by Brianna Crandall — April 8, 2013—Three years after imploding more than 1 million square feet of building space downtown to make room, First Baptist Church of Dallas, led by nationally known pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress, has completed what it calls the largest Protestant church building campaign in modern history, opening its new state-of-the-art $130 million campus on Easter Sunday, March 31.
The new campus is part of an extensive and impressive ongoing revitalization of downtown Dallas, Texas, following the recent opening of several innovative museums, theaters and parks. Although the trend among many churches is to acquire and retrofit unused buildings or open smaller, satellite campuses in the suburbs, First Baptist chose to remain in the heart of Dallas—where it has been located since its founding in 1868—in order to provide a “spiritual oasis” and continue to serve the residents, business community and guests of Dallas and the surrounding Metroplex.
The new facilities feature the newest technological advances, designed to enhance an intimate, interactive worship experience. A new 3,000-seat Worship Center, located next to the historic landmark 122-year-old sanctuary, includes a 150-foot-wide IMAX-quality video wall stretching more than two-thirds the width of the auditorium. It incorporates seven high-definition projectors blended together, making it one of the largest viewing screens in any church in the world. Additionally, wood bands along the walls surrounding the Worship Center contain LED strips that can be programmed to millions of different colors, creating dramatic ambient lighting to supplement and enhance any platform program.
Connected to the Worship Center via a glass sky bridge is the five-story Horner Family Center, featuring themed children’s and youth classrooms, a gymnasium, three age-appropriate indoor playgrounds, and a seven-story parking garage. A high-impact cross-tower and fountain are surrounded by three-quarters of an acre of public community space.
