Our Continuing History

In August 1977, Highland Village First Baptist Church (HVFBC) started as a mission of Lakeland Baptist Church. We called our first pastor, Montie Martin in March of 1978. At that time, we met in various homes, the Clearwater Club, Highland Village City Hall, and a mobile trailer. In August 1978, HVFBC was constituted into a church. In the same year, we broke ground for the original church building on our 5 acre plot (currently named the Martin Building). Our first service held in the Martin Building was on Easter Sunday 1979.

In the summer of 1985, we built the four-room modular classroom building with our own hands under the direction of our Interim Pastor, Bill Tinsley.

In October 1985, we called our second pastor, Ken Dalton. During his term, church members committed to pay off the remaining debt on the original property and donated enough to pay $50,000 for a 2-acre adjacent land purchase. After many failed attempts to build the Worship Center, we broke ground on February 28, 1993. In that same year we called our third pastor, Barry Fikes.

In November 2002, we called our fourth pastor, Matt Chandler. We began calling ourselves "The Village Church" in 2003. This name became our official public name with the adoption of a completely rewritten Constitution and Bylaws document on April 25, 2004, which implemented a new manner of church governance through a body of elders.

The last few years have witnessed an explosion in regular attendance and membership. Obedience to God's Word through Christ-centered, Biblical teaching has resulted in widespread spiritual growth, evidenced by the need for multiple worship services, the always full Covenant Membership Classes, and the addition of countless new Home Groups. April 2005 saw the formation of The Village's first church plant, Providence Church, in Little Elm, Texas. The Village's second church plant, CityView Church in Keller, Texas opened its doors in April 2006. In September 2007, we acquired Grace Temple Baptist Church in Denton, TX. It became a satellite campus, The Village Church Denton.

The staff and members of the Village continue to support the vision of the church as they faithfully add to our continuing history.