Top 3 Famous Churches in Dallas
As a city with many deeply religious people, Dallas is blessed with quite a few historic churches. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at Dallas’ most famous churches and espouse on what makes them so special for our readers. Here are a few famous churches:
Gateway Church
Dallas is home to a number of “megachurches”, but Gateway currently holds the top spot for size. Ranked as the 4th largest Church in the US by Outreach Magazine, Gateway identifies as a non-denominational, evangelical, Christian church. Gateway was founded in 2000 by Pastor Robert Morris and currently sees over 30,000 attendees across it’s different DFW campuses.
Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Not many churches in the United States, let alone Dallas, have the kind of history that the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe has. It traces its roots back to the late 19th century, when, in 1869, Dallas’ first Catholic parish; the Sacred Heart Church was established. The actual Sacred Heart Church was built in 1872. Then, in 1890, Dallas became officially established as a diocese, and Sacred Heart Church was declared its diocesan cathedral. The city of Dallas then went on to experience tremendous growth, as well as the proliferation of other parishes that siphoned away much of Sacred Heart’s attendance. One such church was the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish which at the time served mainly Mexican immigrants and had nearly reached its capacity. Having plenty of space, Bishop Thomas Tschoepe of Sacred Heart would go on to invite Our Lady of Guadalupe to join with Sacred Heart, and by 1977 the two churches had finished consolidation into the entity we know today. Today, the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe enjoys its status as the mother cathedral to 630,000 Catholics in the Dallas area. While it has undergone renovations, the building itself serves as a reminder of architectural beauty and the humble beginnings of Catholicism in Dallas.
Grace United Methodist Church
Also blessed with a rich history and architectural tradition is the Grace United Methodist Church. The church was built over a hundred years ago in 1903 and enjoys its status on the National Register of Historic Places. Considered one of the prettiest churches in Dallas, Grace United Methodist Church exemplifies architecture typical of the Gothic Revival. Its structure and elaborate stained glass pieces are absolutely stunning, but what Grace provides itself most on is a diverse congregation that is open to anyone willing to worship. To learn more about Grace United check out their website here.
*Updated June 2020. Originally published March 2017.
