Arson was not the cause of the July blaze that gutted the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Dallas.
A Nov. 13 message to the church from Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn says: “The on-site portion of the investigation is complete. Investigators have ruled out arson but have not yet come to a conclusion on the specific cause. We will update you if a definitive cause is determined.”
That progress in the investigation makes it possible for demolition to resume on the interior of the burned-out shell, he said. “Removing debris is the next step in the process, as we make progress toward the new construction. … Demolition will likely conclude in mid-January.”
Church leaders worked from the beginning to save the exterior walls of the 1890 building where George W. Truett and W.A. Criswell preached. Now, they have announced plans to rebuild an updated version of that original structure, but to raise it one level to allow direct access to the adjacent 2013 modern worship space.
The historic entrance to First Baptist Dallas shown before the fire. (Source: First Baptist Church)
“The new Sanctuary design will bring recognizable elements from our past into the new space, especially the 1908 remodel. This iteration of the Sanctuary interior was ornate and distinctive, especially the unique design of the interlocking beams that once graced the ceiling,” a fundraising brochure says. “Incorporating these will create a majestic and worshipful atmosphere. Reorienting the space back to north-south, with the stage on the north side of the room, will allow the stained glass to be more prominent and visible. The space will have a reverent, celebratory and historic tone, with the acoustics and technology of a modern worship venue.”
The church’s primary Sunday service happens in the newer space, which was built with modern sound, lighting and video technology. Before the fire, the historic sanctuary was still used regularly for weddings and special events.
First Baptist Dallas is launching a $95 million campaign that will fund all church operations for two years — 2025 and 2026 — in addition to rebuilding the sanctuary and making other major renovations to the downtown Dallas property.
“The two-year commitments we receive will determine whether we can move forward with aspects of the capital project that go beyond insurance proceeds from the fire,” the brochure says. “We believe God is calling us to go beyond merely replacing what was once there. We want to build upon the Sanctuary’s legacy while taking this opportunity to build better space for ministry and fellowship that will be used for generations to come.”
When the new worship space was built in 2013, along with other major construction, that $130 million project at First Baptist Dallas was cited as being the largest Protestant church construction project in modern history.
Although one of the nation’s original megachurches, First Baptist Dallas today draws about 3,300 people to Sunday worship, well below the threshold to be considered among the largest churches in the nation. It remains a megachurch, however, and reports membership of 16,000.
Related articles:
‘Notre Dame of SBC’ burns in Dallas
First Baptist Dallas gets permission to try to save exterior walls of burned sanctuary