The tradition of Parent/Child dedication has origins in the Bible. Israelite parents brought their children to a priest for a blessing. Hannah brought her son Samuel to Eli, the priest, to dedicate him to the Lord. Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple for his dedication.

Parent/Child Dedication recognizes that faith comes to a child, like adults, through personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Faith and salvation cannot be passed on to a child through Parent/Child Dedication or any other means. In Parent/Child Dedication parents make a commitment before God and the church family to raise their child(ren) under the leadership of Jesus Christ. They also promise to seek the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the Bible to train their child(ren) to become followers of Jesus Christ, and to pass on Godly values to their child(ren), with the desire that one day, their child(ren) will receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Savoir.

Parent/Child Dedication is different from infant baptism or christening. While these rites are significant for a variety of faiths, it is the practice of Bridges to dedicate children. Infant baptism was developed in early church history as a means to insure the salvation of infants before they could make a personal decision to trust Jesus Christ and become Christians. It was believed that if a child died, through baptism, he or she would be assured of a place in heaven. We believe, however, that the Bible clearly sees infants destined for heaven should they die before they reach an age at which they can understand the message of Jesus and make the decision to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savoir on their own.