NewLife Church practices Baby Dedication instead of Infant Baptism.
A baby dedication is a ceremony in which believing parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit a child to God’s will and to raise that child according to God’s Word and God’s Ways.
Responsibilities Involved in Baby Dedication
Christian parents who dedicate a child are making a promise to the Lord to do everything within their power to raise the child in a godly way, prayerfully until he or she can make a decision on his or her own to follow God. Parents who make this vow of commitment are instructed to raise the child in the ways of God, and not according to their own ways. Some of the responsibilities include teaching and training the child in God’s Word, demonstrating an example of godliness, disciplining according to God’s ways and praying earnestly for the child.
An Example of Baby Dedication in Scripture
And she (Hannah) made a vow, saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give hi to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be sued on his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11 (NIV)
When God answered Hannah’s prayer by giving her a son, she remembered her vow:
“As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood her beside you praying to the LORD, I prayed for this child, and he 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 worshipped the LORD there. 1 Samuel 1:26-28 (NIV)