A bilingual congregation at the corner of Tenth and Tyler in Oak Cliff has been a steady presence in Dallas since October 1940, when fourteen people and Pastor Virgil H. Fisher organized Grace Temple Baptist Church. The church has grown from a single frame building on the corner of Sunset and Tyler to facilities that occupy nearly a full city block, and in the decades since it has become known for its English and Spanish worship, its Wednesday night meals, and a steady stream of mission work that reaches from Dallas classrooms to flood-ravaged Texas towns.
A Lighthouse on Tenth and Tyler
The history of Grace Temple is a study in steady growth and community commitment. Just two months after the church organized, Buel R. Crouch became its second pastor on February 16, 1941. The church grew quickly, and on March 7, 1947, the members marched as a group from their first building to a new location at the corner of Tenth and Tyler, where the church still stands today. An educational wing was added in February 1954, and a Day Care Center serving more than 150 children was launched in 1962.
In February 1966, a new sanctuary with seating for 1,440 was dedicated. Pastor Crouch retired on his thirty-third anniversary with the church, February 17, 1974, and Douglas L. Laird took the helm later that year. Under his leadership, the church paid off the final building in 1982. Through the 1970s and 1980s, as Oak Cliff changed around it, Grace Temple refused to leave its post. The congregation, in its own telling, refused to abdicate its God-given mission to be a lighthouse on this corner and to minister God's love to this community.
In the fall of 2008, under Pastor Ryan Jespersen, the church went through a season of fasting and prayer that began a steady climb in attendance. The ministry expanded to include Spanish-speaking neighbors, and on July 28, 2013, Marco Castillo was called as Senior Pastor. Pastor Marco, who is married to Claudia and has four children, had been on the church's ministerial staff since July 1, 2009, and had been ordained at Iglesia Bautista La Gran Comisión on January 30, 2005. He has lived in the Oak Cliff community for more than twenty years.
Worship in English and Spanish
Grace Temple's regular Sunday schedule is built around its bilingual identity. An English Worship Service is held at 9:30 a.m., and at the same hour, Spanish-speaking adults gather for small group Bible study. At 11:00 a.m., the schedule flips: a Spanish Worship Service begins while English small groups meet for children through adults. Children in PreK through 6th grade attend their Sunday morning groups at 11:00 a.m., with nursery care for children from birth through age three.
On the last Sunday of each month, the two congregations worship together. All small groups meet at 9:30 a.m. in their classrooms, and a Joint Worship Service follows at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, with the sermon delivered in English and translated into Spanish. Both Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and recordings remain available afterward.
Wednesday Nights Around the Table
Wednesday is the church's other big gathering day. A family-style dinner is served from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, costing $3 per person or $10 per family, and the meal is suspended during June and July. After dinner, classes and studies begin at 6:30 p.m. and run simultaneously:
- Adult Bible Study in English and Adult Bible Study in Spanish, both in the Fellowship Hall
- Grace Kids, a Wednesday evening program for children in kindergarten through 6th grade
- Bible Drill for students in 1st through 6th grade
- Nursery for children from birth through kindergarten
- Student Worship and Bible Study for students in 7th through 12th grade
Grace Kids and Grace Students
The children's ministry aims to help every child learn about Jesus in a safe and fun environment. Sunday morning groups meet at 11:00 a.m. for PreK through 6th grade, and nursery care is available for children from birth through age three. Grace Kids gathers again on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. The ministry also hosts periodic events like Movie Day, an afternoon complete with popcorn, snacks, and laughs for the whole family.
Grace Students, the middle and high school ministry, is described by the church as a group "equipping students to live out their faith, serve their community, and lead with Christlike integrity." Students meet for Sunday worship at 9:30 a.m. and small group Bible study at 11:00 a.m., and they gather for worship and Bible study on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Each summer, Grace Students spend a week at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Camp in Cedar Hill, and they attend worship conferences such as Congreso throughout the year. The students also partner with Mission Serve for an annual mission trip. Recent trips have partnered with the Buckhorn Children's Foundation in Kentucky and have included flood relief and rebuilding work in Texas.
Small Groups for Every Stage of Life
Beyond the children's and student ministry, Grace Temple organizes adults by life stage. Young Adults includes a college-age group (18 to 23), a 24 to 30 group, and a parenting class for parents of young children. They meet for worship at 9:30 a.m. and Bible study at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, and they attend the Wednesday evening Bible study in the Fellowship Hall. Median Aged Adults offers two Sunday morning classes: Adult 1 meets on the second floor of the West Wing, and Adult 2 meets in the Parlor. Both groups also attend the Wednesday evening adult Bible study.
Senior Adults gather for Bible study by conference call on Saturday mornings and are welcome to join in person or on Facebook Live for Sunday worship. The Men's Ministry meets for Bible study and fellowship on Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m., and all men are invited to bring a friend. The Women's Ministry participates in the WMU/DBA Women's Retreat each fall, a bilingual weekend at Mt. Lebanon in English and Spanish.
Several times a year, the church hosts a Fresh Start Class for newcomers and anyone wanting to learn more about Grace Temple's beliefs and community. The class lasts about two to two and a half hours, with lunch and childcare provided, and registration takes place through the church's Realm app.
What Grace Temple Believes
Grace Temple holds to the Bible as its confession of faith and identifies with the historic Baptist tradition. Its statement of faith, influenced by the Baptist Faith and Message (1925, 1963, and 2000), includes:
- The Bible is God's perfect, error-free word to humanity.
- Salvation is found only through faith in Jesus Christ's work on the cross, and once genuinely received, cannot be lost.
- There is one true God, existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, crucified, and risen on the third day; He will return in bodily form.
- The Holy Spirit indwells every believer from the moment of salvation and guides them through the Christian life.
- Men and women are created in God's image, marred by sin, and redeemable through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, and the family is the foundational institution of human society.
- The two ordinances of the church are believers' baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, which is open to all believers.
- Religious freedom is a Baptist distinctive: the state owes every church full freedom in pursuing its spiritual ends, and no denomination should be favored over another.
The church also teaches what it calls the priesthood of the believer, the conviction that a Christian can stand before a holy God through Jesus Christ without the aid of a priest or mediator.
Reaching Oak Cliff and Beyond
Grace Temple's commitment to its neighborhood is visible in its school partnerships. The church regularly serves Bishop Arts STEAM (formerly Reagan Elementary), Hector P. Garcia Middle School, and Adamson High School through the Dallas ISD volunteer portal, with events like National Night Out, Trunk or Treat, and IB Science Night on the calendar throughout the year. Adult volunteers complete a background check through the district before serving.
Each September, the church participates in the Week of Prayer for Texas Missions and supports the Mary Hill Davis Offering for state missions. Grace Temple's stated church objectives are to be instruments for carrying out the Christian commission through service, to provide fellowship and training for Christian growth, to maintain physical facilities for worship, and to support missions with prayer, finances, and direct involvement.
Listening, Reading, and Staying Connected
Sermons from both the English and Spanish services are posted to the church's Facebook page, where worship is also livestreamed. A series of One Minute Devotionals airs daily on 1630 AM KKGM as part of the church's radio ministry in Dallas.
Members have free access to Right Now Media, a library of thousands of Christian videos and Bible studies for all ages. A bilingual church app called Realm Connect helps the congregation coordinate giving, sign up for events, and register for the Fresh Start Class. A monthly newsletter in English and Spanish, with birthday lists, announcements, and a calendar of upcoming events, is published for the congregation.
At Grace Temple, prayer is one of the pillars of the church's life, and the motto drawn from Mark 11:24 captures the spirit of the place: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."