Parkway Hills Baptist Church sits along the Dallas North Tollway in Plano, Texas, almost at the corner of the President George Bush Turnpike and the DNT, and its cross-shaped logo is meant to mark that intersection. The church's identity runs along the parkway the same way the Gospel runs through everything it does: the concentric rings of the logo are designed to represent the different spheres of life into which members carry the hope of the Gospel each week, including family, workplaces and communities, and the wider world.
Parkway Hills is a Southern Baptist congregation that has built its ministry around a simple rhythm. Each Sunday the church gathers for corporate worship, then scatters into Life Groups for Bible study and community, then sends people out into their neighborhoods as witnesses of the Gospel. The mission statement puts it plainly: "At Parkway Hills, we journey together to glorify God, making disciples of every generation and serving the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ." The church's core values are gospel transformation, generational faithfulness, kingdom focus, and Spirit and truth empowerment.
Sunday Mornings at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m.
Two Sunday morning worship services are offered at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. in person and online, and both follow the same shape. A typical service runs about an hour and includes congregational worship, congregational prayer, baptism, and a time to learn together from God's Word. Worship is intentionally multigenerational and follows the model of Colossians 3:16, with the team singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that are rooted in Scripture. Songs range from older hymns to newer worship songs, with a focus on scriptural accuracy and sound doctrine.
Worship is led by Pastor of Worship and Media Logan Doak, Associate Worship Minister Christine Crane, Music Director Pepe Valdez, and Artist-in-Residence Efren Guzman. The worship choir rehearses Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and anyone is welcome to join. A Spotify playlist curated by the worship team lets visitors sample the musical style before they arrive.
For newcomers, the church asks families with children to arrive five to ten minutes early for check-in. A Host Team meets cars in the parking lot and can answer questions about checking in children, student worship, and Life Groups. After services, guests are invited to stop by the Connection area for help finding a Life Group.
Life Groups: The Heart of Discipleship
Life Groups are the small-group structure that undergirds everything at Parkway Hills. The church teaches that gospel transformation happens in community where people are known and changed by God's Word, and its Life Groups exist to engage in Bible study, foster meaningful relationships, and provide a supportive environment for spiritual growth and accountability.
Adult Life Groups meet every Sunday morning at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. and on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. They meet in person and online and are organized by age and life stage, so singles, young marrieds, parents, and older adults can all find a group that fits. Groups engage in biblical truth, build connections, and grow together through Scripture. Anyone wanting help finding a group can visit the Connection area on Sunday mornings or email Director of Guest Connections Kelsey Cooper.
Kids Life Groups meet during both Sunday morning services for children from birth through 5th grade. Student Life Groups are part of the Wednesday night rhythm for 6th through 12th grade. The church treats every age as a generation to be discipled in its own right, which is why the milestone path through childhood and adolescence is so central to the church's family ministry.
Midweek: Wednesday Nights Around the Tables
Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. are a second gathering point for the church and run August through May. The intent is that parents can drop off children for Midweek ministries while they themselves attend a class, study, or support group, but parents are required to remain on campus whenever they use Midweek Kids or Preschool Midweek.
Midweek Kids serves kindergarten through 5th grade and uses the church's Faith Habits to teach kids how God desires for them to live. The evening includes fun and games, scripture memory, and a look at the church's missions partners to see how those partners are living out God's plans. Preschool Midweek, for birth through Prekindergarten, features rotations through music, playground time, and a Bible lesson that extends Sunday morning learning, along with special Bible activities, crafts, and an introduction to musical instruments.
For students, Wednesday evenings are organized around discipleship groups organized by grade and gender. Students meet in homes and on campus for Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, and the Student Ministry uses Wednesday nights as the primary setting for introducing friends to biblical community.
Adults have their own Wednesday options. re|engage is a 14-week marriage enrichment class led by couples from the congregation who have completed the program; it is designed for marriages that need reigniting as well as those needing a more thorough restoration. GriefShare is a biblically based support group for people dealing with loss. Cancer Care is a Christ-centered group for patients, survivors, family members, and friends affected by a cancer diagnosis. Worship Choir rehearses Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Men's Bible Study meets in the Music Suite, and a Women's Bible Study is also offered.
Parenting A to Z classes run during the midweek hour for parents of children of all ages, offering practical biblical tips and meaningful discussions for parents navigating every stage from toddlerhood to the teen years.
