PLANO, Texas — Prestonwood Baptist Church, which began its journey as a 12-member church plant that met in a community recreation center, will celebrate its historic 40th anniversary this weekend. The church’s 43,000 members will gather across three campuses in Plano, Lewisville and Prosper to commemorate Prestonwood’s decadeslong history of impact in North Texas.
“Only God could raise up a tiny church plant in North Dallas to impact the North Texas region and the world with the life-transforming message of the Gospel,” said Dr. Jack Graham, who has served as Prestonwood’s pastor since 1989.
Founded in North Dallas as a church plant of Northway Baptist Church, Prestonwood Baptist Church met for the first time at Fretz Park Recreation Center on Feb. 6, 1977. The original 12 members canvassed the neighborhood to invite people, and 102 attended the first service.
In 1989, Dr. Jack Graham became pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, and a decade later he led the church to its permanent home in Plano, Texas.
Under Dr. Graham’s leadership, Prestonwood has grown into a vibrant congregation that’s impacting not only the state of Texas but also America and nations across the world.
Prestonwood Baptist Church now encompasses a 140-acre campus in Plano with two growing locations in Lewisville and Prosper, Texas. Over the course of the years, Prestonwood has added services in Spanish, “Prestonwood en Español,” reaching North Texas’ expanding Hispanic population; launched Prestonwood Christian Academy and graduated 1,524 students; and baptized 24,263 people. The Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, which launched in 1994, has served more than 71,000 clients and seen more than 59,000 women choose life for their babies.
In all, Prestonwood has directly impacted hundreds of thousands of people in North Texas, serving not only as a church home, but also as a source of help and encouragement to the community.
Nationally and internationally, Prestonwood’s PowerPoint Ministries, featuring the preaching of Dr. Graham, reaches millions of listeners and viewers through 1,950 radio and television stations broadcast in the U.S. and 122 countries across the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Iran, Russia, Israel and more.
Through the Prestonwood Network, an initiative launched in 2011 by Dr. Graham to plant and revitalize churches throughout North America, Prestonwood Baptist Church has equipped pastors to lead and plant 150 churches.
“God has had his hand on Prestonwood throughout the past four decades, leading us to accomplish more than we could’ve ever imagined,” said Dr. Graham. “We are grateful for this wonderful legacy, and we’re confident that Prestonwood’s best days are still ahead of us.”
Media note: Reporters are welcome to join Prestonwood Baptist Church’s 40th anniversary celebration in the Plano, Texas, campus, Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Please email Berta Delgado-Young (bdelgado-young@prestonwood.
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Dr. Jack Graham is the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America. He is also a noted author, and his PowerPoint Ministriesbroadcasts are available in 92 countries and are heard daily in more than 740 cities. He has served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and the honorary chairman of the 2015 National Day of Prayer.
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