Either I was really thorough or I beat a dead horse. I’ll let you decide, just don’t tell me. 🙂

So, I’ve been very specific on how we’ve morphed our Child Dedication and all of its components. What we did last week was by far the best dedication I’ve been a part of, but there is still room to tweak. So, here are things I’m considering for the dedication we’re doing in May.

  • Registration will stay the same. Parents will register online to attend the class and after the class, they’ll need to register the children. To make things easier, I’ll log a computer into Fellowship One and allow families to register their children that night.
  • I’m thinking of creating a closer connection with the pastors/leaders and the families they pray for. I’m thinking of having them come to the child dedication class and be a table leader and guide the discussion. Then at the dedication, they’ll pray over the families making the dedication much more personal. Last of all, I’d like this pastor/leader to follow-up in some way with the family 2-3 times in the months following dedication (or at least hand them off to a small group leader).
  • Since I do preregister for the Prep for Child Dedication class, I’ll assign seats and put families with similar aged kids or families who live in closer proximity to each other at the same tables.
  • For the dedication we’ll double the number of pastors/leaders to pray over their children so that the prayer time will last 15-20 minutes max instead of 30-40.
  • Rather than have all the families hang around after the prayer time, we’ll let the families go out to the lobby to have their pictures taken by one of our photographers and receive their certificate and Bible.
  • Currently we give out a cheap gift Bible and I’m not really impressed with it at all. I’d love to find a nicer Bible that the family will treasure over the years.

Oh, I’ve got one more big thing to share. Two days ago my new blogging friend Ned posted about the way they do Dedications. I love it and he does several elements that I’m going to incorporate, especially their dedication book. WOW. Check out his post here.

So, thanks or taking this Child Dedication journey with me. I’ve learned a lot both from this experience as well as the feedback you’ve posted. Don’t be afraid to change, mix it up. For many churches, any change would be a move in the right direction. Above all, avoid the “Dog and Pony Show!” Capture the hearts of your parents now and give them the tools to start spiritually leading their kids NOW!