On Friday evening, the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas erupted in flames in a devastating four-alarm fire that destroyed the oldest part of the church. The church that was founded in 1868 boasts a massive congregation of over 16,000 and is a monumental piece of Dallas history with an undeniable influence over the Southern Baptist community.
Despite the fire, the congregation remains undeterred, maintaining that they will persevere through the tragedy. In light of their sanctuary having burned down, churchgoers at First Baptist Dallas gathered in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Sunday morning to worship.
Pastor Robert Jeffress preached to nearly 3,000 worshippers after the fire, comparing their hardship to the despair that must have been felt by the disciples the night Jesus was crucified. However, His subsequent resurrection would eventually bring joy to the world. “This last Friday night, it looked like the gates of Hell were prevailing, that Satan was going to win,” he stated. “That was Friday night, but ladies and gentlemen, it is Sunday morning. It is a day of resurrection.”
Jefresss continued, “It’s not a day of death. And I am pledging to you, we’re going to rebuild that sanctuary. We’re going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth, the unchangeableness, the endurance of the Word of God.” He added, “We cannot allow Satan to have the last word. If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we’ve been defeated by the evil one. So we’re going to rebuild, we’re going to recreate.”
The Christian Tribune previously reported on the fire that engulfed First Baptist Dallas on Friday evening. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Pastor Jeffries took to X requesting thoughts and prayers as the church charted the path forward from the disaster.
“We have experienced a fire in the Historic Sanctuary. To our knowledge, no one is hurt or injured, and we thank God for His protection. He is sovereign even in the most difficult times,” he wrote. “‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’ – Romans 8:28.”
First Baptist Dallas posted on its Facebook page, “We continue to praise God for His hand of protection on our church. We are grateful that no one was injured today and are thankful for the first responders who helped contain the fire to our Historic Sanctuary. They continue working but the primary fire has been extinguished. One way or another, we intend to meet for church this Sunday. More details to follow. We hope to see you there.”
Jeffress added, “It holds a lot of memories. We thank God nobody was hurt. … I’m grateful that the church is not brick and mortar, its people. The people of God will endure. First Baptist Dallas will endure. We thank so many of our friends around the country who are praying for us right now.”
Watch the fire below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.