We’ve been called: A Practicing Community of Faith
The Church @ Highland Park combines historic Baptist principles and ancient forms of liturgical worship. The Church @ Highland Park is a vital part of the religious community in Austin and welcomes everyone to join us as we attempt to live out these principles. The following statements describe what makes us who we are:
Did You Know?
Highland Park was the first Baptist church in Texas to ordain a woman
- Each person has the freedom and accountability before God to read and interpret scripture, to freely discuss their personal understanding of faith and grace, and respond to their unique calling to mission and service.
- Our church has full authority to shape its own life and mission, select its own leadership, and ordain whom it perceives as gifted for ministry. We understand this to include people of all genders in roles of pastoral ministry and all other leadership positions within the church.
- We use a servant model of leadership and membership within the church based on the model of Jesus as Servant Lord.
- We have an obligation to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ and God’s promise of grace and hope to everyone.
- Every Christian is on a journey of faith and spiritual growth that is unique to their life situation and experience. We join together in Christian community to assist each other on this journey.
- We offer ourselves individually and as a church in ministry to our community and the world; focusing on love, reconciliation, hope, and social and economic justice for everyone.
- LGBTQ+ people can get married, be baptized, or fill any leadership roles here at Highland Park. You are not only invited, but encouraged and celebrated as a participant in our church life as you are led by the Holy Spirit and as your gifts allow. Read our full inclusion statement.
- We support the separation of church and state which rests on the principle of a free church in a free state and the opposition to any effort either by church or state to use the other for its own purposes.
- We recognize that Baptism by immersion is a beautiful and meaningful symbol which describes, in a way that no other symbol can, the death and resurrection of Christ. We recognize that baptism by immersion is a symbol representing the real baptism by the Holy Spirit and that Baptism is not essential to salvation. We accept that other Christian denominations symbolize baptism by the Spirit of God in other ways and welcome into full fellowship those from other denominations whose baptismal experiences were meaningful and who affirm with us the confession of the ancient church: Jesus is Lord!
- We find that a liturgical style of worship is a meaningful way to be in the presence of God and follow the Christian church calendar including Advent and Lent. Worship scripture readings and sermons are based on the Lectionary.
- We utilize a wide variety of musical styles in worship and samples of worship music can be found on our website along with selected sermons.
- The observance of communion is done in the context of the larger body of Jesus Christ and welcome all those who claim Christ as Lord to participate.
- All faith traditions deserve to be respected and we cooperate with Christians and non-Christians in giving full expression to the Gospel’s call to love all of God’s children.