Best “Green” Church:  Prestonwood Baptist

Orginally published on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 7:36 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Energy efficient isn't the typical way to describe a megachurch, but it fits Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX. Almost a year ago, the church's 700 staffers took a simple approach to cutting energy use. It has won them thousands of dollars in savings and the title of "Best Green Church" at a WFX worship facilities conference awards ceremony in December. The movement aligns perfectly with the church's religious beliefs...

This Dallas News article by Angela Macias continues:

“There are biblical principles that teach us to be good stewards of all that God has given us,” said Mike Buster, executive pastor, citing the passage John 6:12, in which Jesus commands that his disciples “let nothing be wasted.”

By being good stewards of energy use at the 140-acre church and school complex, the church can put more money toward missions and ministry, including the support of a new north campus in Prosper, Mr. Buster said.

Leaders of the 26,000-member church started to look at how much was being wasted, as utility bills grew higher and higher. Costs for water, electricity, natural gas and sewer service were averaging $240,000 a month. They hired consulting firm Energy Education Inc. to help put a plan in place.

Mr. Buster said that under the consultants’ advice, the church with nearly 1 million square feet of space began zoning parts of buildings where gatherings could be held, keeping other areas free of people and temperatures adjusted accordingly. Fluorescent light bulbs were installed and energy audits done. A full-time employee was hired to oversee the program.

But at the heart of the effort was changing behavior. Church and school staff were asked to be more vigilant about turning off lights, computers and monitors.

In all, the church has saved $815,651 on utility bills from July 2006 through May, said John Spears, senior vice president for Energy Education Inc.

Prestonwood Baptist was the first religious institution to work with the consulting firm, which has helped more than 800 school districts across the country, and the church is an excellent model for others, Mr. Spears said.

“They have just shown the need for other large churches to focus on being good stewards of their energy consumption,” he said. “When organizations get this big, there is a lot of waste.”

You can read the article here...

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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