Helping People Become More Like Jesus on McDermott Road
On a busy stretch of McDermott Road in west Plano, the church of Christ on McDermott Road gathers two mornings a week for singing, prayer, preaching, and the Lord's Supper. The congregation's stated purpose is simple: "Helping people become more like Jesus." From its circular guest drop-off and digital marquee at the entrance to its intergenerational Bible classes and home-based Life Groups, the church has built its ministry around relationships and Bible study as much as around its Sunday worship service.
Plano families, retirees, college students, and young professionals all find a place here. Members who have been part of the church for decades worship alongside first-time visitors who stop in to see what the colored sign and circular drive are all about.
What Sundays Look Like
Worship services are held on Sundays at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM, with Sunday morning Bible Classes for all ages at 9:30 AM. A mid-week Bible class meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.
Each Sunday gathering follows a familiar shape: a cappella singing with words projected on the screen and printed in songbooks tucked beneath the seats, prayers led from the pulpit, a sermon, the Lord's Supper, and an offering. Communion is observed every Sunday, with sealed cups of unleavened bread and grape juice passed in trays to anyone who wishes to participate. Baptism by immersion follows the sermon for anyone ready to make that decision.
The preaching is Bible-centered and prayer-saturated. Most Sundays the pulpit is filled by Wes McAdams, who serves as the church's main preaching minister. The church is deliberate about titles: members are not called "Father" or "Pastor," and no one in the service wears special clothing or is set apart from the rest. The teaching reflects the conviction that all believers are a priesthood of believers and that Scripture, prayer, and gathered worship are what build the church rather than any human hierarchy.
The 10:30 AM service is the most accessible option for visitors who need extra help. ASL interpretation is provided, captions are turned on, and live translation through the Wordly platform turns the spoken English into captions and subtitles in dozens of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, French, and Tagalog. Translation is offered through a link or QR code that visitors open on their own devices.
The Building and What to Expect
Driving up to the campus, a large colored digital sign marks the main entrance. A circular drive is set aside for guest drop-off, with guest parking close by. Once inside, the youth and children's wing is immediately to the right and the worship center to the left. Seating is open; visitors can sit wherever they like. There is no dress code beyond what anyone might wear to a Sunday morning gathering in Plano.
Guests are not asked to give. After the sermon, elders and ministry staff are available at the front of the auditorium and in a Prayer Room off the main foyer to talk, pray, or answer questions. Communion kits are placed in the seat backs in advance, and the offering is collected from a box in the foyer.
Five Values That Shape the Church
The ministries of the church of Christ on McDermott Road are organized around five values:
- Transformational Growth through Bible classes, small groups, and Christ-centered teaching.
- Authentic Relationships built as members serve and challenge one another in community.
- Faithful Homes, with ministries designed to strengthen marriages and nurture children.
- Sacred Worship that is biblical, vibrant, and God-honoring.
- Evangelistic Outreach, both local and global, that involves every member of the church.
Sunday Morning Classes for Every Stage of Life
Bible classes meet between the two worship services on Sunday morning and are organized by life stage:
- Truth Seekers meets in the Auditorium and is intergenerational, digging deep in Scripture for transformation rather than just information.
- Life Builders meets in Auditorium Rooms A-C and is for adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
- Pacesetters meets in Auditorium Rooms D-F and is for adults in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.
- Young Adults meets in Fellowship Hall Room 216.
- PrimeTimers meets in the Fellowship Hall and is for adults age 60 and older. The class also gathers for monthly social events.
Life Groups: More Than Thirty Small Communities
The church considers small groups essential and runs more than thirty of them, called Life Groups. Each group gathers eight to twelve households, often connected by a shared stage of life such as raising young children, parenting teens, being single, empty-nesting, or retirement. Groups meet once a month on a Sunday afternoon or evening, usually sharing a meal or dessert along with Bible discussion based on the morning sermon. Visitors and members who want to join a group can contact Barrett Bingham, the Life Groups coordinator.
Men's, Women's, and Marriage Ministries
The Men's Ministry focuses on helping men align themselves under the Lordship of Jesus in every area of life. Activities include Brothers Keeper mentoring groups that pair older and younger men, service projects for the elderly and those in need, an annual Men's Retreat with a guest speaker, and a monthly Burger Lunch on the first Tuesday of each month at a local restaurant.
