The historic sanctuary at First Baptist Church Dallas burned Friday evening, July 19. The explanation for the blaze just isn’t yet known. The Victorian-style, red brick sanctuary constructing was erected 1890 and is a recognized Texas Historic Landmark.
According to media reports, Dallas Fire and Rescue received a call at 6:05 p.m., Friday evening regarding a constructing on fire in downtown Dallas.
Firefighters responded and inside quarter-hour of the primary call, a second alarm was requested. Then around 7:30 p.m., the scene was upgraded to a three-alarm fire. A fourth alarm was called in around 8:15 p.m. The Dallas Morning News reported that “greater than 60 units were dispatched to answer the structure fire.”
The church released a statement on X at 9:34 p.m. saying the first fire was extinguished but firefighters were still working on the scene.
First Baptist Church Dallas has an indelible history inside the Southern Baptist Convention having been pastored by former SBC presidents George W. Truett and W. A. Criswell. Currently led by Robert Jeffress, First Baptist Dallas reported a membership of nearly 16,000 in 2023.
The church currently worships in a state-of-the-art facility, which opened in 2013, adjoining to the historic sanctuary.
Jeffress posted on X Friday night asking for prayers for the church, saying, “We have experienced a hearth within the Historic Sanctuary. To our knowledge, nobody is hurt or injured, and we thank God for His protection. He is sovereign even in essentially the most difficult times.”
The historic sanctuary was home to First Baptist Dallas’s contemporary service each week, called the Band-Led Service. There was a special VBS service scheduled for this Sunday, June 21. The church hosted its annual Vacation Bible School this week.
“We are grateful that no life has been lost that we all know of regardless that we just had 2,000 children and volunteers on campus for Vacation Bible School earlier within the day,” Jeffress said in a press release to Baptist Press.
“As tragic because the lack of this old sanctuary is, we’re grateful that the church just isn’t bricks and wood but composed of over 16,000 people who find themselves determined greater than ever before to achieve the world for the gospel of Christ.”
The church campus consists of multiple buildings across a six-block footprint in downtown Dallas. At this time, it’s unknown if another buildings were damaged in the fireplace.
According to a press release from the church, “The Historic Sanctuary was a big landmark in Downtown Dallas. It was the positioning of visits from Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush. President Donald Trump visited the brand new worship center of the church in 2021.”
Jeffress, who has served as senior pastor since 2007, grew up at First Baptist Dallas and had been mentored by Criswell. The church stated that “he was baptized within the Historic Sanctuary at age 9, ordained there when he was 21, and holds many memories of the church.”
“We thank the Dallas Fire Department and Dallas Police Department for his or her quick motion, courage, and ongoing aid,” Jeffress added.
This is a breaking news story and shall be updated.
