The third new sanctuary for the First Baptist Church of Dallas is a gigantic amphitheater (some say a TV station set) that can comfortably hold 3000 people. Now spread over 5 city blocks in downtown Dallas. First Baptist of Dallas is one of the oldest megachurches in the United States. As of 2013, ver 11,000 people are registered members of the church. See: (
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"First Baptist of Dallas unveils its new campus
By DAVID FLICK
Staff Writer
Published: 30 March 2013
The Rev. Robert Jeffress hopes the restoration and expansion of First Baptist Church of Dallas will inspire worshippers, but he won’t mind if they’re also wowed.
When the downtown campus is officially inaugurated Sunday with Easter services, worshippers will be greeted with a ¾-acre concourse with a 60-foot cross surrounded by soaring water jets coordinated with sacred music.
Inside the new worship center, a mile of pews can seat 3,000 people in the 178,000-square-foot worship center. Colored LED lighting, and a 142-foot video screen, will enhance the mood of the service. The orchestra platform can be raised at will and the choir screen retracted.
“We’re using technology to enhance worship,” said Jeffress, the congregation’s pastor. “This is a spiritual space. But I think God is a God of beauty. God cares about architecture. We wanted a space that reflects the beauty and majesty of God.”
The project comes at a time, and in a part of town, that in recent years has seen a massive investment in new amenities.
The five-block church campus around Akard and San Jacinto streets is within walking distance of the Dallas Arts District, Klyde Warren Park and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
Its $130 million price tag is in league with other recent high-profile projects. Klyde Warren Park cost $110 million, compared to $182 million for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and $185 million for the Perot Museum.
The restoration of the 11,000-member church, moreover, comes in an era when the largest church-building projects are more commonly in the suburbs.
The church’s decision to re-commit to downtown predates his 2007 appointment as pastor, Jeffress notes. But he said he sees the urban location as a defining part of First Baptist’s mission.
“I believe the downtown area will be a source of ministry,” he said. “We want to attract the growing number of people living in both Uptown and downtown. But we will continue to draw people from the entire region.”
Old and new
Though the fountain plaza and the worship center are the most visible new features, the project also includes the five-story Horner Family Center. Sunday school will be housed there; so will three stories of themed playgrounds, a gymnasium, two theaters and a nursery.
Four older buildings were imploded to make way for the new facilities. Among the structures that remain is the historic sanctuary, built in 1890. Although church officials refer to the revived campus as a restoration, virtually all changes have been new construction.
The old sanctuary will be used for weddings and funerals. Beginning April 28, it will host weekly contemporary services that will run concurrently with the traditional service in the new worship center.
First Baptist Academy, though considered a separate entity from the church, will have access to the gymnasium and the new family center.
The renewed campus was designed to be mindful of its surrounding environment in all senses of the word.
Jon Mindrup, who designed the facility for the Dallas-based Beck Group, said the project has applied for a silver certificate from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design organization’s Green Building Rating System.
The facility’s vast areas of glass are energy efficient. Its building systems are designed to lower electricity and water use, he said.
The glass also serves to connect the church with the surrounding city, Jeffress said.
“We wanted a plan that was open and inviting. We wanted people who were passing by to be able to look in and see the activity inside,” he said.
In Dallas since 1868
For well more than a century, the church’s history has been entwined with that of the city that surrounds it.
Founded in 1868, the congregation is just a little more than a quarter of a century younger than Dallas itself.
There were earlier Baptist congregations, but only First Baptist survived. Its first building on Akard Street cost $6,000.
The church achieved prominence under the Rev. G.W. Truett, who was named pastor in 1897 and served for the next 47 years. Under Truett, and his successor, the Rev. W.A. Criswell, First Baptist became the largest Southern Baptist congregation in the country and attracted nationally known speakers.
Through the years, the church has also known controversy, something that has attended the current restoration.
Last month, New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow canceled an April appearance intended to be part of the celebration. Although Tebow did not specify why he was canceling, the decision was widely interpreted as discomfort with some of Jeffress’ past comments.
In speeches and interviews, Jeffress has referred to homosexuality as “an abomination to God,” said Islam and Mormonism were each “a heresy from the pit of hell” and said “you can’t be saved being a Jew.”
Jeffress has said that while such comments might offend people, he is following the word of the Bible.
Whatever the other effects, such controversies have not had an apparent effect on fundraising.
Mark Lavvorn, who led the fundraising effort, noted the drive began at the depth of the Great Recession.
“In March 2009, when the Dow was at its lowest point, we met to decide how to proceed,” he recalled. “We decided that the best thing was just to pray and ask God for his help.”
As the preparations for unveiling proceeded, Lavvorn reported that $116 million of the $130 million in pledges has been collected.
“The fact that this is now happening is due to the power of God,” he said."