Location: Flower Mound, Tex.

Presbytery: Midwest

Organization Date:  Mar. 6, 2015

Membership: 21 communicant, 17 baptized

Pastor: Mark Koller

Website: dallasrpc.org

Dallas Reformed Presbyterian Church (DRPC) celebrated its one-year anniversary as an organized congregation of the Midwest Presbytery.

In Nov. 2012, several families met with a desire to start a Reformed Presbyterian work in the Dallas area. That interest grew into an official meeting with representatives of the Midwest Presbytery in Feb. 2013. The presbytery asked Mark Koller, an ordained RP minister who was providentially living near Dallas with his family, to help with the gathering of these families for a Bible study in Plano, Tex. After a few months, it became clear that these families needed a place to worship, so the presbytery gave permission to begin worship services in May 2013. A commission was formed that November, and the families were organized into a mission church in Mar. 2014. The Lord continued to bless the Dallas Mission with new families, even sending several men with leadership potential.

The Lord was gracious to allow the Dallas Mission to become a fully organized church in Mar. 2015, with Romesh Prakashpalan and Andrew Silva installed as ruling elders, Chris Manfreda installed as deacon, and Mark Koller installed as pastor. 

The congregation initially met in a hotel in Plano, Tex., and moved to a Seventh-day Adventist school library for a few months before finding its current location in Oct. 2014. The church has two Sunday worship services (morning and afternoon) plus a 9:30 a.m. Sabbath class for families and a 10:15 a.m. catechism recital for the children. Three children have recently completed memorization of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Having started with 4 core families, DRPC’s membership now represents 9 families with 38 total members. In addition, they have enjoyed the fellowship of several visitor families who attend regularly and the blessing of traveling RP families. The church has been able to make itself known to the wider community through a strong internet presence, including new connections on Facebook.

The Dallas families enjoy many opportunities for fellowship, including lunch each week between the two services. Members minister by providing Sabbath food and fellowship to those who are visiting Dallas on vacation or business. Also, DRPC men meet once per month for prayer and study. Three DRPC men have become students at the RP Seminary, with plans to prepare for the gospel ministry. 

Dallas/Fort Worth is the fourth largest metropolitan community in the United States and the largest in the South, with a population of around 7 million spread over 9,200 square miles. This presents unique opportunities and complex challenges for DRPC. Though only a few years old, the church has a strong desire to pass on its Covenanter heritage to the next generation.

The Dallas families are praying that the Lord would allow more churches to be planted in the state of Texas in the coming years. Currently, there is a mission church in Bryan, Tex., and a potential work in San Antonio. Last fall these three groups joined together for a picnic in Waco, a city in central Texas, with hopes of meeting local families who may be interested in planting another RP Church. The current focus for future plants is Austin, Houston, Waco, and multiple sites in Dallas/North Texas.

Dallas RPC invites you to come to Texas for a weekend visit or to stay long-term in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The North Texas economy is booming, the housing market is strong, the colleges are abundant, and, more importantly, a strong RP church is waiting for you and your family.