Our History

1906
In June, two families met in a small meat market on McKinney Avenue near Hall Street to organize the North Dallas Sunday school. Three months later, the Sunday school became North Dallas Christian Church, and started out with an annual budget of $800.00. W.K. Carnes, a layman, pastored the church for two years at a salary of $50 a month.

1916
The growing congregation moved from the butcher shop to a small church near the same location thanks in part to $900.00 raised by the Ladies Aid Society. The new building was completed in January while Grover Steward was pastor.

1926
The congregation moved north to Herschel Avenue at Douglas Avenue and changed its name to Oak Lawn Christian Church. To help pay off the mortgage on the new building, the church blocked of square-foot lots and auctioned them off to the congregation for $10 apiece. With each lot purchased, members received a miniature plywood church to suspend from the chapel ceiling. When the space was filled, the congregation knew it had met its goal.

1932
Oak Lawn Christian Church and University Park Christian Church merged to become Preston Road Christian Church and purchased a lot at the corner of Preston Road and Glenwick Lane. Five years later, the church moved into a new building at that location with a new pastor, Dr. Patrick Henry, Jr.

1946
Growth once again forced the church to move, and two families made gifts to purchase the 12.7 acre site at Northwest Highway and Airline Road. The congregation moved in January of 1950 and adopted a new name – Northway Christian Church.

1960
The Goodrich family gave the church a pipe organ and Emmet G. Smith, a professor at Texas Christian University, performed a dedication recital.

1974
The congregation moved into a new sanctuary in April after more than a year of construction. Dr. Patrick Henry Jr. continued as pastor for another three years, before retiring in 1977, when Dr. Don McKenzie became Northway’s new pastor.

1979
Despite the addition of an 8:30 am worship service, the 275-seat sanctuary was constantly over capacity. As a result, the congregation began to study long-term solutions to keep up with growth.

1987
The current sanctuary, offices, adult classrooms and parlor were completed after the congregation raised approximately $3.2 million. The church celebrated the past and future with a worship service that started in the old sanctuary and finished in the new.

1997
Following Dr. McKenzie’s retirement, Dr. Douglas B. Skinner was called to become Northway’s new senior minister.

2004
Enhancing its commitment to children and to its worship life, Northway added new nurseries near the sanctuary, constructed an 80-seat Music Suite for choir rehearsals and church gatherings, and completed a renovation of the sanctuary.

2006
Northway celebrated a century of ministry with a weekend of festivities, highlighted by a sermon from Dr. Patrick Henry, III, and the presentation of a four-part commissioned music piece, I. On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand; II. Prayer for Unity; III. Bound for the Promised Land; and IV. The Church’s One Foundation, composed by Lloyd Larson.

2010
Seeing a need within the community, Northway renovated and expanded areas within the Children’s Building and South Wing of the Dr. Richard English Education Building used by the Northway Christian Day School. At the same time, Northway began a major restoration and renovation of the Sanctuary pipe organ, which was completed in early 2013.