Highlands Presbyterian Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Dr. Earl Bland, Senior Pastor

Founded Unknown

Denomination ARP

Service Times See website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website www.highlandsarp.org

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

ARP affirms Nicene orthodoxy — Christ fully God and fully man, sole mediator.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Westminster Standards affirmed — Scripture inerrant, infallible, sufficient.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Varies by congregation; historic ARP emphasizes household-led discipleship.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Reformation soteriology — Westminster Confession articulation of sola fide/sola gratia/solus Christus.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Male-only teaching and ruling elders per ARP Form of Government. Male-only clergy.

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Plurality of male elders with ARP Synod/presbytery accountability; historic Scots-Irish Presbyterian polity.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Expository preaching from the whole counsel of God; traditional Presbyterian homiletic.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Great Commission and covenantal Reformed evangelism; Erskine heritage of missions.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Conservative Southern Presbyterian heritage; resistant to progressive theology; historic commitments intact.

Strong

Accountability Structure

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

ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) — conservative Southern Presbyterian denomination with Erskine College/Seminary heritage and male-only officers.

Strong

Assessment

ARP congregation in suburban Atlanta, Cumberland Valley Presbytery. Westminster Confession, male-only officers, Seceder-Erskine Presbyterian heritage.

#arp#presbyterian#reformed#westminster-standards#erskine

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-09 verify-arp sweep: confirmed via highlandsarp.org/meet-us/meet-our-pastors — Rev. Dr. Earl Bland installed Senior Pastor February 2026, DMin 1992, ministry since 1986.]

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 naparcsearch.com/arpc/congregations
[2] Live source highlandsarp.org

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.