In 2000 a small band of people began praying about starting a new church in Allen. With reports that the northern 75 corridor between Allen and Sherman would explode to 5.5 million people by 2030, Allen seemed like a strategic place to invest our lives.

As proof that God really does answer prayer, it was 3 years later that Dallas Bible Church announced it was sending their Young Adult Pastor, Buddy Liles, and seven other families to start Allen Bible Church.

It is God’s pattern to use a small and inexperienced group to attempt mighty things for Him. Our small team of Core Families began meeting in a living room on Sunday evenings in the fall of 2003. This was a rich time of prayer and bonding.

By February of 2004 we gathered our courage and faith and began to meet publicly at Joe Farmer Recreation Center, still on Sunday evenings. As 6:00 PM approached on that first Sunday evening, our team had no idea who God would bring through the doors. Over the next 10 weeks as new individuals and families came by to explore, we learned that God is faithful. We quickly realized that Allen is full of young families with lots of young kids. Our ministry to children became priority.

On Easter Sunday 2004, we held our first Sunday morning service. The gathering of God’s people is no more official on Sunday morning as compared to Sunday night or any other day of the week, but it was a landmark day for our little church. That was the first Sunday we began meeting in Metroplex Gymnastics Building on Bethany Road.

Though we were now meeting on Sunday mornings, we were not yet officially launched. Our belief is that a large worship gathering is a key component of spiritual growth, but our life with Christ is not complete until we are in relationships with others. We felt our small group ministry was vital for the growth and health of our church.

On August 15, 2004 we were born. That Sunday evening marked the first time that our Life Groups met in three different homes across Allen. Life Groups became a vehicle for our people to connect with others, pray with others and invest in the lives of others. We felt more complete now that we had an opportunity for people to worship corporately on Sunday mornings and connect personally, sharing life together on Sunday evenings and throughout the week in their community.

We shouldn’t be surprised anymore at God’s faithfulness, but we still are. Our church is not characterized by a building but a collection of passionate and humble people.

In our short lifespan as a church we have already experienced so much and our prayer is that God continues to stretch us into the future.