Our Story
On January 10, 1909, nine years after Blooming Grove Baptist Church voted to leave the SBC, 33 charter members desiring to be a part of a cooperative mission’s effort, met in order to organize a church affiliated with the Southern baptist Convention. On the 3rd Sunday of October, 1909, Dr. George W. Truett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX preached the building dedication sermon for the newly founded Central Baptist Church. In 2001, a downtown building was purchased to serve as a youth center. The Lion’s Den was opened September, 2002.
About Our Faith
We are a Southern Baptist church holding the distinctive doctrines Baptists have held for centuries. Since we believe that the Bible is our final authority, we give our allegiance to the Bible over any denomination or tradition. We believe that the Bible is inspired of God and therefore is the final authority for faith and practice (2 Peter 1:3, 20-21), that the Word of God is completely profitable to teach us (2 Timothy 3:16), and that God’s Word is settled forever in Heaven (Psalm 119:89)
MEET OUR TEAM
Senior Pastor - Dr. Darren W. Heil
Serving as pastor of Central Baptist Church is a unique privilege for me, since I grew up in Blooming Grove, was saved, and baptized in this very church. I met my wife Jennifer, in Junior High in 1991. We were High School sweethearts and married in 1997. We now have three wonderful children, Calvin, Bethany and Elijah. I have served as the pastor since 2006 and received my Doctor of Ministry degree from Baylor University in 2013. God has blessed Central Baptist Church with folks of all ages, from newborns all the way up to senior citizens. This wide age range gives an excitement and wisdom to the church that is not frequently found. Our church family is friendly, caring and joins me in having a deep desire to see our community come to Christ.
Children's Director - Emily Smith
I am a Blooming Grove native and have been a member of Central Baptist Church since the age of five. I left for a short time to complete my studies at Dallas Baptist University where I graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Shortly after graduating, I married my high school sweetheart, Dalton Smith. We now have three wonderful kiddos – Ezekiel, Stoni and Lydia. In 2015 I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During nursing school, the Lord directed my heart towards serving children through pediatric nursing and continued to prepare my heart for Children’s ministry. It’s my desire to help children cultivate a love for Jesus that is built on foundational truths found in the inspired Word of God in the very same church where I, myself, grew to love Jesus.