Prestonwood Baptist Church
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Prestonwood Baptist Church, located in Plano, Texas, is one of the largest megachurches in North America. The sprawling campus includes a 7,000 seat worship center, children and student centers, a Pre-K through 12th grade school, football and baseball fields, a sports and fitness center, a cafe with a Starbucks inside, and two bookstores.
Prestonwood now meets in two locations. The second location, "Prestonwood North"[1], meets at Prosper High School in Prosper, TX. These services began on August 27, 2006 and had over 1,000 in attendance on their first day. [citation needed]
Ministry
Prestonwood focuses on dynamic biblical teaching, powerful worship with a 1,000-member choir, Bible Fellowship classes for small group connectivity, global missions outreach, sports leagues and camps, children and student ministries, and more.
History
The church was started on Feb. 6th, 1977,[2] as a church plant of Northway Baptist Church. With founding pastor, Bill Webber at its helm,[3] the church had grown enough in 6 years that a 4,000 seat worship center was completed. In 1988, Pastor Webber confessed to an extramarital affair and stepped down from the pulpit of the 11,000 member church he founded 11 years ago.[4]In 1989 Dr. Jack Graham became the senior pastor of what had now become, one of the fastest growing churches in America.[3] In April of 1994, PowerPoint Ministries with Jack Graham was launched as the broadcast ministry from Prestonwood. Today, this broadcast can be heard both nationally and internationally on television and radio, as well as watched and heard online and through audio and video podcasting. In 1994, the need for a larger building became apparent to the leadership, and on May 2nd, 1999, the first service in the current 7,000 seat worship center was held. Soon thereafter the Prestonwood Sports and Fitness Center (SFC) was completed featuring a 3-court sports facility and additional Bible Fellowship space. In August of 2003 the second phase of the building was completed, including a new: chapel, tower of faith (100+ foot tower lifting the cross), student ministry area, restaurant and commons, additional bible fellowship space, and administrative offices. In August of 2005, the doors of Prestonwood Christian Academy's High School building were opened on the west side of the church's campus.
Prestonwood is also home to the Dallas Christmas Festival, one of the largest Christmas pageants in the nation, and is one of the top rated Christmas-related events in the state of Texas. [citation needed] Each year there are thirteen DCF performances. There are almost 70,000 in attendance each year. [citation needed]
The church recently announced plans for a second campus in Prosper, TX, near U.S. Highway 380 and Dallas Parkway, as well as plans to expand some areas of the existing campus. Other new additions to the church will include an additional children's wing and new facilities for PowerPoint Ministries including the upgrade to High Definition (HDTV).
The church reached the 26,000 member mark in July of 2006, with a regular attendance hovering around 20,000.[citation needed]
Because of its size, it has locally earned the nicknames "Baptidome", "Six Flags Over Jesus" and "PrestonWorld".[citation needed]
Events of May 2008
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On May 15, 2008, Joe Barron - a minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church - was arrested for solicitation of a minor after driving from the Dallas area to Bryan, TX, in order to allegedly engage in sexual relations with what he thought to be a 13 year-old girl he had met online. The "girl" turned out to be an undercover law enforcement official.[5][6]
References
- ^ "Prestonwood Baptist Church". Prestonwood Baptist Church. September 10, 2006.
- ^ "History - Prestonwood Baptist Church". Prestonwood Baptist Church. September 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Prestonwood Life, February/March 2007, retrieved 2008-05-16
- ^ Parmley, Helen, Prestonwood Pastor Resigns, Dallas Morning News, 1988-10-09
- ^ Eiserer, Tanya, and Sam Hodges, Minister at Prestonwood Baptist charged in Internet sex sting, Dallas Morning News, retrieved 2008-05-17
- ^ Police say Texas minister caught in Internet sex sting, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 16, 2008, retrieved 2008-05-17
External links
- Prestonwood Baptist Church official website
- PowerPoint with Jack Graham official website of PowerPoint Ministries