Children from Birth through Fifth Grade
The Kids Ministry at Parkway Hills runs from birth through 5th grade and is structured around the conviction that parents are the primary faith trainers of their children. The ministry partners with parents through every stage of childhood, and its teachers and small-group leaders use Lifeway's Bible Studies for Life curriculum, which is research-backed and designed to move children step by step toward Christ in an age-appropriate way.
Preschool Ministry serves children from six weeks of age through kindergarten on Sundays at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. and on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. Parents are asked to bring a diaper bag with two or three diapers, a complete change of clothes, and a labeled bottle or sippy cup. A nursing mothers room is provided in the preschool area with two rocking chairs, a sink, a changing table, and a livestream of the service.
The Kids Ministry Pastor is Jared Simpson, who joined the team after years of teaching in England and at a Fort Worth church and is completing a Master of Arts in Christian Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Joey Michel serves as the Kids Ministry Associate and grew up at Parkway Hills. The ministry observes Parent-Child Dedication three times a year as the first Milestone on a child's faith journey.
Snacks are provided in preschool classrooms and include items such as Gerber puffs for babies and Goldfish, Teddy Grahams, or vanilla wafers for older toddlers. Parents of children with food allergies are asked to note them on the child's information card.
Students in Grades 6 through 12
The Student Ministry exists to make disciples of the 6th through 12th grade generation by fostering biblical relationships. Students meet Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. for fellowship, teaching, worship, and food, and the gathering uses Scripture to address topics through a biblical worldview. Wednesday evening Life Groups from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. are organized by grade and gender and serve as the main venue for genuine discipleship during the school year.
Student Ministry Pastor Cody Cockrell came to the church through the Marine Corps, served at Camp David and as an infantry squad leader, then earned a degree at the University of Texas at Dallas before pursuing a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Kasa Holtfrerich serves as the Next Gen and Student Ministry Assistant. The ministry communicates with students through text reminders and a weekly newsletter.
Summer offerings for students include summer camp and a summer mission trip, and students are folded into broader churchwide mission efforts through the year.
Young Adults: Rooted, The Portion, and Young Professionals
The Young Adults ministry gathers three groups across the week, all built around the conviction that this generation needs a community that processes life's challenges through a biblical lens.
Rooted meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and is designed for young marrieds from those without children to those with preschoolers. Young Professionals meets Sundays at 9:00 a.m. for young adults in their 20s and early 30s, whether single, dating, or engaged. The Portion meets Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. for single young adults in their 20s and early 30s. Pastoral Resident Vinod Thuraka, who came to Christ at fourteen in India and is now pursuing a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, helps lead the ministry alongside other staff.
Women's Ministry
Women's Ministry at Parkway Hills centers on weekly Bible studies offered every semester, supplemented by retreats, conferences, and mission trips. Women's Minister Suzie Prizer has been on staff since 1997 and leads a volunteer leadership team that plans Bible studies, events, retreats, and women's mission trips.
Three women's Bible study times are offered each week: Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. The ministry reaches, inspires, and encourages women of all walks of life and frames its gatherings around the idea that life is better connected. Prayer gatherings, retreats, and service opportunities such as the WOW ministry to widows, school staff ministry, and mission trips round out the calendar.
Men's Ministry
The Men's Ministry focuses on helping men develop deeper connections through the study of God's Word and learning to lead like Jesus. Two weekly Bible studies are offered: Thursday mornings from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. in The Crossing, and Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Music Suite. No registration is required for either.
Executive Pastor Lance Crowell oversees the ministry, which partners with the NETS (New England Training and Sending) organization on a summer men's work trip. The trip takes a group of guys (fathers and middle-school-aged sons welcome) to help with construction, carpentry, siding repair, painting, and other work in support of church planting in the Northeast. The trip is held in early summer.
Men also serve on the Deacon Team, in the Fix-It Ministry, in Elder Care, and through men's-specific service opportunities throughout the year.
Senior Adults: JOY and 55+
The JOY and 55+ Ministry (where JOY stands for "Just Older Youth") builds on the conviction that older adults are an active, engaged part of the church. Senior adults participate in Life Groups and Bible Studies, gather for fellowship events and trips, and serve together through mission opportunities. A Wednesday evening Bible study from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. runs August through May, and the JOY staff helps connect seniors to ministries such as Stephen Ministry, GriefShare, the Preschool and Children's ministries, Nursing Home Ministry, and mission trips.
Ed Gardner serves as 55+ Minister, and Catherine Taylor serves as the 55+ and Benevolence Ministry Coordinator. Senior adults have their own ways to serve and their own resources, which include the Fix-It Ministry, recommendations on eldercare, and information on the Plano Take Me Home Program for residents with dementia or communication challenges.
