Questions surround the future of downtown Dallas, as posed by First Baptist Dallas executive pastor Ben Lovvorn.
But for his church, the future is clear.
The church in the heart of downtown Dallas announced on Sunday – Palm Sunday – that construction will soon begin to rebuild the church’s 134-year-old historic sanctuary that was destroyed in a four-alarm fire in July 2024.
Nearly two years later, after workers have cleared the hollowed-out structure and stabilized portions that survived the disaster, a new era will begin with a groundbreaking ceremony June 7.
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First Baptist Dallas worshipers pass by a large artist rendering of the new historic sanctuary as they attend Sunday service, March 29, 2026. The church announced to its congregation on Palm Sunday that in June they will break ground on new construction of the sanctuary which was destroyed in a fire two years ago in downtown Dallas.
Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News
On Palm Sunday, congregants and Christians around the world remember the story of Jesus Christ’s entry to the city of Jerusalem, where he was greeted by people waving palm branches.
The day marks one week until Easter and the beginning of Holy Week, a period to reflect on the story of Christ’s death and resurrection.
In an interview ahead of Palm Sunday, senior pastor Robert Jeffress reflected on specific scripture that says the whole world will burn someday, but there will be a new heaven and a new earth with Christ.
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“We’re rebuilding a historic sanctuary,” he said. “And as wonderful as that is, it’s going to be destroyed one day. It’s not going to last forever. But the people who worship in it will last forever.”
First Baptist Dallas announced to its congregation on Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026, that in June they will will break ground on new construction of its historic sanctuary which was destroyed in a fire two years ago in downtown Dallas.
Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News
History meets future in new design
First Baptist Dallas’ historic sanctuary served as a secondary, but beloved, worship space after its $130 million expansion was completed in 2013.
John Paul DeFrank, the managing principal at Beck Architecture and the lead of the First Baptist project, said the goal of the new chapel is to create a space that honors the past with an eye to the future.
“It will be very traditional looking in terms of its architecture,” DeFrank said in an interview.
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Exposed wooden trusses will emulate those that were featured in the 1908 version of the church, a feature DeFrank said he found while looking through a book documenting the church’s history with pictures.
New stained glass windows will convey Bible stories, while others will be made to match the ones lost in the fire.
In the 1950s, the church’s aging steeple was replaced with one that “never really resonated with anyone,” DeFrank said. He now sees the rebuild as a chance to restore the steeple to its former glory.
“It’s going to be spectacular,” he said.
An artist rendering of the reconstructed, historic First Baptist Dallas sanctuary.
The Beck Group / The Beck Group
The sanctuary’s southern and western walls were saved from the fire and have been stabilized. Members and passersby on the street can see them standing now, surrounded by scaffolding. The two walls will become the exterior walls of the new structure.
Workers salvaged other elements such as bricks from the walls that were dismantled and a large stone featuring the carved image of a Bible.
“We want to use salvaged materials to the best that we can to make it really authentic,” he said.
With an eye to the future and the needs of the church now, a new lobby space will be larger than before, with more room for congregation before and after services. A large stained glass window facing the south will bathe the space with light, DeFrank said.
The basement will get an upgrade as well. DeFrank said the plan is to expand the level to include event space for programming such as Bible studies.
“It’ll be suitable for weddings or small group gatherings or seminars,” Jeffress said of the design.
An artist rendering of the stained glass tower off of the new lobby area on the south side of the reconstructed, historic First Baptist Dallas sanctuary.
The Beck Group / The Beck Group
Church is more than “brick and mortar”
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Photos of the site showed charred timbers, blackened brick walls, and windows devoid of the stained glass that used to fill them.
Jim Haines, who ministers to senior adults at First Baptist, said many were married in the sanctuary. Every five years or so, the church would celebrate couples’ 50th wedding anniversaries in the historic chapel, he said.
“So by the time this is finished, we will probably have one in the building,” he said Sunday before service.
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Last December, two significant donations, including one from the CEO of Hobby Lobby, boosted the church’s fundraising efforts by $14 million. Jeffress said last year the estimated cost of rebuilding as of December was $127 million, with about $100 million from insurance.
Jeffress said with the donations at the end of last year, “we have pretty much everything we need.” Church leadership still plans to have the new sanctuary built by Easter 2028.
In the meantime, members can view large floor-to-ceiling renderings of the new chapel on a large wall within the worship center and view construction progress out its windows.
The historic First Baptist Dallas sanctuary under reconstruction (right) in downtown Dallas is reflected in the windows of the Worship Center, Sunday, March 29, 2026. First Baptist Dallas announced to its congregation on Palm Sunday that in June they will will break ground on new construction of its historic sanctuary which was destroyed in a fire two years ago.
Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News
Jeffress said the fire has united the church through purpose.
“It serves as a reminder that the church, ultimately, isn’t about brick and mortar,” he said. “It’s about people.”