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First Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist megachurch located in Dallas, Texas. It was established in 1868 and as of 2011 has a congregation of about 10,000. The church, considered influential among evangelical Christians in the United States,〔 also owns and operates a school, a college, several radio stations, and Dallas Life, a mission for the homeless on the southern edge of Downtown Dallas. The current pastor is Robert Jeffress. Jeffress is currently leading the congregation in a $130 million campaign to re-create its downtown campus. The project is the largest in modern church history. ==History== The First Baptist Church of Dallas was organized on July 30, 1868. First Baptist was organized with eleven charter members on the first floor of the Masonic Hall, on Lamar Street near the intersection of Ross Avenue. In 1872, the determined congregation pooled their funds together to purchase the first building, on Akard, in downtown Dallas. The cornerstone of the sanctuary that the congregation worships in today was laid in 1891. Since the 1970s, the church has established a number of ministries that are affiliated with the church. First Baptist Academy of Dallas and Criswell College (formerly Criswell Bible Institute) were formed to champion Christian education. In the mid-1970s, Criswell College purchased KCBI, to be used as a Christian radio station and has resided on the lower frequencies of FM. Now at 90.9 FM, KCBI broadcasts as part of the Criswell Radio Network, and includes KCRN and KCRN-FM of San Angelo, Texas and KCBK of Frederick, Oklahoma. ==Senior pastors== W.W. Harris was the first pastor and was followed by several others during the early years of the church. In 1897 the first of the two most notable pastors, George Truett accepted the position of Pastor and remained there until his death in July, 1944. In 1944 Dr. W.A. Criswell was called as the pastor of the church. During his tenure the church expanded to multiple buildings covering five blocks in downtown Dallas, eventually becoming the largest Southern Baptist church in the world. Dr. Criswell became Senior Pastor in 1990 and Pastor Emeritus from 1995 until his death in 2002. Since 1990, four pastors have held the pulpit: Joel Gregory, O.S. Hawkins, Mac Brunson, and, currently, Robert Jeffress. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「First Baptist Church (Dallas)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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