Prestonwood Baptist Church

Last updated

Prestonwood Baptist Church
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Location6801 W. Park Blvd
Plano, Texas 75093
CountryUnited States
Denomination Baptist
Associations Southern Baptist Convention
Membership45,000+
Weekly attendanceApproximately 17,000
Campuses2
Website prestonwood.org
History
Founded1977
Founder(s)Bill Weber
Architecture
Completed1999 (Plano Campus), 2006 (North Campus)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Dr. Jack Graham
Pastor(s) Michael Neale (worship), Mike Buster (executive), Neal Jeffrey (pastoral & preaching), Gilberto Corredera (Prestonwood en Español - lead pastor), Orbe Perez (Prestonwood en Español pastor - Lewisville Campus)

Prestonwood Baptist Church is a Baptist multi-site megachurch based in Plano, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It is one of the largest churches in America, with a membership of over 45,000 and a weekly attendance of around 17,000.

Contents

The Plano campus covers an area of 140 acres (0.219 sq mi; 0.567 km2), and includes a 7,000-seat worship center, a school offering Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 (including a football stadium, a baseball field, and a fieldhouse for basketball and volleyball), a fitness center with outdoor sports fields, a café, a library, and a bookstore.

In 2006, the church expanded to include a second campus of nearly 128 acres (0.200 sq mi; 0.518 km2) in Prosper. [1] The North Campus also has a school (K-10 as of fall 2020 with plans to expand one grade each year, so that the Class of 2023 will be North's first graduating class).

History

Dr. Jack Graham is the Senior Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church Jack Graham Headshot.jpg
Dr. Jack Graham is the Senior Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church

Prestonwood was founded on February 6, 1977, in North Dallas, [2] as a mission church of Northway Baptist Church. Under founding pastor Bill Weber, [3] the new church grew considerably, and in 1979 moved into a permanent facility near the corner of Arapaho and Hillcrest Roads in Dallas.

By 1988, Prestonwood had grown to 11,000 members. In October of that year, Dr. Weber resigned and was replaced in mid-1989 by Dr. Jack Graham as senior pastor of Prestonwood. By this time, Prestonwood was considered a "megachurch" because of its rapid expansion into one of the fastest-growing churches in the United States. [3]

By the mid-1990s, it became apparent that the church had outgrown its north Dallas home; the facility was landlocked with no ability to expand. In 1994, the church's leadership began plans for a 7,000-seat worship center in Plano. Services were first held on May 2, 1999. The church continued to expand its facilities throughout the next decade. Soon after the opening of the new worship center, the first phase of the new Prestonwood Sports and Fitness Center was completed. In August 2003, the church completed the second phase of the building, which featured a new chapel, a 100-foot-tall (30m) "Faith Tower" topped by a cross, a student ministry area, restaurant and commons, additional space for Bible fellowship and administrative offices. Two years later, the Prestonwood Christian Academy Upper School opened on the west side of the church campus.[ citation needed ]

The church reached the 46,000-member mark in 2019, with regular attendance at worship services averaging around 17,000. [2]

Sexual assault allegations

In June 1989, a youth music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church admitted to church officials that he had molested at least one student in the late 1980s; he was terminated immediately. Since church officials failed to report it to the authorities (as was required under the State Family Code), he was able to go on to become a youth music minister at a Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi, where he was later accused of abusing young boys again. [4] [5] [6] [7]

In May 2008, an associate minister at Prestonwood was arrested for soliciting sex from a 13-year-old girl. Two days later, Senior Pastor Jack Graham addressed the scandal from the pulpit. In his address, Dr. Graham said the accused associate minister had been terminated. [8] [9] [10]

In March 2013, a decade-long church member was ordered off church premises and reported to the police as a 'suspicious person' after inquiring about the earlier incident. [11] [12]

Campuses

Prestonwood operates two church campuses: Plano (the Plano Campus, which houses full services in both English and Spanish, as well as smaller fellowships to other ethnic groups) and Prosper (the North Campus). The Lewisville branch of the Spanish services are held at Northview Baptist Church, an existing and independent Southern Baptist congregation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chi Alpha</span> Christian fellowship and student society

Chi Alpha | ΧΑ, is an international and interdenominational, coeducational Christian fellowship, social club, student society, and service organization founded in 1953 on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Chi Alpha is sponsored by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal denomination established after separating from the historically African American Church of God in Christ in 1914 over race and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church (Hammond, Indiana)</span> Church in Indiana, United States

The First Baptist Church of Hammond is a fundamentalist Independent Baptist megachurch in Hammond, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago. It is the largest church in the state of Indiana, and in 2007 was the 20th largest in the United States. Though founded in 1887 by Allen Hill, it was under Jack Hyles' leadership from 1959–2001 when it became one of the megachurches in the United States and during the 1970s had the highest Sunday school attendance of any church in the world. In 1990, the church had a weekly attendance of 20,000. It also operates Hyles-Anderson College, a non-accredited institution established for the training of pastors and missionaries, and two K-12 schools, called City Baptist Schools and Hammond Baptist Schools. John Wilkerson is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fellowship Church</span> Church in Texas, United States

