Parent/Child Dedication
Information

Dear Parents,
Thank you for the opportunity to share with you what Parent/Child dedication is about at Kettlebrook. The dedication gathering at Kettlebrook is an opportunity to recognize that God has entrusted you with your children, but ultimately they are His children. It is also an opportunity for you to publicly commit yourselves, as an extension of your personal faith, to raising your child in a way that he or she will one day have their own relationship with Jesus. Finally, it is a time for those who are in relationship with you to commit to support you through prayer, encouragement and accountability.
Parent/Child dedication at Kettlebrook is a wonderful time of recognizing that children are a gift from God. In light of that, parents have a responsibility before God to develop that gift by molding, shaping, loving and nurturing their child in a way that reflects Christ and points their child to developing their own relationship with Him. We want you to know that you do not face this responsibility alone. It is our desire at Kettlebrook to assist both you and your child in your spiritual journeys. As your faith community we will walk alongside you. We are committed to encouraging your walk with God as a parent by providing teaching and support for both you and your child during our large group gatherings on Sundays and through your small group gatherings during the week.
It is our prayer that this time will be a significant milestone to remind you of your commitment as a parent and follower of Jesus. May this experience both challenge you and encourage you to love and model Christ to your children in your home.
Partnering Together,
Kim
Kim Mundinger
Pastor of Children’s Ministry

Parent/Child Dedication Policy
Kettlebrook Church is committed to helping Christian parents raise their children to develop a heart that loves Jesus, delights in knowing Him, and desires to please Him in every way. We believe that God created people to live together as families. God has entrusted children to parents for love, care, protecting and training that points them toward a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The commitments made at Parent/Child dedication are as follows:
Parents confess faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
Parents commit to bring their child up to love God, and encourage their child to confess faith in Christ as they continue to grow into adulthood.
Parents make it a priority to train up their children to live a life that pleases God.
Members of the congregation in relationship with the families stand and dedicate themselves to encouraging the parents in the raising of their children through prayer and support.
Kettlebrook’s goals for parents are to build relationships in the Child Dedication class with church leaders and other parents, to understand the statements they are making during the dedication and to gain an understanding of what the Bible says about parenting. Therefore, both the husband and wife desiring to publicly dedicate their child are asked to:
Be a member of a small group or a discipleship group that will be able to support and encourage them in their parenting journey.
Attend and complete the Dedication classes, which cover specific issues related to parenting and the meaning of child dedication.

Parent/Child Dedication
Basic Understandings
Parent/Child dedication is something we do because the desire of our heart is to please God.
Parent/Child dedication is a public statement of commitment to raising your child for God’s honor and glory.
Parent/Child dedication is not to be regarded as a replacement for an individual conversion experience in one’s own life.
Parent/Child dedication is not a substitute for baptism, nor is it to be regarded as a gesture in place of baptism.
Parent/Child dedication can only have meaning to
us if:
We, ourselves, have a right relationship with God knowing:
We have seen that we fall short of God’s perfect standard, and we are in deep need of forgiveness.
We have agreed with God that this is true, and asked Him to forgive our sins, take control of our life and let the Holy Spirit reign in place of our own wants, desires and will.
We are experiencing the enabling of the Holy Spirit to live a life in a different, better way than we lived before we became a believer in Jesus Christ.
We desire the same thing for our children, recognizing at the same time that we cannot give it to them, but we can point them in the direction to find answers for themselves.

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