History

Prestonwood Baptist Church began on Feb. 6, 1977, as a mission of Northway Baptist Church and a dream of the Dallas Baptist Association, who saw the tremendous need for a vibrant church in North Dallas.

Services were held at the Fretz Park Recreation Center for the first two years. On Feb. 24, 1979, Prestonwood moved into its first 700-seat building at Arapaho & Hillcrest. In February of 1983, a 4,000-seat Worship Center was completed. The membership continued to grow rapidly through the '80's, reaching close to 11,000.

In 1989, Dr. Jack Graham became senior pastor. God continued to bring people to the church, and it soon became apparent that space problems were going to escalate in the upcoming years.

In the summer of 1994, with membership topping 14,000, Dr. Graham asked the congregation to join him in seeking God’s direction for the future of the church. Over the next months and years, God led Prestonwood into a major relocation to the Plano area. In August, the church approved the purchase of a beautiful 140–acre site in north Plano, at the intersection of West Park Boulevard and Midway Road.

On Sunday, March 23, 1997, more than 6,000 gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for Phase One of the Master Plan. Honored guests included U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Representative Sam Johnson, and Dr. Gary Cook, President of Dallas Baptist University. It was a morning never to be forgotten!

Two years later, on Sunday, May 2, 1999, Prestonwood celebrated its inaugural service in its new 7,000-seat Worship Center. With over 17,000 attending, it was obvious God was still moving and growing the church. In an effort to reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, Saturday night worship and Bible studies were added. On Sundays, an additional morning service was added.

With membership approaching 20,000, space in the new facilities became limited once again. Our Pastor led the church in a season of prayer and fasting. Living Faith, a call to spiritual awakening, was born. As prayer intensified, the need to expand the church and reach more people with the news of Jesus became even more urgent. On Nov. 10-11, more than $36 million was committed to Living Faith. On January 12-13, 2002, Prestonwood celebrated the groundbreaking of Phase II. This second phase of the Master Plan was completed in August 2003. Today, membership at Prestonwood has reached 26,552, and the church body continues to seek new ways to share the love of Jesus Christ with people across the community, nation and world.

After months of prayer concerning the future of Prestonwood and the possibility of expansion, Pastor Jack Graham shared with the Plano congregation in March 2006 a vision that included plans for a second location, the North Campus. The vision for “one church at two locations” grew out of a spirit-led determination to keep moving forward to the glory of God to reach our community. Prestonwood leaders had been in prayer about land near U.S. Highway 380 and the future extension of the Dallas North Tollway. They had also received a “Macedonian call” for help from believers in the region of North Frisco, West McKinney, Prosper, Celina and Little Elm – an area that is rapidly transforming from expanses of farmland and prairie into vibrant, growing communities. Positive response from the congregation toward the vision, coupled with the faith and focus and mission of Prestonwood, has been confirmation that God is working in many hearts regarding this “new thing” He is doing. Services and Bible Fellowship classes are currently meeting at Prosper High School. In this work and others, Prestonwood is committed to using its people and blessings and resources to fulfill the Great Commission in this generation – ever striving to be “one church to the glory of God.”