Care, Counseling, and Shepherding
The Care Ministry at Parkway Hills is built around the idea that no one has to walk through difficulty alone. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the support of fellow believers, the church provides support, comfort, healing, and training to people facing life challenges. Care Groups include re|engage for marriage, GriefShare for loss, and DivorceCare for separation and divorce.
Stephen Ministry organizes, equips, and trains lay members to provide confidential, one-to-one, Christ-centered care for people going through grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation. Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of certified training before being paired with a care receiver.
Christ-centered professional counseling is available on campus with licensed counselors, and fees are kept lower than many comparable services in the community. Counselors include James Caldwell (youth, parents, premarital), Shelley Raymond (adults, marriage, parenting, online only), Michelle Northam (adults, addictions, anxiety, depression, stress, anger management), Derek Smith (ages 13 through adults, trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, couples, and family counseling), and Linda May (divorce and separation, adults, addictions, anxiety, depression, PTSD). Linda May is also a trained Stephen Minister.
Additional caring resources include Celebrate Recovery for hurts, hang-ups, and habits; Financial Peace University; Crown Financial Ministries; The Hope Line for teens and young adults in crisis; Mighty Oaks for military veterans; and Real Options for women facing unexpected pregnancies.
Parent Ministry and the Milestone Path
Parkway Hills teaches that God designed the church and the family to work together in raising the next generation of Christians. Its Parent Ministry, led by Minister to Parents Debbie Richardson, equips families to disciple the next generation one step at a time through the Legacy Milestone Path.
The path is organized around seven Milestones. Milestone 1 is Family Commitment (parent-child dedication). Milestone 2 is Salvation and Baptism. Milestone 3 is Preparing for Adolescence. Milestone 4 is Purity for Life. Milestone 5 is Rite of Passage. Milestone 6 is High School Graduation. Milestone 7 is Life in Christ. Each Milestone comes with recommended books, parent classes, and a milestone Sunday class, and the church offers a digital Milestone Resource Center with book recommendations for every stage.
Faith Talks are intentional weekly conversations around Scripture, and God Moments are ordinary life situations that parents can use to speak truth into their children. The ministry also runs Parenting A to Z seminars and an annual Parent Summit for parents who want to grow as the primary faith trainers of their children.
Worship Arts and Media
The Worship Arts and Media team is led by Logan Doak, who is also a Professor of Worship at Dallas Baptist University. The team includes Christine Crane as Associate Worship Minister and Digital Strategies Coordinator, Kim Adams as Music and Technology Coordinator, Pepe Valdez as Music Director, and Efren Guzman as Artist-in-Residence.
The ministry runs the Worship Choir (Wednesdays 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.), the worship band and orchestra, and a media and technology team that handles sound, lighting, video, and multimedia on Sunday mornings. Anyone is welcome to join the choir regardless of musical background, and instrumentalists can apply to join the worship team. The church livestreams services through its app and Watch Live, and recordings of past services are available.
Missions: Local, National, and Global
Missions at Parkway Hills is structured around the conviction that followers of Christ are invited into a life of loving and living like Jesus, and that missions is one of the beautiful ways the church steps into that calling through evangelism, serving, discipleship, and church planting. The church frames its approach around prayer, generosity, and going.
Locally, Parkway Hills partners with Brother Bill's Helping Hand (food collection and volunteer service), Baptist Student Ministries at the University of Texas at Dallas, the Center of Hope, Involved for Life, Grace2Go (a monthly Sunday afternoon food delivery in McKinney), Huffman Elementary School (LovePacs meals and teacher appreciation), Icon Church in East Plano, Real Options (pregnancy resources and medical care), Shared Dish (meal packing), and StreetSmart Homeless Ministry (Thursday night meals in downtown Dallas and blessing bags).
Nationally, the church partners with NETS (New England Training and Sending) and the Bass family church plant in New England, as well as Spark Ministry.
Globally, the church partners with Joshua Project and International Messengers, New Beginnings (NBOI.org), Operation Christmas Child / Samaritan's Purse, and Project 70, a USA/Brazil mission that involves short-term trips for men, students, and women's teams.
Parkway Hills is an evangelical New Testament congregation in the Baptist tradition that cooperates with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Texas Baptists (formerly the Baptist General Convention of Texas), and the Collin Baptist Association, along with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board.
