For many years, Christian parents have sought ways to express their commitment to train up their children in a way that is pleasing to God according to Scripture. In Baptist churches, the tradition has typically involved a brief time during a Sunday morning worship service in which parents formally “dedicate” their children to the Lord. Unfortunately, over the course of many years, the true significance of ceremonies of dedication has been obscured. As a result, the tradition of dedication has come to be seen by some as conferring some kind of religious blessing upon the child, a concept foreign to the Scriptures. The sense of parental commitment before God’s people to be faithful as parents has been lost or depreciated as a result.
At Highland Park, we want to recover the true significance of parental dedication ceremonies. We desire to give parents an opportunity first to grow in their understanding of the high calling that God places on parents to train their children to love and worship God. Then, armed with that biblical knowledge, we want parents to be able to humbly commit themselves before the congregation to carry out their parental calling with sincerity, by the grace of God.
With these goals in mind, Highland Park offers a 2-part class entitled “Foundations: An Introduction to Biblical Parenting.” Upon completion of this class and a brief meeting with one of the pastors (Matt, Ed, or Jay), each family may schedule a time to publicly commit themselves to the incredible task of training up children in the love of God. As each family devotes themselves to train their children to love God, the church is also agreeing to partner with parents to that end.
If you are unable to attend the class when it is being offered, alternate means of receiving the information will be available. Speak with one of the pastors if this applies to you.