Our History

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.  Deuteronomy 32:7

Park Cities Baptist Church began with a mission of reaching people in North Dallas for the Lord.  The great George W. Truett, who was pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, remarked, “There ought to be a Baptist church in the Park Cities.” Over the summer of 1939, a few men who lived in the Park Cities gathered some neighbors and organized a new church. On October 26 of that year, they chartered the Park Cities Baptist Church.  The first meeting place was the University Park Elementary School.

By the end of December 1939, Park Cities called its first pastor, Dr. R. Alton Reed. Soon, the church bought a large, old house on Lovers Lane.  Membership grew from about 100 in the beginning of 1940 to almost 1,000 by the end of 1946.  In 1947, Dr. Reed resigned to take a new position of ministry. Dr. Herbert R. Howard was called to be the second pastor.  He preached his first sermon at Park Cities in January 1948.

During the 22 years Dr. Howard was pastor, the church Park Cities grew tremendously in membership, activities, missions, and influence in the city and in Baptist affairs. In what was just a field of grass at the time, the buildings on the church campus were begun in 1948.  Two educational buildings were completed in 1950 and the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall were completed in 1956.  Additional buildings included the Activities Building in 1962, Ellis Chapel in 1967, and the Collins Building in 1988.

Upon the retirement of Dr. Howard, the church called Dr. James L. Pleitz to be its third pastor.  He retired in 1993.  Dr. Allen Walworth was called in 1994 and served as Park Cities’ fourth pastor through1997.  In March 1998, Park Cities called its fifth pastor, Dr. James C. Denison. 

Today Dr. Denison leads a strong ministry team of professional staff and lay leaders to oversee extensive ministries and global missions. Resident membership in Park Cities Baptist Church numbers close to 9,400.  And although the membership is quite diverse, it is characterized by its commitment to the Lord’s work and its influence in the community.

In the mid-1990s, Park Cities Baptist Church invested intensive research, thought and prayer to develop plans for its future ministries. Besides innovations in worship, discipleship training and community outreach, the plans called for dramatic increase in physical space and parking. In the spring of 2002, the church committed itself to building a new Community Life Center. The three-story underground parking garage opened in September 2005. The three-story building, scheduled to open in the summer of 2006, will provide space for the Youth and Preschool ministries, as well as a state-of-the-art facility for worship and other gatherings.

Through seven decades, Park Cities Baptist Church has faithfully stepped forward with determination and innovation to meet our God-given mission of helping people follow Jesus.