For almost 15 years, I’ve been reinventing Baby Dedeicaiton, constantly adjusting and perfecting. You can read about my 22-year history with Baby Dedication where I outline all the incremental changes over the years. For simplicity, let me just say this. By the end of 2020, I had Baby Dedication operating as a well-oiled machine. It was as good as I had ever seen or hosted in my 20+ years of vocational ministry. It was at this time that I made a ministry career change. I spent almost 5 years in Gilbert, AZ as the NextGen Pastor at MISSION Community Church, and in December 2020, I became the Ki ..read more

I led my first Baby Dedication sometime in 2001, about 22 years ago. It’s crazy to think that I’ve done so many. I wish I had kept better records personally to know exactly which kids I dedicated each of those past 22 years. Doing some rough math, I believe I’ve been able to dedicate close to 700 babies since that first one in 2001. Ridiculous, I know! However, the experience for each of those families was not the same. Over the course of the last 22 years, Baby Dedication evolved in my ministry. Sometimes it helps to see real-world examples to understand context and personally plot a course f ..read more

Baby Dedication is such a beautiful event. However, if you’ve done Baby Dedication for a while, you’re going to have some awkward moments. Oh, and I’m not talking about the silly things that happen when you add kids to a semi-formal event. Yes, you’re going to have bathroom accidents, kids who completely lose their minds, and everything in between. This post article is a reminder that there are several awkward moments that may visit your Baby Dedication event, but they’re entirely avoidable. Each time one of these awkward moments happened, we changed our systems to ensure that it never happene ..read more

Many churches host at least one Baby Dedication each year. In a smaller church setting, it might just be one or two families participating during one of the services. Traditionally, a parent would only need to RSVP for the dedication. Once they’ve made a reservation, they’ll show up at the designated time and participate. If you asked parents who participated in this kind of experience, you’ll likely get nothing but positive feedback. It’s a special day that everyone loves. However, people don’t know what they’ve never experienced. The Baby Dedication can be even more meaningful and personal i ..read more

I was a kids pastor for nearly ten years before I became a parent. I didn’t realize that my perspective of Children’s Ministry would change as much as it did once I had a child. The first perspective change came just a few months before I became a parent and it had everything to do with how my church conducted Baby Dedication. I would soon come to discover that many Kids Pastors felt exactly the way I did. Let me explain. For nearly ten years, I conducted Baby Dedications 2-4 times a year. Usually, 2-3 weeks before the next dedication, we would let families know that we were doing a dedication ..read more

I know a lot of churches that are looking for the “perfect” Children’s Pastor. Actually, there are ALWAYS good churches looking for the right man or woman to lead the Children’s Ministry. “Perfect” is a subjective descriptor though, isn’t it? The perfect Children’s Pastor for one church could be a horrible Children’s Pastor for a different church. Personality, experience, and a myriad of other qualities really do determine what makes a perfect Children’s Pastor for any particular church. However, I don’t want to live in the world of subjectivity. What really does make a perfect Children’s Past ..read more

Many years ago, I borrowed a friend’s car. I really needed a vehicle, so it was a blessing to have an extra set of wheels. However, there was a small component on his car that didn’t work that actually caused some major issues. The gas gauge didn’t work. Obviously, the car runs perfectly well with a broken gas gauge – except for when you run out of gas. No big deal though, there was a simple fix. Whenever you filled the car up with gas, you simply had to reset the trip odometer. As long as you filled it up again by the time the vehicle hit 250 miles, you were fine. However, what happens if you ..read more

Music is a very important part of your Baby Dedication Ceremony. The right songs will create a meaningful environment for this experience. You have to recognize the various ways that music and songs should be used: You should play music when families arrive for the dedication event. You may need to create a soundtrack for a picture or video slideshow shown during the dedication. You may choose to sing a song or two corporately for the dedication service. You will want several songs on a playlist while families are praying with their family and friends. Depending on your church and ministry a ..read more

Although a Baby Dedication Ceremony will look different depending on your church and your unique ministry environment, what you actually say at a Baby Dedication shouldn’t really change from one environment to another. Over the years, I’ve dedicated babies in homes, at parks, and on stages – but the message or sermon has remained the same. Below is a practical outline for building your own Baby Dedication message: Give Permission For the Chaos Anytime you add a young child to the mix, things could go off the rails. If you’re dedicating more than one baby, you’re multiplying the opportunities f ..read more

The Baby Dedication ceremony is an important milestone for many families who want to prioritize faith in the developmental and spiritual journey of their children. Most churches have been hosting Baby Dedication ceremonies in exactly the same way for decades. One or more families would stand in the front of the church at the beginning of a service where a pastor would pray over the child and family along with the support and encouragement of everyone watching. The experience is simple and predictable, but it is still meaningful for everyone involved. However, we have a unique opportunity to re ..read more