A 165-Year-Old Church in the Heart of San Antonio
On a single block of downtown San Antonio, surrounded by color-coded parking lots and a public garage, First Baptist Church of San Antonio has gathered worshipers for more than a century and a half. Located at 515 McCullough Avenue, the church is a downtown landmark with members who drive in from every corner of Bexar County to fill the Sanctuary, the Chapel, the gym, and a contemporary worship space called 4th Street Crossing. Its mission is stated in a single sentence: to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and lead all others to a joyful life with him. Its motto, "New Life, Historic Faith," fits a congregation large enough and old enough that several generations often sit together in the same Sunday school class.
The church broadcasts its 11:00 AM traditional service live on KSAT-12 television each Sunday, reaching roughly 30,000 additional households across the region, and every service is also streamed online. Over the years the congregation has planted daughter churches among Karen, Karenni, Myanmar, Zomi, and Lao/Thai refugees, and it still shares its building with several of those communities on Sunday mornings. The result is a single church that, on any given weekend, holds services in four languages at five different hours.
Five Sunday Worship Gatherings Under One Roof
By 9:30 AM on a Sunday, the campus is fully awake. Bible study classes for every age meet in Webb Hall, the Kokernot Building, West Hall, the Blanchard Lounge, and rooms in between. From birth through a homebound phone class for those in their eighties and beyond, every classroom follows the same scripture passage, the centerpiece of FBCSA's signature approach called Re:Verse.
The Sanctuary opens for an early traditional service at 8:30 AM. At 11:00 AM, four worship services run simultaneously:
- Traditional worship in the Sanctuary, featuring the Sanctuary Choir and the Orchestra at First.
- LOGOS Worship in 4th Street Crossing, a casual, band-led contemporary gathering.
- Spanish-language worship in the Chapel, led by Spanish Language Minister René De Alejandro.
- Karenni worship in the gym, organized by Cornerstone Karenni Baptist Church, which was planted at FBCSA in 2018.
At 12:45 PM the Congolese congregation gathers in the Chapel, and at 1:00 PM the parking lots begin to clear. In total, six distinct worship gatherings meet under one roof on a single Sunday morning.
A Campus of Sunday Morning Bible Study
More than twenty Sunday morning Bible study classes meet across the FBCSA campus at 9:30 AM. First Kids Junior cares for infants through Pre-K on the first floor of Webb Hall; First Kids Elementary welcomes kindergarten through fifth grade on the second floor. Youth (grades 6-12) gather on the third floor of Webb Hall, and college students meet in Webb 213.
Adults can choose from classes organized by life stage. Young Marrieds, Growing Families, Revelation 10:3, and Adventure Families fill the rest of Webb Hall. Median and senior adults (NextGen Legacy) have their own classes in West Hall - the Agape and Koinonia classes for those in their seventies, the Together class, and Kingdom Builders for those eighty and older, which splits into Men's, Women's, and Homebound Phone classes. Ungraded options include Acts 3:19, the Berean class, Explore, the Freedom class, G.I.F.T., the Pastor's Class in Fellowship Hall, The Gathering in the Gym, and the Upper Room class. Single adults in their twenties, thirties and forties, and fifties each meet in their own discussion-driven groups.
Re:Verse: Five Ways into the Same Scripture
The way FBCSA teaches the Bible sets it apart. Rather than a menagerie of unrelated sermons and studies, the church focuses everyone, youth and adults together, on a single scripture for the entire week. The program is called Re:Verse: an encounter with one passage in five different ways.
- Read daily: members spend time alone with the passage for reflection and prayer.
- Pastor's Blog: short daily reflections on the passage, posted by the pastoral team.
- Bible study: Sunday morning small groups dive into the text together.
- Worship: the Sunday sermon offers a second look at the passage with attention to application.
- Discipleship groups: small gatherings called Circles of Six meet during the week for encouragement and accountable action.
A thirteen-week study walks the congregation through Paul's letter to the Romans, with lessons ranging from "A Longing Apostle and the Powerful Gospel" (Romans 1:14-17) to "The Gospel On the Ground" (Romans 16:17-27). Each week surfaces a fresh angle on the same letter. Online, the same passage is taught weekly by Blake Coffee in a video lesson that complements the in-person classes.
