Nov. 4, 2025<\/p>\n
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Updated Nov. 6, 2025 at 8:16 p.m. CST<\/p>\n
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A four-alarm fire at First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, destroyed its historic, red-brick sanctuary last year, and reconstruction of the edifice won\u2019t be completed until Easter 2028. In the meantime, the destruction has taught the nonprofit institution a lot about its workplace as it has navigated the crisis. <\/p>\n
Staff members were \u201cscattered\u201d after the fire, and as of August, permanent power still hadn\u2019t been restored to the church offices, said Ben Lovvorn, First Baptist\u2019s senior executive pastor. So, keeping everyone updated and encouraged during the rebuilding effort has been a priority. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been very purposeful about communicating with our staff \u2014 and our congregation \u2014 so that they know and understand what\u2019s going on, and that they are a part of the process,\u201d he said. \u201cAt other organizations, this situation would lead to tremendous turnover, but our entire team has stayed intact. That [in turn] has provided consistency and encouragement to our 16,000 church members.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother lesson we\u2019ve learned is making sure you have the right people in place so you\u2019re able to handle a crisis like this,\u201d he continued. \u201cFinding those right people \u2014 and getting them in the right seats on the bus \u2014 is key to tackling whatever obstacles you\u2019re presented with along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
News Roundups<\/p>\n