Family Dedications and the Spirit of Adoption

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, the Southern Baptist Convention, which met last week in Louisville, KY, affirmed a resolution on adoption and orphan care ( to read it see link in previous post). As adoptive parents, we were very excited about the new attention being placed on this important issue. If you would like to know more about adoption and how to understand the theological significance of it I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Adopted for Life by Russell Moore. It is available on Amazon. I would also be happy to dialogue with you about adoption and my experience with it.

This past Sunday we had the privilege of dedicating our family to the Lord at our church (www.sarasotabaptist.com). We try to do these "family dedications" when a child enters the life of a family. It challenges the parents to take seriously their responsibility to love each other and to raise up their children in truth and love of Christ. It also challenges the church to provide strong teachers, leaders, and role models to assist the parents in what is their main task. We were part of one of these dedications when our daughter was born several years ago and it was time to renew our commitment to God and our church with our son. Because I am one of the pastors at the church and am always looking for "teachable moments" I used this time to challenge our church to become a vital influence in the area of adoption and orphan care.

As a Christan I believe the Bible clearly states the life begins at conception and that abortion is wrong. We have been quite vocal in this area, but I recently heard someone say that "most Christians believe that life begins at conception and ends at birth." I started thinking what would happen in the world if every Christian who believes that abortion is wrong would adopt an orphan. This would be one way that we as Christians could demonstrate that we value all life. I know that not all of us are capable of adopting. Some of you who read this are past the child rearing years. Others are not sensing that God is moving you in this direction. I would challenge you to find ways to pray and give to those who are sensing the Lord moving in this area. Adoption can be quite expensive. Would you consider helping someone in your church who feels the Lord moving their family in this direction? If you are unable to do this would you PRAY?

Check out the video of Shepherd's dedication service. I would love to hear your ideas on family dedications and adoption in general. Does your church have a culture of adoption? How does your church do "family dedications"? I would love to hear from you.