Lisa -

Happen to have been working on the same problem recently. This code
copies the Heading styles from the template to the new doc without
touching any of the other styles.  You store it in the template and
run it with both docs open.

Open up the new document and create a bookmark called "NewDoc"
anywhere in the doc.

Then open up the template and run this macro from it.

Note: in both the template and the new doc, the built-in Heading
styles *must be already linked* to a list template or it won't work.

Just to spite the two of us it may not work anyway! But cross your
fingers - when it works, it does a nice job. Please let us know if you
had any luck with it. - Bruce

Sub CopyHeadingStyles()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim TemplateLT As ListTemplate
Dim NewLT As ListTemplate
Dim L As ListTemplate

Dim Sty As Style
Dim TemplateSty() As Style
Dim NewSty() As Style

Dim TemplateDoc As Document
Dim NewDoc As Document
Dim W As Window

Set TemplateDoc = ActiveDocument
For Each W In ActiveDocument.Windows
   If W.Document.Bookmarks.Exists("NewDoc") Then
       Set NewDoc = W.Document
       Exit For
   End If
Next

For Each L In TemplateDoc.ListTemplates
   If L.ListLevels(1).LinkedStyle = "Heading 1" Then Exit For
Next
Set TemplateLT = L

For Each L In NewDoc.ListTemplates
   If L.ListLevels(1).LinkedStyle = "Heading 1" Then Exit For
Next
Set NewLT = L

Dim k As Byte
For k = 1 To 9
   With NewLT.ListLevels(k)
       .Font.Bold = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).Font.Bold
       .Font.Italic = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).Font.Italic
       .Font.Underline = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).Font.Underline
       .Font.AllCaps = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).Font.AllCaps
       .NumberFormat = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).NumberFormat
       .NumberPosition = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).NumberPosition
       .TextPosition = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).TextPosition
       .NumberStyle = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).NumberStyle
       .TabPosition = TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).TabPosition
       .TrailingCharacter =
TemplateLT.ListLevels(k).TrailingCharacter
       .LinkedStyle = NewDoc.Styles("Heading " & k)
   End With
Next

ReDim TemplateSty(9) As Style
ReDim NewSty(9) As Style
Set Sty = Selection.Style

For k = 1 To 9
   Set NewSty(k) = NewDoc.Styles("Heading " & k)
   Set TemplateSty(k) = TemplateDoc.Styles("Heading " & k)
   With NewSty(k)
       .Font.Bold = TemplateSty(k).Font.Bold
       .Font.Italic = TemplateSty(k).Font.Italic
       .Font.AllCaps = TemplateSty(k).Font.AllCaps
       .Font.Underline = TemplateSty(k).Font.Underline
       .ParagraphFormat.Alignment =
TemplateSty(k).ParagraphFormat.Alignment
       .ParagraphFormat.KeepWithNext =
TemplateSty(k).ParagraphFormat.KeepWithNext
       .ParagraphFormat.SpaceBefore =
TemplateSty(k).ParagraphFormat.SpaceBefore
       .ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter =
TemplateSty(k).ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter
       Selection.Style = NewSty(k)
   End With
Next
Selection.Style = Sty

End Sub