{"id":333568,"date":"2026-06-12T12:43:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333568\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T12:43:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:43:30","slug":"first-dallas-baptist-breaks-ground-on-new-sanctuary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333568\/","title":{"rendered":"First Dallas Baptist breaks ground on new sanctuary"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ian M. Giatti<\/a>, Christian Post Reporter Friday, June 12, 2026\"FirstFirst Dallas Baptist Senior Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress takes the podium at a groundbreaking ceremony in Dallas on June 7, 2026. | Image via First Dallas Baptist<\/p>\n

Nearly two years after a devastating fire destroyed its historic sanctuary, First Baptist Dallas held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of its rebuilding.<\/p>\n

A ceremony held on June 7 marked a significant milestone for the megachurch, which was founded in 1868 and now claims more than 16,000 members. Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress led the event, joined by Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn, planning committee leaders, church members, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and others.<\/p>\n

On July 19, 2024, a four-alarm fire gutted the sanctuary<\/a>, originally completed in 1890. No injuries were reported, but the loss of the iconic structure drove the church to launch \u201cMission 1:8,\u201d an ongoing fundraising commitment to rebuild First Dallas while preserving its legacy.<\/p>\n

The project, estimated at $130 million, is now slated for completion and reopening on Easter Sunday 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is a historic day in the life of our church, a milestone day on which we remember God’s faithfulness and goodness to us for the last 158 years. But we commemorate this day believing the best is yet to come,\u201d Lovvorn said at the groundbreaking ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven on the night of July 19th, 2024, as those flames roared in this very place, we were able to say that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Eric Johnson praised the church’s role in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the historic sanctuary was lost to a fire back in 2024, our entire city grieved that loss. Yet what we witnessed in the days that followed was a reminder that a church is more than a building,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s people united by faith, purpose, and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, a tower crane lowered a salvaged stone from the original sanctuary, which featured a carved Bible and an anchor. This artifact, which survived the fire, is set to be incorporated into the new building.<\/p>\n

\"AA salvaged stone from the original First Dallas Baptist sanctuary featuring a carved Bible and anchor. | Image via First Dallas Baptist<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bible, of course, represents God’s word, which is our authority, our foundation, and an unchanging truth that has guided our church for generations,\u201d said Lovvorn. \u201cThe anchor reminds us of sure and steady hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Church leaders view the project as an opportunity to strengthen ministry for future generations while honoring Dallas history. Jeffress put it this way: \u201cBuildings can burn. But churches can’t be burned. A church built on the Lord Jesus Christ can never be destroyed. The gates of Hell will not prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to plans shared with The Christian Post, the rebuilt sanctuary will restore historic elements while incorporating modern enhancements. It will be reoriented north-south, with the pulpit on the northern end, echoing the original 1890 design and drawing from the 1908 interior. Features will include familiar dark red cushioned pews, organ pipes, restored stained glass and a newly exposed wood truss.<\/p>\n

The centerpiece of the sanctuary, Lovvorn said, will be 16 new stained-glass windows \u2014 eight on each side \u2014 depicting the Bible’s redemptive story, inspired by W.A. Criswell’s sermon \u201cThe Scarlet Thread Through the Bible.\u201d These will illustrate eight Old Testament and eight New Testament scenes, from creation to Christ’s return.<\/p>\n

Beneath the sanctuary, a new multipurpose event venue will seat about 550 people with modern technology. New escalators and elevators will provide direct access, and the ground-level entry through the Criswell Center will feature an expanded fellowship lobby.<\/p>\n

According to church documents, insurance will cover the majority of costs, with the church responsible for approximately $27 million. Significant support, meanwhile, has come from major donors like Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green, who provided a $7 million matching gift. The Jim Donald family matched it with another $7 million, bringing combined commitments to $14 million alongside more than $10 million from other church members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter Friday, June 12, 2026First Dallas Baptist Senior Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[119228,102,104,103,119227,19194],"class_list":["post-333568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-church-fire","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-first-dallas-baptist","tag-robert-jeffress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}