On the north side of Irving, Texas, where Belt Line Road cuts through established neighborhoods, a Church of Christ congregation has met continuously since September 1955. The Belt Line Road church of Christ first gathered as the Sowers church of Christ with 82 charter members, two elders, four deacons, and one full-time minister. When the Sowers community was annexed by the city of Irving in 1960, the congregation took its current name and has occupied the same plot of land ever since. Today the church is known in Irving for its a cappella worship, its graded Bible classes for every age from cradle roll through twelfth grade, and the mission work it supports in New England, Nigeria, and two Texas children's homes.
A 1955 Planting on Belt Line Road
The Belt Line Road church of Christ held its first service on September 4, 1955. Originally called the Sowers church of Christ, the young congregation was sponsored by the First and Delaware church of Christ and began with 82 members, two elders, four deacons, and one full-time minister, Harold Fite. By the time the Sowers community was annexed by Irving in 1960, the church had already taken on its current identity, and the name change followed.
The congregation holds a notable place in Irving history as the first church in the city to include both Black and white members in its fellowship. The men who have served the church as full-time ministers, in order, are Harold Fite, Dick Powell, Webb Fry, Flavil Yeakly Jr., Russell Bankes, Wess Whitt, Jim Williams, Fayne Bass, J.L. Johnson, David Tappe, Kyle Kiser, Dan Flournoy, Don Hatch, Randy Reagan, and Doug Post.
The first elders, Leamon Crouch and Fred Hann, set a pattern of leadership that has continued through the present day. The current elders are Richard Renfro, Darrell Allen, and Dean Webb. The land on which the meeting house stands was donated by Sister Elizabeth Stovall, who attended the congregation regularly until shortly before her death at age 101.
Worship Without Instruments
The Belt Line Road church of Christ describes itself as faithfully following the New Testament pattern of the first century church. Worship is conducted in what the church calls a reverent and orderly way, and the congregation does not use instrumental music in its services. The church seeks what it calls scriptural authorization for every practice, citing II Timothy 1:13 and Galatians 1:8 as guiding verses. Visitors can expect a traditional Church of Christ worship gathering: a cappella congregational singing, prayer, preaching from Scripture, and the Lord's Supper observed each Sunday.
Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Evenings
The weekly schedule of services at Belt Line Road runs as follows. On Sunday morning the congregation meets for Bible class at 9:00 AM and worship at 10:00 AM. A 4:00 PM Sunday evening service is listed on the regular schedule but is currently not meeting. Wednesday evening Bible class meets at 6:30 PM in the annex across Stovall Street, just south of the main building.
Bible Classes for Every Age
Bible classes meet at the same time as adult worship on Sunday morning (9:00 AM) and again on Wednesday evening (6:30 PM). On Sunday morning, classes are divided by age in a graded system: cradle roll for ages 0 to 2.5, preschool for ages 2.5 to 4, separate classes for kindergarten through first grade, second through third grade, fourth through fifth grade, and sixth through twelfth grade. Adults meet together in the auditorium.
On Wednesday evenings, the same approach continues, with cradle roll for ages 0 to 2.5, ages 2.5 through kindergarten, first and second grade, third through fifth grade, and sixth through twelfth grade, with adults gathering in the auditorium. The depth and breadth of the children's and youth program is a hallmark of the congregation's ministry to families in Irving.
The Ladies Bible Class Curriculum
The Ladies Bible Class at Belt Line Road has developed an extensive written curriculum that is shared with women in the congregation and beyond. Four series of lessons form the core of the studies. The first, Bible Garments, runs through twelve lessons on garments from the abandoned coat to the Christian's spiritual garments. The second, Bible Women, is a sweeping twenty-two lesson walk through the women of Scripture from Eve through Lydia and Priscilla. The third, Pearls From Proverbs, is a fifteen-lesson study on wisdom, the tongue, anger, honesty, and the merry heart. The fourth, Old Testament Types and Shadows, traces ten lessons through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua.
Nine Subjects for Bible Study
The materials shared by the church invite further study through a numbered list of nine subjects about the church's fundamental teachings: the Founder, the Name, the Mission, the Organization, the Message, the Plan of Salvation, the Scriptural Acts of Worship, and the Teaching Regarding Eternal Life. The same list describes three avenues for personal study: attending Bible classes and worship services in person, arranging private personal study sessions through the church office, and working through a free Bible correspondence course.
Mission Work in New England, Nigeria, and Beyond
Belt Line Road supports several mission works through prayer, encouragement, and financial giving. David and Paula Tarbet serve in New England, where David edits Christ For Today, a direct-mail Bible teaching publication, and directs the White Rock Fund, which provides grants to more than sixty missionary efforts of churches of Christ around the world. The church also supports Matthew and Emma Idowu Fola, who preach in Lagos, Nigeria, where Matthew has helped establish multiple congregations and continues to reach new areas through house-to-house preaching.
In Texas, the church supports Christ's Haven for Children in Keller and Foster's Home For Children in Stephenville, both Christian children's homes affiliated with churches of Christ. Mission Printing in Arlington receives ongoing support as well; the nonprofit distributes Bible-oriented teaching literature to missionaries worldwide at no cost. Through the years the congregation has also assisted students at the Preston Road School of Preaching, the Brown Trail School of Preaching, the Memphis School of Preaching, the Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies, and the Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin.
The Building, the Annex, and the Stovall Donation
The Belt Line Road church of Christ building has grown with the congregation. The church records that the building has had four additions, with major work completed in 1957, 1962, and 1975. The present main auditorium seats four hundred people, with classroom space close by. A minister's home was purchased across the street from the church building in 1956 and has since been converted into a classroom, annex, and fellowship center. Wednesday evening Bible class meets in this annex, which sits across Stovall Street just south of the main building.
Sermons, Bulletins, and Online Study
Sermon audio is archived by year going back to 2015, and the bulletin archive holds weekly bulletins from 2016 onward. Archived video of sermons is also available on the church's YouTube channel. The Bible Study section gathers an unusually wide range of Christian study resources, including The Truth About series, Safety Chain, The Gospel For The World, Apologetics Press, Executable Outlines, Truth For The World, Focus Press, Christian Courier, The Gospel of Christ, Gospel Gazette, In Search of The Lord's Way, House to House Heart to Heart, World Video Bible School, World Bible School, and Mission Printing. Three Christian bookstores, Gospel Advocate, OneStone Biblical Resources, and Chula Vista Christian Book Store, are also linked from the study section.
A Network of Care Across Dallas-Fort Worth
The church maintains a list of area hospitals, from Baylor Scott & White in Irving and Las Colinas to Parkland, Methodist, UT Southwestern, and Children's Medical Center in Dallas, so that members and families can easily locate loved ones who are receiving care. The list reflects the church's attention to its people beyond the Sunday assembly.