Jack Graham (pastor) Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{Short description|American Baptist minister (born 1950)}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2008}} {{Infobox person | name = Dr. Jack Graham |image= Jack Graham Headshot.jpg |image_size=200 |alt= | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|06|30}} | birth_place = [[Conway, Arkansas]], U.S. }} {{Southern Baptists}} '''Jack Graham''' (born June 30, 1950) is the [[pastor]] of [[Prestonwood Baptist Church]] in [[Plano, Texas]].<ref name="te" >{{cite news|title=The religious response to Syria's travails is prolix and confused|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2017/04/disharmony|accessdate=11 April 2017|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=Apr 8, 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ==Early life and education== Born in [[Conway, Arkansas|Conway]], [[Arkansas]], near [[Little Rock]], young Graham was [[Baptism|baptized]] as a professed believer in [[Jesus Christ]] at First [[Baptist Church]] in his hometown. From there, his life took a steady course into [[Christian ministry]] that continued during his formative years in [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], Texas, where he graduated from [[Eastern Hills High School]]. In 1970, at the age of twenty, he was [[Ordination|ordained]] pastor of his first church, married and halfway through [[Hardin-Simmons University]] in [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]], Texas, where he earned a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree with honors.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.sbhla.org/downloads/877.pdf|title=Inventory to the Jack Graham Papers|author=Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives|date=February 2010|publisher=Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives|accessdate=March 7, 2017}}</ref> By 1976, he and his wife, Deb, had one son, and Graham was associate pastor of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church in Fort Worth, pastored by G. Fred Swank.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texanonline.net/news/ft-worth-church-produced-baptist-leaders|title=Ft. Worth church produced Baptist leaders|author=Bonnie Pritchett|date=October 22, 2010|publisher=Southern Baptist Texan|accessdate=July 5, 2011}}</ref> That year he also completed work for a [[Master of Divinity]] degree with honors from [[Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]] in Fort Worth. Four more years went by, and Graham received a [[Doctor of Ministry]] degree in βChurch and Proclamation.β ==Career== Graham began his ministry as pastor of East Side Baptist in [[Cross Plains, Texas|Cross Plains]] in [[Callahan County, Texas|Callahan County]], Texas (1970β1971). Following his associate pastorate at Sagamore Hill Baptist Church (1972β1975), he went on to pastor First Baptist Church in [[Hobart, Oklahoma|Hobart]], [[Oklahoma]] (1975β1978), First Baptist Church in [[Duncan, Oklahoma|Duncan]], Oklahoma (1978β1981), and First Baptist Church in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], [[Florida]] (1981β1989).<ref name="auto"/> In 1989, [[Prestonwood Baptist Church]], a [[Dallas]] megachurch with approximately 11,000 members, called Graham as pastor after its founding pastor, Bill Weber, admitted to an extramarital affair and resigned.<ref>Parmley, Helen, [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D01A6E9AA578&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Prestonwood Pastor Resigns], [[Dallas Morning News]], 1988-10-09</ref> Weber unsuccessfully sought to regain his old post, then convinced several of the church's wealthier members{{Em dash}}including cosmetics magnate [[Mary Kay Ash|Mary Kay Ash{{Em dash}}]]<nowiki/>to support a new church he was starting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1989/july/the-second-coming-of-billy-weber/|title=THE SECOND COMING OF BILLY WEBER}}</ref> Despite this, Prestonwood's membership rolls grew by 2,000 members annually, and it was apparent that it had outgrown its location in Far North Dallas. A new 7,500-seat <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jackgraham.org/site/c.dgKJLSOyEnH/b.472375/k.8D2D/Dr_Jack_Graham.htm |title=Jack Graham Bio Page at Prestonwood |access-date=2008-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514013426/http://www.jackgraham.org/site/c.dgKJLSOyEnH/b.472375/k.8D2D/Dr_Jack_Graham.htm |archive-date=2008-05-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[worship]] facility, school and ministry complex on {{convert|140|acre|km2}} was built in west Plano in 1999. In 2006, Prestonwood opened its second campus in [[Prosper, Texas|Prosper]], near [[U.S. Route 380|U.S. Highway 380]] and [[Dallas North Tollway|Dallas Parkway]]. That same year, the church also completed a new children's wing and updated its facilities for PowerPoint Ministries, including an upgrade to [[HDTV|High Definition (HDTV)]]. The church reached the 43,000-member mark in 2018, with regular attendance at worship services averaging about 17,000.<ref name="Prestonwood's Quick Facts">{{cite web |url=http://prestonwood.org/plano/who-we-are/quick-facts/ |publisher=Prestonwood Baptist Church |title=Quick Facts - Prestonwood Baptist Church |date=February 29, 2012 |access-date=April 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403114707/http://www.prestonwood.org/plano/who-we-are/quick-facts/ |archive-date=April 3, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Graham has served two terms as president of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], the largest American [[Baptist]] denomination, with 16 million members, and as president of the SBC Pastor's Conference. [[Paul Pressler (Texas)|Paul Pressler]], the retired judge from [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] who was a leading figure in the [[Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence|Southern Baptist Convention Conservative resurgence]] in 1979, served in 2002 as the first vice-president with Graham as the SBC president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://assets.baptiststandard.com/archived/2002/6_10/pages/election.html|title=Marv Knox, Graham, Pressler, McCall top SBC leadership|publisher=Baptist Standard |date=June 10, 2002|accessdate=September 30, 2013}}</ref> Pastor Graham served as Honorary Chairman of the 2015 National Day of Prayer and was a member of [[Donald Trump|President Donald Trump]]'s Religious Advisory Council.