Highland Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable John Durham

Founded Unknown

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times Sunday School and Worship at 8:40 AM, 10:00 AM, and 11:20 AM; (254) 754-0335

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.hbcwaco.org

Pastor Credentials Verify

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No men's ministry listed on available pages.

WARNING!

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Per Church Clarity third-party rating cited in prior enrichment: 'Clear: Egalitarian' with LGBTQ-affirmation. Leadership page on hbcwaco.org currently empty of names in template. Verify.

BLACK: LGBTQ-affirming and egalitarian per Church Clarity ratings. Male lead pastor but church policy affirms women in all leadership roles.

Disqualifier

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Pastor John Durham (male) per prior enrichment; full staff list not visible.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Progressive posture per prior Church Clarity citation; homepage emphasizes inclusion ('captions and translations available in every gathering').

Disqualifier

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Nominally SBC by history, but CBF-trajectory per prior research. Black per rubric if CBF-affiliated; retain pending direct denominational statement.

Disqualifier

Assessment

WARNING: Highland Baptist Church Waco is rated as LGBTQ-affirming and egalitarian by Church Clarity. This is a BLACK flag. While Pastor John Durham leads and the church has Southern Baptist roots, the congregation has moved to affirm LGBTQ+ individuals and adopted an egalitarian posture on women in leadership. This places it outside orthodox evangelical alignment on both gender and sexuality. NOT RECOMMENDED for men seeking biblical orthodoxy.

#baptist#waco#mclennan-county#lgbtq-affirming#egalitarian#black-flag#texas#national#cbf#progressive#needs-review

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

During this pass, hbcwaco.org/about/leadership page template rendered empty; what-we-believe returned 404. Retain black flag from prior Church Clarity citation but flag for re-verification with direct CBF registry check.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source hbcwaco.org
[2] Live source hbcwaco.org/what-we-believe
[3] Live source hbcwaco.org/about/leadership/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.