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.
| Prestonwood Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 6801 W. Park Blvd Plano, Texas 75093 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Associations | Southern Baptist Convention |
| Membership | 45,000+ |
| Weekly attendance | Approximately 17,000 |
| Campuses | 2 |
| Website | prestonwood |
| History | |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founder(s) | Bill Weber |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1999 (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) |
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
edit
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
editIn June of 1989, after 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 church in Mississippi. Unfortunately, he was later accused of abusing young boys again.[4][5][6][7]
In May of 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 of 2013, a decade-long church member was ordered off church premises and reported to the police as a 'suspicious person" because of an earlier incident.[11][12]
Campuses
editPrestonwood 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.
References
edit- ^ Hodges, Sam & Appleton, Roy. "Booming church not done growing", Dallas Morning News, March 28, 2006
- ^ a b "Our Story - Prestonwood Baptist Church". Prestonwood Baptist Church. January 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Prestonwood Life, February/March 2007, retrieved May 16, 2008
- ^ "Report: Prestonwood Baptist Church hid sexual abuse from police". NewsRadio 1080 KRLD. May 23, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Former Prestonwood Minister's Attorney Wants Sex Abuse Case Dropped". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "SBC report highlights Plano's Prestonwood Baptist as example of protecting sex abusers". Dallas News. May 23, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "Disturbing revelations about former Prestonwood minister". wfaa.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ Chavez, Stella, Prestonwood Baptist pastor: Church appalled, disgraced by minister's sex sting arrest, Dallas Morning News, 2008-05-18, retrieved 2008-06-05
- ^ Fullhart, Steve (September 29, 2009). "Former Texas Minister Sentenced In Teen Sex Solicitation Case". KBTX-TV. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ "Pastor: Minister arrested in sex sting resigns". NBC News. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ "Social media posts cause discord between Prestonwood Baptist, member". wfaa.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Allen, Bob, Church calls cops on inquiring member