<ref>Shellnutt, Kate. (January 19, 2017). "The Story Behind Trumpβs Controversial Prayer Partner". [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/january-web-only/paula-white-donald-trump-prayer-partner-inauguration.html CT website] Retrieved January 21, 2017</ref> He participated in the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the inauguration.<ref>Shellnutt, Kate. (January 19, 2017). "Trump Stacks Prayer Service Lineup with Evangelicals". [http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2017/january/trump-washington-national-cathedral-prayer-service-lineup-e.html CT website] Retrieved February 10, 2017.</ref> In May 2022, Dr. Graham was named in a report on sex abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, which stated that he allowed a youth music minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church, John Langworthy, who had admitted to church officials that he had molested at least one student in the late 1980s, to be removed quietly, without notifying police.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Kate|last1=Pezzulli|accessdate=2022-08-29|title=Here's Why the DOJ Is Investigating the Southern Baptist Convention|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/department-of-justice-is-now-investigating-the-southern-baptist-convention-on-sex-abuse-allegations-14630670|website=Dallas Observer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2022-08-29|title=5 things to know about Plano's Prestonwood Baptist megachurch after sex abuse report|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/05/23/5-things-to-know-about-planos-prestonwood-baptist-megachurch/|date=24 May 2022|website=Dallas News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/article261712352.html|title=What is the SBC report? Third-party investigation includes Texas names in sex abuse cases|publisher=Fort Worth Star Telegram|first=Megan|last=Cardona|date=May 24, 2022|accessdate=2022-08-29}}</ref> Langworthy was able to go on to become a youth music minister at Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi, where he was later accused of abusing young boys again.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-23 |title=SBC report highlights Plano's Prestonwood Baptist as example of protecting sex abusers |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/05/23/planos-prestonwood-baptist-is-example-of-stonewalling-victims-of-sex-abuse-in-sbc-report/ |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=Dallas News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2022-08-29|title=Who's Who in Guidepost Solutions sexual abuse report|url=https://thebaptistrecord.org/whos-who-in-guidepost-solutions-sexual-abuse-report/|date=24 May 2022|publisher=The Baptist Record}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2022-08-29|title=Report: Prestonwood Baptist Church hid sexual abuse from police|url=https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/local/report-prestonwood-baptist-church-hid-sex-abuse-from-police|date=23 May 2022|website=NewsRadio 1080 KRLD}}</ref> ==Theological views== Graham's theological views reflect the [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist Convention's]] ''[[Baptist Faith and Message]]'' (2000 edition).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jackgraham.org/about/jack-grahams-beliefs|title=Beliefs - PowerPoint Ministries with Jack Graham|website=jackgraham.org}}</ref> ==Published works== *''You Can Make a Difference'' (1992) *''Diamonds in the Dark'' (1997) *''Lessons from the Heart'' (2001) *''A Hope and a Future'' (2002) *''Life According to Jesus'' (2004) *''A Man of God'' (2005) *''Courageous Parenting'' (2006) *''Are You Fit for Life?'' (2007) *''A Daily Encounter With God'' (2009) *''Powering Up'' (2009) *{{cite book|title=Lifebook:The Authority, Authenticity, and Accuracy of God's Word|year=2009|isbn=978-1-934590-34-8}} *{{cite book|title=Culture Wise:Thinking Rightly About Seven Societal Wrongs|year=2012|isbn=978-1-934590-85-0}} *{{cite book|title=Unseen: Angels, Satan, Heaven, Hell, and Winning the Battle for Eternity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbMjAAAAQBAJ|year=2013|publisher=Baker Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4412-6229-5}} *{{cite book|title=Angels: Who They Are, What They Do, and Why It Matters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJgQBgAAQBAJ|year=2016|publisher=Baker Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4412-6551-7}} ==See also== *[[List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people]] *[[Southern Baptist Convention]] *[[Southern Baptist Convention Presidents]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[https://jackgraham.org/ Jack Graham website] {{S-start}} {{succession box | before=[[James Merritt]] | title=President of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] Jack Graham| years=2002-2003| after=[[Bobby Welch]]}} {{S-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Jack}} [[Category:1950 births]] [[Category:Baptist writers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Conway, Arkansas]] [[Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas]] [[Category:Southern Baptist ministers]] [[Category:Southern Baptist Convention presidents]] [[Category:Prestonwood Baptist Church]] [[Category:Baptists from Arkansas]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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