After working with Ligonier Ministries for some years, Sproul founded Highlands Ministries (formerly Highlands Study Center) in Bristol, Virginia, in 1996. In the same year, he planted Saint Peter Presbyterian Church in Bristol and until 2001 served as its senior pastor and then until 2010 as its Associate Pastor of Education. Sproul formerly served as executive editor of "Every Thought Captive", a monthly magazine published by Highlands Ministries. 2009–10, he worked as a teacher for Veritas Press, which specializes in Christian educational texts.