Wednesday Nights Around Mid-Week Strength
From late afternoon through the evening, the campus transforms again for Mid-Week Strength. A fellowship meal opens the night in the dining hall, with adults and children gathering for an affordable dinner before programming begins.
After dinner, the building fills with choirs, classes, and small groups running in parallel. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses in Unity Hall and the Orchestra at First rehearses in the Sanctuary. Greater Men's Ministry gathers at 7:00 PM in West 103 for a book study. Mid-Week in the City, the single adults' gathering, meets at 7:00 PM at Wolfson House to explore big questions of the day around a table. College students gather for Catalyst at 6:00 PM in Webb 213. Youth meet for Refuge 62:8 in the Youth Lounge and Studio 3 from 6:00 to 8:15 PM. First Kids choirs rehearse - Music Friends (4s-K), Music Makers (grades 1-3), and Young Musicians (grades 4-5) - in the West classrooms. Torah Club ("The Narrow Path"), free ESL classes, and a Spanish-language worship gathering round out the evening options.
Music That Has Filled the Sanctuary for Generations
FBCSA is widely known in San Antonio for musical excellence, a tradition stretching back more than a century. The Sanctuary Choir has filled the chancel for over a hundred years, performing for the Texas Choral Directors Association, the Baylor University "Alleluia! Many Voices, One Song" Conference, and the National Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Each year it anchors "Christmas at First," a citywide tradition that draws thousands downtown to experience the music of the season.
The Orchestra at First - strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion - accompanies congregational singing alongside a Steinway grand piano and a Shantz pipe organ. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings. Children are not left out: Music Friends, Music Makers, and Young Musicians rehearse on Wednesdays. The Sanctuary Choir Chamber Singers, a select mixed ensemble, present distinctive repertoire throughout the year, particularly during Lent and Advent, performing in Unity Hall's three-story open atrium known for its acoustics.
First Youth Worship (grades 6-12) combines choir, band, and technical arts training, with monthly opportunities to lead at the youth ministry's evening gathering. For older singers, Tried and True (TNT) is a senior adult choir that nurtures the heart to sing and serve.
Children, Youth, College, and Single Adults
Children are welcomed through First Kids, a ministry that takes security as seriously as fun. First Kids Junior (birth through Pre-K) checks in on the first floor of Webb Hall; First Kids Elementary (kindergarten through fifth grade) checks in on the second floor. Each child and parent receives matching name tags exclusive to the visit, and children are released only to the adult holding the matching tag. The children's choirs provide musical entry points from age four onward, and Vacation Bible School features a music program led by the Young Musicians.
Youth (grades 6-12) gather for Bible study on the third floor of Webb Hall at 9:30 AM, then either join the Traditional or LOGOS Worship service at 11:00 AM. Wednesday nights are spent at Refuge 62:8 from 6:00 to 8:15 PM. College students meet at 9:30 AM in Webb 213 for Bible study and on Wednesday evenings for Catalyst, exploring God's word in transformational community.
Single Adults (twenties, thirties-forties, and fifties) each have their own Sunday morning Bible study classes. Wednesday nights they gather at Wolfson House at 7:00 PM for Mid-Week in the City, a year-round table conversation on topics like fear, hope, suffering, and joy. A book study and an annual retreat at Mo Ranch in Kerrville round out the rhythm of the year.
Marriage Strong and the Path to the Altar
Marriage Strong is FBCSA's marriage ministry, providing strategic and engaging opportunities for couples at every stage. Engaged couples can attend Super Saturday, a one-day marriage preparation event offered as a preferred partner of TwoGether In Texas. Held at 4th Street Crossing from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, the day includes the SYMBIS premarital assessment, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a certificate for a discount on a marriage license.
Married couples can join Re|Engage, an open marriage enrichment program, or Marriage in 3D, a date-and-devotion experience built around dessert and scripture. Mom & Son Date Night and Parent's Night Out offer times for parents to invest in their families, and a curated library of marriage resources is available for couples to use at home.
Heart 2 Heart and the Marla Rushing Center
Heart 2 Heart is the church's support and recovery ministry, built on two principles: everyone experiences brokenness, and there is healing in God's Word. The groups are open to anyone in the community, regardless of church membership. Tuesday-evening groups meet at 6:30 PM in the Kokernot Building - CancerCare in room 308, DivorceCare in room 305, and GriefShare in room 301D. The Men's Freedom Group, a Christ-centered twelve-step recovery group for men dealing with sexual addiction, meets year-round on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in West 101.
