Looking for church (Dallas, Plano, Highland Park: neighborhood, movie theater, live in)

[lunaling]

I'm overwhelmed by all of the church selections in the Dallas area. Would love suggestions (and links, if available). I'm looking for a church that:

believes that Jesus is the way, truth, and life
is humble & unpretentious; not cliche
grace-based
welcomes women in ministry
reveres but doesn't worship the bible
not shy to engage tough social and theological issues

Thanks in advance!

[jeffari-al-texani]

hmmm...sounds like you might be a Methodist...

but what part of town are you looking for a place of worship to visit?

[lunaling]

Dallas / Plano area.
I'm not sure about denomination, but open.

[racehorse]

My husband is moving to Bent Tree Bible Fellowship and he really likes it. He is evangelical and I'm Catholic. We take turns going to each other's churches. They do accept women in ministry and seem to have very active small groups and ministries.

[TurtleCreek80]

Highland Park Presbyterian Church might be a good fit for you! Despite being in a very wealthy neighborhood, the church was extremely humbled about 20 years ago when it's congregation split in two. Those remaining at HPPC really had to work to reinvent the staid old church. It is PC (USA) the more liberal denomination of the Presbyterian church, which welcomes women into leadership positions such as Elder. However, Ron Scates, the senior pastor is tough and Bible preaching (no Joel Osteen "health & wealth"....God wants you to be rich messages here)- has openly preached about abortion and other "touchy" subjects. The church also has the largest urban Presbyterian ministry in the US and hundreds of Africans (mainly refugees) worship there throughout the week....my point being, despite the "Highland Park" name & location, it is a diverse Bible believing church that welcomes visitors and has wonderful programming for men, women, children, teenagers, and young adults & couples. There is quite an active seniors group there, too.

First Baptist Downtown meets all your requirements except women in leadership. It is a very conservative church with a senior pastor who speaks strongly against the immoral & sinful world we live in.

[Linzy]

Chase Oaks Church Chase Oaks Church in Plano by Legacy and 75. Comtemporary and come as you are. Love the wordship and the pastor. Annual Sharefest where we help out the communities.

[jelf]

I agree with the HPPC recommendation. My wife and I are members. Although it is a PCUSA church, there is not much emphasis on denomination, and the church is generally more conservative than its PCUSA counterparts (particularly in the North). Dr. Scates even said in the membership class that he did not believe denomination was particularly important, or something to that effect. This is in contrast to Park Cities Presbyterian (which is the other piece in the split TC80 references), where I also attended at one point; when I was there, there was quite a bit of emphasis on denomination. There is great music and preaching at the traditional service and great special music on occasion. A lot of the younger crowd likes the contemporary service that meets in gym.

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Highland Park Presbyterian Church might be a good fit for you! Despite being in a very wealthy neighborhood, the church was extremely humbled about 20 years ago when it's congregation split in two. Those remaining at HPPC really had to work to reinvent the staid old church. It is PC (USA) the more liberal denomination of the Presbyterian church, which welcomes women into leadership positions such as Elder. However, Ron Scates, the senior pastor is tough and Bible preaching (no Joel Osteen "health & wealth"....God wants you to be rich messages here)- has openly preached about abortion and other "touchy" subjects. The church also has the largest urban Presbyterian ministry in the US and hundreds of Africans (mainly refugees) worship there throughout the week....my point being, despite the "Highland Park" name & location, it is a diverse Bible believing church that welcomes visitors and has wonderful programming for men, women, children, teenagers, and young adults & couples. There is quite an active seniors group there, too.

First Baptist Downtown meets all your requirements except women in leadership. It is a very conservative church with a senior pastor who speaks strongly against the immoral & sinful world we live in.

[texanney]

I'm not sure about women in the ministry at any of these, but you might like The Village Church (Northway campus in Dallas / http://northway.thevillagechurch.net/), Watermark Church (http://www.watermark.org/) or Fellowship Dallas (across from Northpark in the old movie theater, not Ed Young's Church downtown...this one is the most diverse in age of the 3 / http://www.fellowshipdallas.org/).

[txtoal]

Find a Methodist church. That fits with your descriptions of what you are looking for.

[newtoTexas2]

You might want to check out Bent Tree - it is across from our church - which I am not sure would be a good fit for you or I would invite you It works for us...but not really based on your description. Bent Tree might be a good fit. I do suggest visiting several churches before you make a choice.