No. But we encourage you as parents to make sure you are calling Riverbluff your home church. Why? In dedicating your child to God, you are stating that you are willing to partner with God and the church to raise your child in cooperation with God’s intentions. To partner with any church, a parent would be wise to decide if he or she agrees with its beliefs and vision, so they can be “all-in” in their partnership with the church.

While Riverbluff does not have a set age requirement for child dedication, the average age for a child to be dedicated is four months to two years old. However, some parents participate with older children than that often for the following reasons: The parent(s) are new believers in Christ and their children were not dedicated when they were infants. The parent(s) are having a younger child dedicated and want to have their older child dedicated at the same time.

Yes! Parent Child Dedication signifies the commitment of parents (including single parents!) to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Christ. As a church, we are committed to supporting single parents in providing a Christian foundation for your child’s upbringing.

No. Riverbluff Church believes Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation, once they have the maturity and ability to understand what that means. Rather than baptizing infants, Riverbluff encourages Christian parents to dedicate their children. This is a time in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing for their child and publicly commit to raise him or her in accordance with Scripture. Scripture provides evidence that Baptism follows an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for salvation (Acts 2:41, 8:12, and 10:47–48). This is our Public Profession of Faith that follows salvation. We do baptize older children who recognize their need to repent of sin and trust Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. Parent Child Dedication is not a sacrament; nor does it impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their need to receive forgiveness and eternal life through Christ and His work on the cross.