Pre-1900: The Wild West Days
First Baptist Church began as a merger of two
small congregations in 1875. The first building was on Main Street, surrounded
by 20 of the city’s 34 saloons. Church minutes make mention of numerous
“drunken brawls” taking place on the streets outside the church.
In 1883, the Main Street building was destroyed by a
tornado. Even as the church waited for a new permanent home to be constructed,
they focused on missions, including the Bond Street Mission, the Jail Mission,
and the Crockett Avenue Mission, which later became Calvary Baptist Church.
Early 20th Century: A Light on Woodard Street
In 1907, First Baptist moved into a new red brick building
at Woodard and Mirick (our current location), which served as our home for 50
years.
In 1925, with a gift from Mrs. Laura McCarthy, an education
building was added, which still serves the church today, housing youth and
adult classes.
This 1925 photo shows the Sunday school group that inspired
the new education building, built to reach and disciple the next generation.
During the Great Depression and the start of World War II, Dr.
J. F. Murrell became the longest-serving First Baptist Denison pastor in the 20th
Century, guiding the church to pay off all debts, in spite of the turbulent
times.
Post-War 20th Century: Building and Sending
After Dr. Murrell’s tenure, the church called
Dr. Guy Newman as pastor, who began to lead the church toward the construction
of a new sanctuary building to mark the church’s 75th anniversary
At the end of Dr. Newman’s tenure in 1949, the church
established Westside Mission, which met in Sam Houston Elementary School. This
mission grew to become Parkside Baptist Church.
While plans for a new sanctuary were underway, Rev. W.E.
Billingsley led the church in building a new education building on Woodard
Street in 1950, which became the office and children’s space that serve the
church today.
The old building was demolished in 1957, and finally, on
September 7, 1958, the church moved into our current sanctuary. This sanctuary
has been our house of worship for more than six decades.
More renovations came in the 1970s under pastor Joe Dee Ray,
but the church was not only investing in building at home. During this time,
the church’s
Cooperative Program missions giving reached 20% of the church’s budget.
In 1987, the church opened the Christian Life
Center, a multipurpose facility featuring a gym and other recreational areas.
The church’s mission extended across the world in 1990, when
Mike Windle, a member since 1974, and his wife Diana were commissioned and sent
as Southern Baptist missionaries to Peru and later to Mongolia. The Windles
planted churches and church planting networks that are still making gospel
impact in each of these countries. Their ministry reminds us that First
Baptist’s impact has always extended far beyond Denison.
2003-present: A New Era
First Baptist Denison had a re-birth of sorts in 2003, when Pastor
Mark Mitchell was called to serve the church. Pastor Mark had been serving Hyde
Park Baptist, a congregation that had outgrown its facilities. This merger
between the two congregations brought new life and a new era to First Baptist
Denison.
Mark Mitchell was the longest-serving pastor in our church
history, and the church thrived under his leadership for many years. During his
tenure, church members got involved in
Mexico Outreach, and
started the church’s annual Love Out Loud Christmas missions projects
.
Love Out Loud has impacted hundreds of Denison families in the past decade and
a half, providing help and relief each December in projects like Jackets for
Jackets, Month of Meals, toy drives, and more.
In 2018, the church called our current pastor,
Dr. Stephen Suffron. The church’s emphasis under this leadership has been
discipleship, adopting a new discipleship vision and process in 2020.
In 2022, the church completed sanctuary repairs and updates,
including a full remodel of the church foyer. Later that year, we called Ryan
Dickson as our new worship pastor.
God has been faithful throughout the decades,
and he continues to be at work in our town and in our church. In 2024, the
church celebrated the most baptisms the church had seen in one year in 30
years.
Denison is a growing town, and we know that God has a lot in
store for First Baptist Denison as we meet the challenges and the opportunities
that he has put ahead of us.
From saloon-lined streets in 1875 to a growing city in 2025,
our story is one of God’s faithfulness. As we celebrate 150 years, we also rededicate
ourselves to Jesus Christ’s call to make disciples in Denison and beyond.
First Baptist Church Denison Family Tree
First Baptist Denison was not truly the first Baptist church
in Denison (that distinction goes to Hopewell Baptist or Iron Ore Baptist). But
many Baptist churches in this area can trace their lineage back to our church,
including:
In addition, there are many churches and ministries in Peru
and Mongolia that trace back to the ministry of Mike and Diana Windle.
Longest-tenured Pastors
Here are the ten longest-tenured pastors in our church
history, and the years they served: