About First Baptist Dallas

Looking back through the years, we have seen God's hand in the life of First Baptist Dallas. But our vision is to not just honor that past. First Baptist Dallas is here to impact lives today with the love of Christ as we follow God's lead into the future.

Our ministries are just as diverse as our people and we can't wait to tell you more about who we are and why we're here.

History

Dallas was a wild and reckless frontier town in the 1800s; no Baptist church existed in downtown because they were repeatedly being run out of town. When W.L. Williams and his wife, Lucinda, moved to Dallas and saw no Baptist church, they were moved with determination and a call from God. Along with nine others, they met in the Masonic Lodge at Lamar and Ross on July 30, 1868 and First Baptist Dallas was born.

In the summer of 1872, the church moved to Akard and Patterson and with $500 raised by the women of the church, the congregation was ready to build. Offerings eventually multiplied to $6,000 for the first building. It wasn't long until the church outgrew the facility and in 1891, the cornerstone for the present sanctuary was put in place.

 

First Baptist Dallas has had eight pastors since its beginning, and only two pastors, George Truett and Dr. W.A. Criswell, for the period 1897 through 1995, when Dr. Criswell was named Pastor Emeritus.

Through the years, facilities have built and purchased to extend the church campus to seven major buildings on six city blocks. Like the Spurgeon Harris Building which used to house the Internal Revenue Service and the Ruth Ray Hunt Youth Building purchased from the Salvation Army.

Relocation has often been the subject of consideration. But Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, "We are downtown because we choose to be downtown." With the legacy of the past and a passion for the future, the family at First Baptist Dallas continues to carry on the same commitment.

Church members recently paid off their $6.5 million debt in one year. The Criswell Center, completed in 2006, solidifies the church's commitment to Downtown Dallas and the growing residential and business communities nearby.