The Hills Church of Christ — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Executive team not visible on public about page

Founded Not published

Denomination Church of Christ

Service Times Sunday mornings (check website)

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website thehills.org

Pastor Credentials Not published

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Standard evangelical Trinity affirmed.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Not stated on available sources — verify in person.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's Conference 2026 cancellation notice surfaced — men's ministry exists but conference cancelled this cycle; yellow held.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Restoration Movement heritage — baptism role ambiguous.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Elders listed in pairs (husband + wife) across Dallas/Keller/NRH/FW campuses. Men are designated elders with wives listed alongside — complementarian couples-in-ministry model. Verify whether wives have elder authority or are honored-alongside.

Elders listed with their wives across four campuses (40+ couples). Couples-in-ministry framing; wives explicitly named but their authority scope not stated. Verify on site whether this is complementarian honoring or functional co-eldership.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Plurality of elders across multiple campuses — transparent governance.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Not described; current emphasis on 'being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, doing what Jesus did' (Dallas Willard framing).

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Disciple-making mission clearly stated.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI/CRT language visible, but 'Willard-ian' framing tends toward contemplative/spiritual-formation emphasis.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

Confirmed self-identification as 'non-denominational church' with mission to 'make and grow followers of Jesus' across four DFW campuses; dropped CoC naming retained — red held.

WARNING!

Assessment

The Hills Church of Christ (formerly Richland Hills Church of Christ) — the largest Church of Christ in the U.S. with ~8,000 members across three campuses. Senior Minister Rick Atchley. Note: has introduced instrumental worship alongside a cappella, which is controversial within Churches of Christ. Full theological review pending.

#church-of-christ#dallas-fort-worth#texas#megachurch

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Post-CoC rebrand. Max-Lucado-style multi-site non-denom. Elders-and-wives pattern visible but the actual authority arrangement requires verification.

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 thehills.org
[2] Live source thehills.org/about
[3] Live source thehills.org/elders

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.