Kidz Ministry - Baby Dedications
Baby Dedications
"And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them."- Mark 10:16
Baby dedication is a time when members and regular attendees of North Way acknowledge that their child belongs to God. It is a commitment to submit yourself to God’s will in the care of your child, and publicly acknowledge your responsibility as a parent to raise your child in the teachings of Jesus. As you acknowledge these truths publicly in the presence of your church-family, the church commits to join with you in prayer and support for your child by providing Biblical education and a healthy church family environment.
It’s important to note that baby dedication is not a substitute for the child’s ultimate personal responsibility
before God. Dedication does not provide salvation or serve as a substitute for the personal need for children to
accept Christ when they are old enough to understand the Gospel. Dedication does mark the importance of raising
your child to know God in the environment of a committed church family.
Because it is our belief that the Bible teaches that baptism is an outward expression of a choice to make an inward
commitment to Jesus Christ, we do not baptize infants because they are not yet capable of understanding such a choice.
We do baptize children at our church, but at an older age (middle school at the earliest) when they have accepted
Christ as their Savior and when they can understand the significance of baptism. We provide an excellent baptism
teaching that fully prepares older children for baptism.
- North Way provides four baby dedications during weekend services per year (dates are listed on the baby dedication application).
- Please fill out the application and return it to Beth Machine at, Kidz Ministry, along with a photo of your child, no later than 10 days before the scheduled dedication.
- North Way will call or email you to confirm dates, times, and answer any of your questions.
- We schedule no more than eight baby dedications during each service. The 11:00 service often fills up; so you may want to turn your application in as soon as possible.
- Siblings and relatives are welcome on the platform during dedication. North Way honors the tradition of "God Parents" to support and encourage your child’s spiritual journey as they grow up, if you so desire.
We work with families with circumstances that are special, non-traditional family structures - such as single parents,
divorced parents, and unmarried couples living together. It is not North Way’s stance to judge your particular
relational circumstances - they are, of course, your choice. But we do strongly uphold the Biblical standards for
marriage as God’s design for raising children.
Therefore, we have created boundaries for public baby dedication to include those in non-traditional families, but retain
our strong support of Biblical marriage.
- For divorced/separated parent(s): The parent seeking baby dedication is responsible for notifying the ex-spouse, and both parents are invited to take part if there is unity in dedicating the child.
- For single mother (father absent): Pastor Scott Stevens will meet with the mother prior to dedication for encouragement and ongoing support, and North Way will dedicate the child.
- For single mother (father present): The parent seeking baby dedication, who desires both mother and father to participate on the platform, must first meet with Pastor Scott Stevens to ensure appropriate boundaries.
- For unmarried couples living together: The parent(s) must first meet with Pastor Scott Stevens to discuss options, including a private dedication. As a church, we retain a boundary that does not permit both unmarried parents to participate on the platform.
>> Download Baby Dedication Application Form <<
Please return your completed application to Beth Machine (724-935-6803 x1245) at North Way by mail or email to: Kidz Ministry. We’ll contact you regarding your dedication.
Thank you for inquiring about the dedication of your baby. It is our desire to bless you in this process and partner with you in raising your child to know and love Jesus.
Sincerely,
Pastor Scott Stevens
Pastor of Ministry Life