The Church at Highland Park (Highland Park Baptist Church) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Cheryl Kimble

Founded 1952

Denomination Southern Baptist (SBC) — disfellowshipped

Service Times Sunday Worship — verify times on website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website thechurchathp.org/

Pastor Credentials MEd, University of Central Oklahoma; called as Pastor May 2012

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Confessional Baptist Christology not formally repudiated.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Egalitarian hermeneutic; Kimble publicly argued at 2016 BGCT meeting that conformity criteria violate believer's-priesthood and congregational-autonomy distinctives.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not visible.

WARNING!

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

No formal change documented.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Rev. Cheryl Kimble — Pastor (called May 2012; previously associate minister 2000–2012); Walt Shelton serves as Assistant Pastor. In conflict with BF&M 2000 Article VI.

Rev. Cheryl Kimble — Pastor (called May 2012). Walt Shelton — Assistant Pastor. Confirmed on current staff page thechurchathp.org/our-staff/.

WARNING!

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Female pastor exercises preaching/eldership authority over the gathered congregation.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Female pastor preaches; in conflict with confessional restriction.

WARNING!

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Earth Covenant + peace-and-justice framing.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Affiliated with Baptist Peace Fellowship and Earth Covenant Ministry; LGBTQ stance not as foregrounded.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

Distanced from BGCT/SBC; aligned with Alliance of Baptists, CBF, Baptist Peace Fellowship.

WARNING!

Assessment

The Church at Highland Park (formerly Highland Park Baptist Church) in Austin is led by Rev. Cheryl Kimble as Pastor, who was called to the senior pastorate in May 2012 after twelve years as the church's Associate Minister for Children and Families. Kimble publicly argued at the 2016 BGCT annual meeting against criteria for harmonious cooperation that would constrain congregational autonomy. The church is affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, CBF, and the Baptist Peace Fellowship. Female pastor's role is in direct conflict with BF&M 2000 Article VI.

#sbc#drift#female-pastor#female-senior-pastor#credentials-committee-referral#tx#austin#needs-review

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Verified 2026-05-01: Kimble's role and tenure confirmed via thechurchathp.org/our-staff page and Baptist Standard 2016 BGCT coverage. Address 5206 Balcones Drive Austin TX 78731 confirmed. URL hpbcaustin.org redirects to thechurchathp.org.

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 thechurchathp.org/our-staff/
[2] Live source linkedin.com/in/cheryl-kimble-71622043
[3] Live source baptiststandard.com/news/texas/bgct-sets-view-of-marriage…

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.