A posting on Facebook this morning left a sick sensation in the pit of my stomach. The historic secondary chapel at the First Baptist Church located in downtown Dallas burned yesterday. Currently, there are no details related to the cause of the blaze.
First Baptist Church Dallas was founded in 1868. The Victorian-style, red brick sanctuary building was erected 1890 and is a recognized Texas Historic Landmark.
In 2013, a major renovation and the completion of a new worship center described as "state of the art", adjacent to the historic sanctuary was opened. Reportedly, the new sanctuary cost $130 million dollars. The church hosts a membership of over 16,000 people.
When I was in college, I met several students that were members of First Baptist Church in Dallas. The love they held for the church of their childhood, along with pastor W.A. Criswell, was undeniable. Yet it wasn't that dissimilar from my thoughts associated to the church where I grew up and the pastor who served during my adolescents.
A Baptist church with a membership of 16,000 is certainly not the norm. Out of curiosity, I did a Google search regarding Baptist churches and found the average pastor-to-worshiper ratio in America is one for every 90 people. The average church venue seats 200 people. Interestingly, a notation was made that it is rare for the seats to be full in most churches.
I recently visited with a youth pastor of a First Baptist Church in a relatively small town and was told their attendance on Sundays runs about thirty-five. Two and a half years ago, it was around 250 people. Whether there has been a mass exodus from the town, I don't know. The decline in attendance has to be troubling.
When I had the privilege of being pastor of the same church for more than forty years, I always found the backdoor of the church troubling. Periodically, new folks would come, get involved and then mysteriously drop out of sight. I operated on the notion that if folks were having their needs met, the back door of the church would be non-existent. Whether rightfully or wrongfully, I somehow personalized the loss and thought I was responsible.
The church where I attend has a sanctuary that comfortably seats about 100 people. I cannot wrap my head around the concept of thousands of people in a church. I personally like being a part of a congregation where I know everyone by name.
Of course, the downside and upside to that is that when someone misses church it is noticed. It is seldom that we choose to be somewhere else on Sundays, but the possibility exists. Just last night the General and I talked about the fact that our window of opportunity to travel is associated to being in good health. As of late, the past couple of years, scheduled doctor visits fill much of our time. We want to do that differently.
My heart goes out to the people of the First Baptist Church Dallas with the loss of a building filled with history and memories. However, the reality is that the secondary chapel is not the church. The church is the 16,000 members affiliated to the church. The building is simply a filling station where folks gathered for worship.
All My Best!
Don
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