Who We Are

The story of Lake Highlands Baptist Church began when a group of Christians met in the South Park School of Dallas to organize a new congregation. Known first as South Park Missionary Baptist Church and later as Forest Avenue Baptist Church, the church relocated in 1959 to the Old Lake Highlands neighborhood and took the name we bear today.

LHBC is a Baptist church rooted in the Great Tradition of the Christian faith. While we joyfully belong to the Baptist family, we seek to be a home for all believers who confess the historic Christian faith and desire to live together in obedience to Jesus Christ. Our life is shaped by the conviction that God is gathering a people from every background to be formed into the likeness of His Son.

Our Identity

At LHBC, we stand within the historic stream of Christian faith. Our identity has been shaped by centuries of reflection on Scripture and by the faithful witness of believers who came before us. To understand who we are, it helps to see how we fit within the broader Christian family as orthodox, Protestant, evangelical, and Baptist.

  1. Orthodox: We hold to the historic Christian faith, affirming the doctrine of the Trinity and the full divinity and humanity of Christ, as confessed by the early Church.

  2. Protestant: We stand in the Reformation tradition, emphasizing that Scripture alone is the supreme authority for Christian faith and practice and that sinners are justified by faith alone in Christ’s finished work.

  3. Evangelical: We stress the need for personal conversion, the authority of the Bible, the centrality of Christ’s cross and resurrection, and active gospel witness in the world.

  4. Baptist: We are a community of baptized believers who practice congregational governance, affirm local church autonomy, and cherish religious freedom for all.

Things that Might Stand Out

Since Christians are a diverse bunch, it helps to know some of the values and practices that are part of our church’s culture. In addition to the core convictions and doctrinal distinctives reflected in our statement of faith, several aspects of our life together are also worth highlighting:

  • We practice historic, liturgical worship, connecting us to the rhythms and prayers of the wider Christian tradition;

  • We share in weekly communion, celebrating the Lord’s Supper as a central act of worship;

  • We strive to extend radical hospitality, welcoming people from all walks of life into our community;

  • We believe in a plurality of pastors (elders), emphasizing shared leadership and accountability;

  • We encourage women to teach and lead in roles outside the office of pastor (elder) in accordance with our understanding of Scripture; and

  • We honor the responsibility of parents to disciple their children, organizing our children’s and teen ministries to support, not replace, their role