Fellowship Church (FC) is Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Its senior pastors are Ed Young and Lisa Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church</span> Global megachurch network headquartered in Australia

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale (CCFL) is an evangelical megachurch in Florida, with over 20,000 worshipers attending on average. Founded in 1985 by Bob Coy and his wife Diane, it is affiliated with the Calvary Chapel movement. CCFL is currently led by Pastor Doug Sauder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Graham (pastor)</span> American Baptist minister (born 1950)

Jack Graham is the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Young (Fellowship Church)</span> American pastor and author

Edwin Barry "Ed" Young is the founding and senior pastor of Fellowship Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elevation Church</span> Church in North Carolina, United States

Elevation Church is an Evangelical non-denominational multi-site megachurch based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Weekly church attendance was 14,000 people in 2023. Elevation has 20 locations. Its senior pastors are Steven Furtick and Holly Furtick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church Dallas</span> House of worship in Texas, USA

First Baptist Dallas is a Baptist megachurch located in Dallas,Texas established since 1868. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The Downtown Dallas Church is historically considered influential as a denominational leader among Baptist and Protestant Churches in the United States because of its community legacy involvement through 21 missions.

Graham Field is a baseball park located on the campus of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and was the home of the TCL Plano Blue Sox for the 2006 season. The team was one of the original members of the Texas Collegiate League as the Highland Park Blue Sox in 2004 and 2005 before moving to Plano. The main tenants of Graham Field are the Prestonwood Christian Academy Lions baseball team.

The Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC) is a non-denominational megachurch in Dallas, Texas in the United States. A survey by Outreach Magazine in 2008 ranked the church 87th in the US based on weekly attendance of 7,500 and has since grown to 15,000 members. The church describes itself as a "high praising, high worship, Bible believing church."

The Potter's House is a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, United States, founded by T. D. Jakes. Outreach magazine ranked it the 10th largest in the US as of 2008 based on a weekly attendance of 17,000 and a capacity of about 8,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Birth Missionary Baptist Church</span> Church in Woodrow Road at Bishop Eddie L. Long Parkway Stonecrest, United States

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a charismatic Christian Baptist megachurch in Stonecrest, DeKalb County, Georgia. Its senior pastor is Jamal Bryant since 2018.

Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA) is a private Christian School that serves more than 1,600 students enrolled at three campuses: PCA Plano in Plano (Pre-Kindergarten 3 through 12th grade), PCA North in Prosper (Pre-Kindergarten 3 through 12th grade), and the PCA Online virtual academy.

Matt Chandler is an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor. He is the senior pastor of Village Church, based in Flower Mound, Texas and the executive director of the board of the Acts 29 Network.

NewSpring Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Anderson, South Carolina, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Watermark Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical megachurch based in Dallas, Texas.

Timothy Bruce Cavey, known as Bruxy Cavey, is a Canadian author and former pastor. He is the author of The End of Religion and Reunion. Cavey, along with Greg Boyd, has been an important voice in recent discussions of Christian nonviolence theology in North America. Cavey has been a guest professor teaching university-level courses around North America, particularly Tyndale University, Messiah College, and Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary. He was a pastor at The Meeting House church in Oakville, Ontario, for 25 years, but was asked to resign from his role as teaching pastor in March 2022 after a third-party investigation revealed his years-long sexual abuse of a member of his church. According to the Toronto Star, a church official stated that the investigation found his conduct to be an abuse of power and that it amounted to sexual harassment. In June 2022, Cavey was arrested and charged with sexual assault.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Plano, Texas, USA.

References

  1. ↑ Hodges, Sam & Appleton, Roy. "Booming church not done growing", Dallas Morning News, March 28, 2006
  2. 1 2 "Our Story - Prestonwood Baptist Church". Prestonwood Baptist Church. January 14, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Prestonwood Life, February/March 2007, retrieved May 16, 2008
  4. ↑ "Report: Prestonwood Baptist Church hid sexual abuse from police". NewsRadio 1080 KRLD. May 23, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Former Prestonwood Minister's Attorney Wants Sex Abuse Case Dropped". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  6. ↑ "SBC report highlights Plano's Prestonwood Baptist as example of protecting sex abusers". Dallas News. May 23, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Disturbing revelations about former Prestonwood minister". wfaa.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ Chavez, Stella, Prestonwood Baptist pastor: Church appalled, disgraced by minister's sex sting arrest, Dallas Morning News, 2008-05-18, retrieved 2008-06-05
  9. ↑ Fullhart, Steve (September 29, 2009). "Former Texas Minister Sentenced In Teen Sex Solicitation Case". KBTX-TV. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Pastor: Minister arrested in sex sting resigns". NBC News. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Social media posts cause discord between Prestonwood Baptist, member". wfaa.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ Allen, Bob, Church calls cops on inquiring member

33°1′44.00″N96°50′49.30″W / 33.0288889°N 96.8470278°W / 33.0288889; -96.8470278

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.