The Marla Rushing Center for Counseling at Wolfson House offers professional Christian counseling with Licensed Professional Counselor Bryan Richardson. Free adult ESL classes are offered on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM with a waitlist on Sunday mornings. A weekly Friday night meal is served in partnership with a ministry to the homeless called CUB, and volunteers also walk alongside Christian Assistance Ministry and the SA Rescue Mission.
Community Missions and the International Family
Mission is in the DNA of the church. The Community Missions ministry organizes the congregation around "Every Person, Every Family, Every Group," with structured tracks under the heading of "Love Our City." These include ministry to children (Snack Packs for two local schools, mentoring, Good News Club, refugee outreach, and a Wednesday-night dinner, Bible, and basketball program); ministry to the homeless (Friday night meals, Broken Warriors Angels health fairs, and partnerships with local rescue missions); ministry to immigrants (in-home and classroom ESL, citizenship classes, and refugee family outreach); ministry to families (foster care support through Fostering Together, the SATX Alliance for Orphans, and the Afghan Family Outreach); ministry to military (partnerships with Cru Military at Lackland AFB and Cadence at Ft. Sam Houston); and disaster relief (chainsaw, feeding, and laundry units deployed with Texans on Mission).
The church is also a hub for international ministry. The Karen congregation arrived in San Antonio as refugees in 2006 and was cared for by Lao/Thai families at FBCSA; today they are organized as San Antonio Karen Baptist Church. The Karenni came as refugees in 2009 and gather at 11:00 AM in the FBCSA gym as Cornerstone Karenni Baptist Church. The Myanmar congregation, established in 2009, became Gospel Myanmar Church in 2015 and now meets at its own building on Vance Jackson Road. The Zomi, led by Pastor Niang Lun Cing, worship in their own language and are now independent as Zomi First Baptist Church. The Lao/Thai Bible Study class continues to meet at 9:30 AM in the Kokernot Building. Minister of International and Asian Ministries Tera Kouba oversees the relationships with these communities, and a monthly International Youth Bible Study gathers on Friday evenings in Webb Chapel.
What FBCSA Believes
As Baptists, the church identifies as historically non-creedal, holding scripture alone as the statement of faith. For clarity, FBCSA affirms that God is the Triune Creator - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-equal and one. He is all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipresent.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, co-equal with the Father, both human and divine. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the sacrifice for all sin, rose again three days later, ascended to Heaven, and will return personally to reign as King of Kings.
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son. He draws people to Christ, gives spiritual life, indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, and gives spiritual gifts for service.
The Bible is God's Word, written by human authors under the Holy Spirit's guidance - inspired, sufficient, and true without error.
Salvation is God's free gift by grace. It is received through personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, not by self-improvement or works. Eternal life begins the moment a person trusts Christ, and the true believer is eternally secure in that salvation. People are created to exist forever - either eternally with God in Heaven or eternally separated from God in Hell.
The church teaches that the church is the body of Christ in the world, led by pastors and deacons under congregational government, with baptism and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances. Every believer receives one or more spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation, to be discovered through involvement in ministry for the building up of the church and the service of others.
Plan a Visit
Visitors to FBCSA find free parking all day in color-coded lots marked with the FBCSA Church Parking logo, plus free parking in the Tobin Garage until 1:00 PM. Greeters are stationed at every door, and ASK ME team members in red shirts can answer questions and guide visitors to Bible study classes and worship services throughout the morning.
For families with children, the First Kids check-in process takes about ten minutes the first time. Children's programming is available during the 8:30 AM early service, the 9:30 AM Bible study hour, and the 11:00 AM worship services. The Discover Class is offered several times a year for newcomers who want to learn more about FBCSA - a tour of the campus, an overview of beliefs, and lunch with the pastors.
The church office is reachable at 210-226-0363 during the week. Online giving supports the ministries of FBCSA, livestreams of every Sunday service are available online, and an online Bible study taught by Blake Coffee complements the in-person Wednesday night options. A sermon archive keeps every message accessible, and a livestream of the 11:00 AM traditional service also airs on KSAT-12 television across the San Antonio region.