, please fill out the below form. Note that child dedications are typically done on the first Sunday of each month.

CHILD DEDICATION FORM

Included in the form is the parental covenant, which includes the statements you are making as a parent in the act of dedication. They are:

  1. We recognize that our child is a gift from God and understand that they have been entrusted to our care by our Heavenly Father.
  2. We commit ourselves to providing for the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of our child.
  3. We commit ourselves to bringing up our child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives.
  4. We commit ourselves to making every reasonable effort to bring our child to church so that they will learn what it means to be part of the family of God and be provided with ongoing instruction and encouragement.
  5. We now dedicate our child to the Lord in the hope that they will belong fully to Jesus Christ.

Questions? Email aaron@wchurch.ca.