Highland Park Presbyterian — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Thomas Daniel (Senior Pastor, elected 2025; formerly Senior Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Austin since 2014)

Founded Unknown

Denomination ECO

Service Times Sunday mornings

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website hppres.org

Pastor Credentials M.Div. and D.Min. Columbia Theological Seminary; B.A. Davidson College; ~25 years ministry

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

ECO affirms the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds — orthodox Trinitarian Christology.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

ECO Essential Tenets affirm authority and sufficiency of Scripture; inerrancy language is weaker than PCA/OPC.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's ministry exists — details not surfaced.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Reformed soteriology per Westminster Confession, though ECO's confessional enforcement is lighter than PCA's.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

CONFIRMED: Emily Scates ordained as 'Pastor of Discipleship' at HPPC. Female pastor with teaching/discipleship authority — egalitarian practice verified.

Egalitarian Session (24 men and women); Beth Daniel (wife of senior pastor) is herself an ordained Presbyterian pastor

WARNING!

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

CONFIRMED: Mixed-gender pastoral staff; female pastor holding ministry title alongside 10+ male pastors.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Thomas Daniel is an experienced preacher from Covenant Presbyterian Austin; style not characterized yet at HPPC.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

ECO denominational missions framework — typical mainline-evangelical blend.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Not fully progressive on sexuality (ECO holds traditional marriage), but egalitarian on gender.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

ECO (Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians) — HPPC left PCUSA in 2013 over LGBTQ/ordination drift and joined ECO. ECO is egalitarian on gender (women pastors/elders permitted) though traditional on marriage. Entry labeled 'EPC' is wrong.

WARNING!

Assessment

Highland Park Presbyterian is a historic Dallas megachurch in the EPC denomination. Newly called pastor Thomas Daniel brings 25+ years of experience, formerly senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian (Austin) for 12 years. Previous pastor Bryan Dunagan passed unexpectedly. EPC affiliation provides strong Reformed theological framework and denominational accountability. Well-resourced, established congregation.

#dallas#texas#national#epc#denomination-corrected-2026-04-30

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

MIS-CATEGORIZED: Entry listed as EPC but is actually ECO — both are conservative Presbyterian exits from PCUSA, but ECO ordains women and EPC permits presbyteries to choose. HPPC's mixed-gender Session confirms egalitarian practice. Rating yellow → red. | [2026-04-30 denomination correction: Presbyterian (EPC) -> Other; reason: ECO Presbyterian (not EPC), mixed-gender eldership, female-ordaining]

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] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260311010639/https://hppres.org/
↳ Snapshot of hppres.org (live link)
[2] Live source peoplenewspapers.com/2025/09/08/hp-pres-chooses-experienc…
[3] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20251216050957/https://en.wikipedia.o…
↳ Snapshot of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Park_Presbyterian_Church_(… (live link)

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.