BBAx Architects

First Baptist Church, Waxahachie

Waxahachie, Texas

Programmatic Requirements

According to a state historical marker, twelve citizens meeting in the Methodist Church organized the First Baptist Church of Waxahachie in 1861. Its first church building was completed in 1882, with several successive structures built over the years. The former downtown sanctuary was dedicated in 1959 and served as its home until increased membership and growing ministry nees prompted discussions of new facilities. A long-range planning committee was formed in 2012 to explore ways for this multi-generational church to meet its expanding mission of service to the community.

Design Solutions

BBA Architects, under the direction of Madison Construction, designed a full-campus relocation for First Baptist Church, Waxahachie. Wanting to take advantage of the highly visible site off of Hwy 287, upon completion, the church relocated in early 2019 from their present downtown location to the new 63,720 SF facility. The new worship center capacity is designed for 735. The new facility includes a children’s education wing with an indoor playroom, administrative offices, adult education space, a music suite and combination gymnasium/fellowship space with accompanying kitchen. The church’s ministry is enhanced in the worship space by featuring an LED panel wall for large-format graphics display and is accented with programmable LED wall-wash lighting. Future expansion capability is programmed into the space, and allows for tiered seating to increase the worship size by roughly 350, when needed. The church’s long range planning team coordinated the design goals and worked with BBA Architects to fulfill the vision for its new campus. In its new location, the mission and ministry of the church are flourishing, reaching a previously under-represented demographic and positioning its church for sustained growth.