About
The Gospel Changes Everything
The gospel is the heart of the Christian message. Literally, “gospel” means “good news.” But good news about what? It’s the good news that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves: He saved us through his Son Jesus Christ, who lived the perfect live we could not live, died the death we deserved because of our sin, and rose to new life, conquering sin and death. By faith in him, we are reconciled to God and are being made whole by his Spirit.
The Gospel is God’s great narrative of history and can be understood by looking at creation, curse, cross, and consummation.
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Jesus is fully God and fully man. He came to earth, lived perfectly, and willingly offered himself on the cross as our substitute, absorbing the full curse of our sin on our behalf. His sacrifice and resurrection inaugurated his kingdom and granted us his identity – to become sons and daughters of God, enjoying communion with God once more. This comes to pass on account of Jesus’ work alone, not our own.
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One day Jesus will return and fully remove sin’s penalty, power, and presence from the earth. The devastating curse will finally be lifted. His return will usher in the final reversal of the curse brought upon the earth and her inhabitants by man’s sin. Humans will enjoy full communion with God for eternity, living with him in a perfectly ordered and restored heaven and earth.
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God created a good world; everything was in perfect order as it should have been, ruled by the Sovereign Lord. Man and woman had uninterrupted communion with God himself, knowing and being known by him fully.
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But our first parents (Adam and Eve) rebelled against God and brought sin and death and corruption into the world by their disobedience. They could no longer stay in communion with God, and their relationship with one another would suffer as well. This is the state all humans find themselves in: They are spiritually dead, unable to do anything to restore their relationship with God – inhabiting a world marked by injustice, fighting, and suffering. Humans are under a curse.
Want to learn more about the gospel and following Jesus? Let us know!
TPC Family Traits
We Submit to the King
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The King has arrived, and his name is Jesus! We joyously give our loyalty to him and hope in his just reign.
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We choose to sit under the Word, taking a posture of receptivity and humility, and recognize it as our final authority on faith and life.
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We desire to be a community that knows Jesus so intimately and has experienced his grace so richly that we cannot help but overflow with praise and do everything to his glory.
We Seek the Kingdom
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As Jesus’ rule advances in those he has redeemed from sin, his Spirit nurtures us in love and peace, beauty and truth, mercy and healing, humility and faithfulness, unity and diversity — the characteristics of the Kingdom.
We journey along the path of discipleship over the course of our entire life, being transformed by the Spirit as we practice the way of Jesus.
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We intentionally foster healthy, God-glorifying families. We also hope to cultivate a community of belonging in which every person is welcomed into God’s family of mutual love and care.
We Serve the Common Good
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We pursue the common good of society by modeling a community of truth and love, serving Jesus faithfully in every sphere of our lives, and doing justice and mercy.
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In word and deed, we proclaim the good news of Jesus, calling people to place their faith in Christ alone, repent of their sin, and receive the redeeming grace of Jesus through his Holy Spirit.
What We Believe
Ministry Team
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Nikki Atterberry
Kids Minister
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Lindsay Farley
Community Outreach Coordinator
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Kaden Gabbard
Worship Intern
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Mark Heinrich
Executive Director / Elder
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Kara Jones
Littles Minister
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Michael Key
Minister of Spiritual Formation
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Dave Lux
Groups Minister
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Jay Madden
Marriage & Family Pastor / Elder
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Linda Madrid
Kids Minister
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Denise Menard
Administrative Coordinator
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Keith Menard
Minister of Operations
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Kailey Moore
Littles Coordinator
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Andrew Prahl
International Renewal Coordinator
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Kyle Redel
Lead Pastor / Elder
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Tessa Redel
Ladies Minister / Worship
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Malachi Snell
Youth Minister
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Matt Zigenis
Worship Minister
Elders
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Mark Heinrich
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Jim Jessee
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Jay Madden
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Jake McCarley
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Kyle Redel
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Jeff Simpson
Our Story
How It All Began
Our executive leadership team was originally made up of three couples — Kyle & Tessa Redel, Aaron & Holly Snell, and Sam & Audrey DeFord.
These three couples have been dear friends for over 20 years, consistently sharing the joys and hardships of life, raising family alongside one another, and discovering dreams for the future. It was within this context of brotherhood and sisterhood that the story of The Parks Church began. Over the years and through many conversations, it became clear that the Lord had burdened each couple’s heart for church planting, and it was their desire to one day share in this work together.
The Launch
After several years in 2010, the Lord saw fit to turn the three couples’ attention to the city of McKinney and led them to pack up their families to plant a gospel-centered church there. By the end of 2010, interest and prayer meetings had begun, and in April of 2011, The Parks officially launched with a group of thirty people in a small shared church building on Sunday nights.
The Growing
We spent the next several years meeting in elementary and middle schools, weekly loading and unloading the equipment needed for Sunday into a box truck we were gifted. It was an “all hands on deck” type of season, and those early days of the Lord’s faithfulness, small community, and shared meals after every service laid a strong foundation. We saw the value in knowing one another and being known, realizing that no matter what numerical growth would eventually occur, we had to strive to keep our church community saturated by the gospel and not be overly programmatic but intimate and vulnerable for the sake of our spiritual growth.
Beyond the regular weekly worship gathering, we prayerfully focused our attention on the needs of McKinney, asking the Lord to show us which areas to devote ourselves to in his restoration of our city. Several city initiatives were born during this stage of our development and continued to link our hearts to the well-being of our city both spiritually and physically.
Today and the Future
The Parks Church currently meets in the heart of downtown McKinney at our more permanent home of the McKinney Performing Arts Center. We know the Lord has strategically placed us where East McKinney meets West to proclaim the good news of the gospel to a people he is drawing to himself. We continue to prayerfully seek his will for our city and spur each other on to faithful gathering, learning the Scripture, and submitting ourselves to one another and Christ in confession and repentance. Jesus is building his Church, and we are overjoyed to be a part of his making all things new in McKinney and beyond.