Denton, Denton County
Twelve men and women met in 1858 in the log cabin Denton County Courthouse to organize the Union Baptist Church. In its first decade, the church doubled its membership. By 1876 the congregation had been renamed the Denton Baptist Church. About 1880 the name was changed to the First Baptist Church of Denton. For nearly twenty years the congregation met in the Masonic Hall and the Cumberland Presbyterian building. The first structure owned by the church, a white frame one topped by a steeple, was completed in 1876. As the membership grew, a new building completed in 1897 served the congregation until a fire destroyed it in 1917. A brick church building fronted by Greek columns was completed in 1918. A larger worship center was constructed here in 1967. For several generations, the congregation has offered many religious, social, and educational ministries for its members and the community. The church also has provided leadership in local, state, and nationwide organizations; has established many missions and new churches; and has supported missionaries at home and abroad. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church of Denton has been an integral part of the community. (1997)