Carrollton Church of the Nazarene sits along East Hebron Parkway in a stretch of Carrollton where retail, restaurants, and residential neighborhoods blend together just north of the Dallas North Tollway. The congregation describes itself as a diverse community that holds the Bible as the inspired Word of God and a daily source of strength, guidance, and direction. Its life is shaped around three words, Belong, Believe, Become, that guide everything from Sunday worship to the church's global mission work.
Belong, Believe, Become
Those three words come directly from the way the church reads Jesus' relationship with His first followers. Belonging comes first, because Jesus invited the disciples to follow Him in faith and community before He asked them to believe. At CNaz that means the doors stay wide open. Members laugh, cry, argue, encourage, and love one another, and no one is expected to have life figured out before walking in. Believing is the next step: opening the door of the heart to Jesus and letting His teachings become the road map for both eternal life and daily life. The church is careful to point out that believing is not required in order to belong, but the hope is that everyone who finds a place here will eventually come into a life-altering encounter with Christ. Becoming is the long, ongoing work of leaning into faith, reading Scripture, praying, and serving others until each person grows more like Jesus and into the very best version of themselves. For the current season the church is anchoring its teaching in the joy described in Jude 24 and 25, a joy grounded not in circumstances but in God's faithfulness and the finished work of Christ.
Sunday Mornings on East Hebron
Sunday is the heart of the week. Sunday School meets at 9:30 am, giving children, youth, and adults a chance to dig into Scripture in age-appropriate settings. The worship service follows at 10:45 am and is led by Worship Leader Dr. Teri O'Connor, who brings decades of musical and ministry experience to the role. The service blends music, prayer, and preaching in a setting designed to feel both reverent and accessible for newcomers. Children are welcome in the worship service and are also invited to take part in children's ministries that meet on Sunday mornings.
Wednesdays Around The Chosen and Thursdays Around the World
Midweek life at CNaz takes two distinct shapes. On Wednesday night at 7 pm, adults gather in the Fellowship Hall for a Bible study built around The Chosen, the popular series about the life of Jesus. Each episode sparks a discussion about the real-world conflicts the characters face and what Scripture has to say about overcoming them. Teen activities for junior and senior high students share the same Wednesday evening, giving students their own space to grow alongside their peers.
On Thursday at 7 pm, the church's reach stretches well beyond Carrollton through an online Bible study held over Zoom. Believers from across the country join to walk verse by verse through Scripture together. Together, Wednesday and Thursday give CNaz a steady midweek rhythm of in-person and online study.
Ministry for Every Generation
CNaz has built ministries for nearly every stage of life. Children in first through sixth grade can join the quizzing team, which teaches Scripture memorization through friendly competition at invitational, regional, and national events. Children's ministry is led by Pastor Beth Rush, who brings more than twenty years of experience and a love for hands-on, visual teaching. She also serves as the church's Naz Safe coordinator, helping ensure that programs for children remain safe and well-run.
Teens in seventh through twelfth grade are shepherded by Jackie and Ramon Ridenour, a husband-and-wife team who also run the church's audiovisual setup. Jackie holds a degree in Biblical Studies and has been involved in ministry her whole life; Ramon is a programmer by trade, and together they bring creativity and warmth to the youth room.
College students and young professionals in their twenties and thirties gather through the Young Adults group, where they seek to weave their faith into everyday life and encourage one another toward faithfulness. Women meet for a Tuesday morning Bible study designed for fellowship and faith-building, and the broader Women's Ministry offers encouragement, prayer, and community for women of every age. Men come together for Rawhide, a fellowship built around a televised athletic event with a devotional and prayer at halftime, an easy, low-pressure way for men to share discipleship and prayer.
Outside the church's own ministry teams, the CNaz building serves as a community hub. Scouts of America Troop 876 and Crew 874 meet on campus, alongside a Crochet Club, the Gideons International, a Men of Prayer gathering, ACA (a recovery group), and Spanish School House.
Crisis Care Kits, Alabaster, and Prayer
Missions are woven into the life of the church through three long-standing initiatives of the Church of the Nazarene. Crisis Care Kits are packed and shipped to places hit by disaster, with recent deliveries going to Belize, California, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Jordan, the Philippines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Zambia, and other locations around the globe. The Alabaster Offering, collected in February and September, funds the purchase of land and the construction of churches, schools, medical facilities, and missionary homes in places where the gospel is taking root. Throughout the year the congregation also remembers missionaries by name in prayer, supporting those who serve in difficult places as agents of peace and transformation.
The Pastoral Team
Lead Pastor Sean O'Connor brings more than thirty years of ministry experience to CNaz. Known for his down-to-earth personality and sense of humor, he has a particular heart for leadership development and for walking alongside students, athletes, parents, and families. Visitors will often find him flipping burgers or hot dogs at community events, a reminder that ministry here is as much about presence as preaching. Office Administrator Jill Banas, who grew up in the church, keeps the office running and is often accompanied by her tiny canine sidekick, Sophie.
Planning a First Visit
Sunday mornings begin with Sunday School at 9:30 am followed by worship at 10:45 am. The building is easy to find on East Hebron Parkway in Carrollton, Texas. Giving is available online through Tithe.ly, and an archive of past sermons is posted online for anyone who wants to catch up or share a message with a friend. The Thursday night Zoom Bible study is open to anyone who wants to join, whether they live in Carrollton or across the country.