What Parkway Hills Believes
Parkway Hills holds to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message as its confessional standard. The Bible is taught as God's revelation of Himself to humanity, divinely inspired, totally true and trustworthy, with God for its purposes. The church confesses one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe and is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. God the Son is the eternal Son who, in His incarnation as Jesus Christ, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, perfectly revealed and did the will of God, made provision through His substitutionary death on the cross for the redemption of men from sin, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now serves as the One Mediator, fully God and fully man. God the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures, illuminates truth, exalts Christ, convicts of sin, regenerates, baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ, cultivates Christian character, and seals the believer unto the day of final redemption.
Mankind is described as the special creation of God, made in His own image, male and female, who through free choice brought sin into the human race. Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and involves regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The church is described as an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant, observing the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, with pastors and deacons as its scriptural officers.
Baptism is understood as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, symbolizing the believer's death to sin and resurrection to walk in newness of life. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience memorializing the Redeemer's death and anticipating His second coming. The first day of the week is the Lord's Day, set apart for worship and spiritual devotion. The church confesses that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory, that the dead will be raised, and that Christ will judge all men in righteousness. Every follower of Christ is called to make disciples of all nations.
Weekday Preschool and Family Education
Parkway Hills runs a Weekday Preschool that serves families during the school week. Andrea Hancock leads the Preschool Ministry and oversees the Weekday Preschool, having started at Parkway Hills in 2013 in the Preschool Ministry and taken leadership of the weekday program in 2015. She is a Baylor graduate who has taught preschool both within church programs and Coram Deo Academy, and she has a heart for family discipleship and homeschooling families.
The preschool ministry is also tied to the church's family ministry, so families who attend Parkway Hills for worship on Sundays have a weekday option through the same ministry team.
Getting Connected
For anyone new to Parkway Hills, the church has designed a path that begins with showing up on Sunday morning. Services are at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. in person and online. Parking lot hosts can answer questions and help with child check-in. After the service, the Connection area is the place to find a Life Group, and a Connection Card is available to share prayer requests or contact information.
Discover Parkway Hills is an introductory course for anyone wanting to know more about the church. Next Step is the membership class for those ready to join. The church also offers an abide Bible Reading Plan called "7521" that challenges members to pray seven days a week, read the Bible five days a week, write down what God is doing two days a week, and have a gospel conversation at least once a week.
Giving is available online through Pushpay, and a church app makes it possible to watch services on a smart TV or phone, navigate ministries, register for events, fill out a guest registration, take notes, view announcements, find sermons, and access the Bible. Online giving receipts and contribution statements are handled electronically.
For weddings, the Facilities Coordinator Amy Bullington is the point of contact, and the Fix-It Ministry form is the entry point for handyman help for elderly, disabled, or single members. Prayer requests can be submitted online, and a Stephen Minister, a Stephen Leader, or one of the pastoral staff can be reached through the church.
Pastors and Staff
Lead Pastor Josh Allen has served at Parkway Hills since June 2017 and holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is passionate about God's Word and about equipping dads and moms to be the primary faith trainers in their homes. He and his wife Jessie have been married for over twenty years and have three children.
Executive Pastor Lance Crowell previously served with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention for 17 years in digital ministry, communications, discipleship, family ministry, collegiate ministry, single adult ministry, men's ministry, and online training. He holds degrees in electrical and telecommunications engineering from the University of Houston and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Worship Pastor Logan Doak holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in worship from Dallas Baptist University and is also a Professor of Worship at DBU. Student Ministry Pastor Cody Cockrell served in the United States Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016, including service on the Presidential Security team at Camp David, and is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Kids Ministry Pastor Jared Simpson is from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, taught in public schools, and is completing a Master of Arts in Christian Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a concentration in Children and Family Ministry.
Women's Minister Suzie Prizer has served at Parkway Hills since 1997 and oversees women's Bible studies, events, retreats, and mission trips. Minister to Parents Debbie Richardson transitioned into her role after 18 years in children's ministry. Pastoral Resident Vinod Thuraka came to faith at fourteen in India and is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Ed Gardner directs the 55+ Ministry after a season of chaplaincy at North Central Medical Center of McKinney and work toward a Master of Arts in Lay Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Catherine Taylor has served at Parkway Hills since 2003 in ministries across the church. Angela Hendrixson leads digital strategies. Christine Crane, Joey Michel, Kim Adams, and Kasa Holtfrerich round out the ministry staff and Artists-in-Residence Pepe Valdez and Efren Guzman lead the musical life of the church.
Parkway Hills Baptist Church is a community where families can find a place at every stage of life, where the Gospel is at the core of who the church is, and where the cross at the center of the logo is meant to remind everyone that the hope they carry into Plano and into the world rests on what Christ has done.