Our History

Since 1865

With a rich history beginning in 1865, First Baptist Richardson is proud of the people who have paved the way for the church we have today.

The congregation that would eventually become the First Baptist Church of Richardson was formed on December 19, 1865. Nineteen people met together for the first worship service at the Elm Grove school. They called themselves the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and had as their pastor Joseph Jennings Butler. In less than three years, the membership had grown to 95. The church family met in several places until 1885 when they voted to move their meeting place into Richardson.

In February 1886, Mt. Calvary held the first service in their newly built church building which was at Greenville Avenue and Phillips Street in Richardson. Changing its name to the First Baptist Church of Richardson in 1954, the church remained at this location for a century. Over these 100 years, the church grew and flourished as it tried to meet the spiritual needs of Richardson and the growing metroplex around it.

First Baptist Richardson occupied its current building location at Arapaho Road and Central Expressway in 1986. Since that time it has continued to grow and thrive as it ministers to the changing needs of a dynamic community.