Child Dedication as a Paradigm for ministry

I don't know if I can remember all the child dedications I have seen or done for others. On those days the sanctuary is usually full with family and extended family. There is an energy in the room, almost as if a star had been born, the cameras are flashing people leaning out into the isles to take pictures of the beautiful baby. If your lucky the baby makes some noise (not the screaming kid kind) when it is held up for everyone to see. The energy is high!!

The ceremony itself is short and to the point. There is a passage read dealing with children and the importance of bringing the child up in a Godly manner. The parents are asked if they will bring the child up in a Godly way and then near the end of the ceremony the congregants and the extended family are asked if they will do the same. Of course everyone says they will, but we all know that will likely not happen.

Don't get me wrong, not every person in the room will be needed, but maybe, just maybe if we took that part of the ceremony a little more serious we would have a more significant impact on the students as they grow into adults. Emmy E. Werner from the University of California Davis did a study following a group of kids from a very poor area and found that the most significant predictor of resiliency for kids was the influence of an adult outside of the nuclear family.

This is not to downplay the significance of the nuclear family!! I would never do that; however, perhaps it is time for the church to operate as an extended family and take those child dedications seriously. This is not just a children's ministry or youth ministry thing, it is a church ministry thing.