Heartfelt Friends, the women's ministry, is a Titus 2 mentoring program where older women (Heart Moms) host younger women (Heart Sisters) once a month in their homes for food, fellowship, and biblical encouragement. The ministry is described as "for women of all ages and stages, from 18 to 108."
For married couples, the church offers two structured courses: United, a nine-week study of marriage from Scripture, and Dynamic Marriage, an interactive course based on the "Love Bank" model from Dr. Willard Harley's His Needs, Her Needs. DivorceCare is also available as a 13-week support group for those walking through separation or divorce, with childcare provided on request.
Children, Youth, and the Preschool
Children's Ministry serves the church's youngest members through Bible-focused programming during worship and class times. The Youth and Family ministry supports teenagers and their parents, and the Bridges ministry serves individuals and families affected by special needs.
McDermott Road Preschool operates out of the same campus. The preschool is open to both church families and the wider community and runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 1:45 PM, following the Plano Independent School District calendar. Classes are organized by age for one-year-olds through four-year-olds and include a weekly chapel time, plus an optional Fun Friday enrichment program. Tuition for the school year is $250 per month, with a $75 monthly add-on for Fun Friday and a 10 percent sibling discount. Director Kathy Aljian schedules tours by appointment.
Local Outreach in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area
Three local outreach efforts put the church's faith into practice close to home:
- Thrive is a monthly food distribution ministry. On the first Friday of each month, volunteers pick up and deliver produce to a section of McKinney where grocery stores are scarce, then spend the afternoon handing out the produce and offering encouragement to local families. Volunteers can contact Aaron Appleby or Scott Stewart.
- Main St. Dallas partners with the Main Street Church of Christ in downtown Dallas to serve meals to people experiencing homelessness.
- FriendSpeak connects international neighbors with American volunteers for one-to-one English conversation and Bible study. David Woodward and Mark Bryson help coordinate participants.
The church also partners with CounselingWorks, a program of ChristianWorks, to provide professional counseling referrals for individuals and marriages. Requests for referrals can be made through the church office.
World Outreach: Estonia, Nicaragua, South Texas and Mexico, Haiti, and Beyond
The church's World Outreach Ministry supports the planting and strengthening of churches in places where the church is not well established. Rather than just sending money, members travel to participate in training, encouragement, and gospel work.
In Estonia, the church has overseen work in Tallinn since 2003, supporting evangelist Nikolai Vasjutin and a second congregation in the university city of Tartu. Members also help with Camp Balchyoca, an annual summer gathering of nearly 200 people.
In Nicaragua, the church was one of the primary sponsors of the Biblical Institute of Central America (BICA) in Jinotepe when it started in 2008. BICA trains evangelists in a two-year residential program that combines classroom study, door-to-door evangelism, and vocational training.
In South Texas and Mexico, the church has helped establish and support Hispanic congregations in the Rio Grande Valley, including in Las Milpas, Alton, Palmview, Iowa Road, and Alamo, plus six congregations across the border in Reynosa and Monterrey. Twice a year, around forty members travel to the Valley for short-term mission trips that include Vacation Bible Schools, ladies' events, mobile dental and eye clinics, and construction projects. The youth group also makes a summer trip, and the church fills roughly 250 backpacks with school supplies each August and provides angel-tree gifts at Christmas.
In Haiti, the church began supporting Hope for Haiti's Children in 2018, helping two Christian orphanages and ten schools that provide education, meals, and Bible teaching.
The church also runs a World Bible School program, equipping members to teach online Bible lessons to students around the world. Spanish-language teachers are especially welcome. Mark Bryson coordinates the local effort.
What the Church Believes
The beliefs taught at the church of Christ on McDermott Road line up with the broader Churches of Christ restoration tradition. Members teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that His death and resurrection reconcile believers to the Father, and that all Scripture is divinely inspired. They hold that every person has sinned and is justified by grace through faith, that forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit come through confession, and that baptism by immersion follows faith as a public response. The church is understood as the Body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit and called to save the lost and nurture the saved. The congregation also looks forward to the return of Christ and the gathering of believers to be with Him.
Listening Beyond Sunday
Sermons are archived and available through the church's sermon pages, with PDF slides going back several years. The P.S. Post Sermon Podcast, hosted by Wes McAdams and other ministers, continues the conversation each week, answering questions from listeners and exploring how the Sunday message connects to daily life. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Giving is available online through the church's secure giving platform. Members and regular attenders can also access a member directory, the Called to More discipleship site, RightNow Media, and the church calendar through the Elexio church portal.