History & Stories – 75 Years of Northwest Bible Church
Founding & Formation
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 50s.
-
January18, 1951
January 18, 1951 - Jan 18, 1951
First official meeting of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
-
May1951
May 1951 - May 1951
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson Jr. hired as first pastor; early meetings at Greenhill School.
-
June1951
June 1951 - June 1951
First Vacation Bible School held at Bachman Lake Camp.
-
August1951
August 1951 - August 1951
Corporate charter filed with the State of Texas.
-
March1952
March 1952 - March 1952
Church moved to University Park Elementary; average Sunday attendance about 185.
-
September1953
September 1953 - September 1953
Four-acre tract purchased along Northwest Highway for $25,000.
-
February–October1954
February–October 1954 - February–October 1954
Dr. Howard Hendricks filled the pulpit as interim pastor.
-
October1954
October 1954 - October 1954
Robert L. Ferguson installed as pastor.
-
November1955
November 1955 - November 1955
First chapel and Sunday School building dedicated (Howard Hendricks speaker).
-
August–December1957
August–December 1957 - August 1957
Dr. Howard Hendricks filled the pulpit as interim pastor for the second time; congregation numbers about 250.
-
January1958–July 1959
January 1958–July 1959 - January 1958–July 1959
Dr. Donald K. Campbell filled the pulpit as interim pastor.
-
July1959
July 1959 - July 1959
Dr. John Hess McComb installed as pastor; tenure marked by growth and outreach.
Expansion and Missions Focus
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 60s.
-
August1963
August 1963 - August 1963
First church-sponsored mission trip (students to Mexico City).
-
January1965
January 1965 - January 1965
Dr. Donald K. Campbell filled the pulpit as interim pastor for a second time.
-
April1966
April 1966 - April 1966
Lou Schneider installed as pastor.
-
February1967
February 1967 - February 1967
First missionary conference; adoption of Faith Promise giving model.
-
May1967
May 1967 - May 1967
Part of property along Northwest Highway and the Cotton Belt Railroad sold to the Texas Turnpike Authority; church became debt-free.
New Identity and Growing Ministries
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 70s.
-
March1971
March 1971 - March 1971
Officially renamed Northwest Bible Church; new doctrinal statement adopted.
-
June1972
June 1972 - June 1972
Christian Education Building and gym dedicated.
-
May1973
May 1973 - May 1973
Dennis Eenigenburg hired for youth ministries as third full-time staff member; staff expands.
-
August1975
August 1975 - August 1975
Jim Rose installed as pastor.
-
June1979
June 1979 - June 1979
New 1,000-seat auditorium building completed and dedicated.
-
May1980
May 1980 - May 1980
3 Score senior adult ministry began.
Leadership Growth and Facilities Expansion
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 80s.
-
October1983
October 1983 - October 1983
First annual Fall Fun Fest.
-
July1985
July 1985 - July 1985 – Elders
Elders’ leadership structure revised.
-
July1985
July 1985 - July 1985 – Art Lang
Art Lang hired as first Minister of Missions.
-
July1985
July 1985 - July 1985 – Vickie Kraft
Vickie Kraft hired as first Women’s Minister in the country.
-
July1985
July 1985 - July 1985 – Meyers Property
Meyers property and residence to the north purchased to allow for Christian Life Center building.
-
December1985
December 1985 - December 1985
First annual Women’s Christmas Lunch.
-
August1987
August 1987 - August 1987
Christian Life Center building completed.
-
August1987–February 1989
August 1987–February 1989 - August 1987–February 1989
Dr. Bill Lawrence filled the pulpit as interim pastor.
-
February1989
February 1989 - February 1989
Rick Yohn installed as pastor.
-
1990
1990 - 1990
First men’s retreat.
Consolidation and Modernization
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 90s.
-
October1990–March 1992
October 1990–March 1992 - October 1990–March 1992
Dr. Bill Lawrence filled the pulpit as interim pastor for the second time.
-
March1992
March 1992 - March 1992
Dr. Howard Clark installed as senior pastor.
-
1996
1996 - 1996
McDonald property across from Douglas purchased to build an additional brick-fenced parking lot.
-
October1998–March 2001
October 1998–March 2001 - October 1998–March 2001
Dr. Bill Lawrence filled the pulpit as interim pastor for the third time.
-
1999–2001
1999–2001 - 1999–2001
Worship Center expanded and new offices completed.
Global Missions and Ministry Momentum
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 2000s.
-
2001
2001 - 2001
First church-sponsored mission trip to Guatemala.
-
March11, 2001
March 11, 2001 - March 11, 2001
Neil Tomba installed as senior pastor.
-
September2002
September 2002 - September 2002
Celebrate Recovery began at Northwest.
-
2004
2004 - 2004
Ministry to refugees in Vickery Meadow began.
-
July2007
July 2007 - July 2007
Giving to Faith Promise exceeded $1 million for local and global missions partners.
-
July2009
July 2009 - July 2009
Connect with Future Generations campus improvement campaign began.
-
November2010
November 2010 - November 2010
Demolition of the old gym, children’s building, and original sanctuary.
-
December2010
December 2010 - December 2010
Northwest Cares offering was begun to help with practical needs in church body.
Redefining our Mission & Vision
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 2010s.
-
January2011
January 2011 - January 2011
60th Anniversary celebration.
-
March2011
March 2011 - March 2011 – Dream Nights
Dream Nights held with congregation to identify future vision of the church.
-
February2012
February 2012 - February 2012
New mission statement introduced – “Inviting people into the unexpected joy of desperate dependence on Jesus.”
-
August2012
August 2012 - August 2012
Rebrand completed with “messy cross” logo to reflect new mission statement.
-
December2012
December 2012 - December 2012
New Children’s Building completed.
-
December2013
December 2013 - December 2013
The Gym at Northwest sports evangelism ministry began.
-
November2015
November 2015 - November 2015
Stewart property north of the church campus was purchased.
-
November2015
November 2015 - November 2015
Ministry House was demolished to create more green space on campus.
-
February2016
February 2016 - February 2016
Northwest Community Center grand opening.
-
May2016
May 2016 - May 2016
Weinberg property north of the church campus was purchased.
-
April2017
April 2017 - April 2017
Congregational Survey results revealed opportunity for focus on personal evangelism.
-
January2019
January 2019 - January 2019
Seven-Year Vision of Conversations about Jesus introduced.
-
June2019
June 2019 - June 2019
Neil Tomba’s Conversations Coast to Coast cross-country bike journey.
-
January2020
January 2020 - January 2020
Discovery Experience evangelism small group curriculum began.
-
March2020
March 2020 - March 2020
COVID-19 response including Live Weekday Prayer on Facebook with Neil & Vela Tomba. Online streaming of Sunday services began.
-
June2020
June 2020 - June 2020
Elder board began meeting with Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship elders to pray.
Conversations about Jesus in a New Era
Hear from members who attended Northwest in the 2020s.
-
January2021
January 2021 - January 2021
Challenge to read through the Bible in a year with The Bible Recap.
-
February2022
February 2022 - February 2022
Launch of Conversations Hub to celebrate conversations about Jesus.
-
July2022
July 2022 - July 2022
Giving to Faith Promise exceeded $2 million for local and global missions partners.
-
September2022
September 2022 - September 2022
Worship Center stage renovated; “messy cross” installed over baptistry.
-
June2025
June 2025 - June 2025
First high school mission trip to Albania.
-
January18, 2026
January 18, 2026 - January 18, 2026
Northwest announced search for new senior pastor.
-
March–April2026
March–April 2026 - March–April 2026
75th Anniversary Celebration.
