First Baptist Church of Lubbock
Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized in 1891, the First Baptist Church congregation met at the county jail until 1901, when a small church building was built at 13th Street and Avenue G. The church's first pastor was the Rev. J. R. Miller. The Baptist Women's Missionary Society and the Board of Deacons provided leadership during the congregation's early years. Charitable projects were funded by box suppers, ice cream parties, and quilting bees. The congregation called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. B. F. Dixon, in 1905. During his tenure the first parsonage was built and a baptistry was added to the church building. Membership increased in 1925 when Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) opened. Personnel from Lubbock Army Air Field (later Reese Air Force Base) and South Plains Army Air Field were welcomed to the church during World War II. By 1951 the congregation worshiped at the present location on Broadway and Avenue V. First Baptist Church outreach activities have included missions, radio and television programs, a deaf ministry, a child development center, Oriental and Spanish language ministries, and active involvement with the Southern Baptist Convention. 1991
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Lubbock was barely a settlement, the First Baptist congregation organized in 1891 and met in the county jail until a small church was built in 1901. Early members funded their work with box suppers, ice cream parties, and quilting bees, and the church grew alongside the town—swelling when Texas Technological College opened in 1925 and welcoming servicemen from the area's Army airfields during World War II. By mid-century it had moved to its present Broadway location and broadened into wide-ranging ministries.
Why it matters
First Baptist's century of growth mirrors Lubbock's own rise from frontier hamlet to a South Plains city shaped by a university and wartime aviation.
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Related people
- · Rev. J. R. Miller
- · Rev. B. F. Dixon
Themes & tags
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