Many churches practice infant baptism. But our conviction is that baptism should be something each person, reaching the age of accountability, is responsible for deciding on their own. We believe the Bible teaches this principle as well. Each and every episode of baptism recorded in the Bible was of an accountable adult choosing to be immersed at his or her initiative. Yet, the importance of Children in God’s view cannot be overlooked. Thus, we practice Child dedications at Country Bible Church.

Child dedications and baptisms are difficult to incorporate in a Sunday Worship service. No matter how great our music is or how interesting the sermon might be they are always upstaged by the cute infants and children that find themselves before the entire congregation. You never know what you’re going to get. When we have baptisms we have each candidate share a little about their spiritual story and that also upstages whatever else we do. Therefore, at Country Bible Church, once or twice a year, we devote the entire morning services to child dedications and then another Sunday’s services to Baptism. We’ve had 20 kids on some Sundays and only two on other Sundays. We’ve baptized 30 on one Sunday and again only 2 on other Sundays. But, it doesn’t matter. It’s our opportunity to emphasize the importance of the family as well as the churches role in raising children to know Christ and to share the testimony of those who come to know Christ in Baptism.

The child dedications are really more of a dedication of the parents and the church together. A modern worship guru, Robert Webber, argues, “In this ceremony parents are reminded of their responsibility to live pure and faithful lives and are encouraged to make their home a place where the name of Jesus is loved and is a look forward, as Webber continues, “…to the time when the child, having been trained and guided by the nurture of church and home, will make his or her own responsible decision to be baptized in confession of faith in Christ.” It is act of commitment on behalf of the family and the church to fulfill Proverbs 22:6 which says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”