Our History (Est. 1940)
Pastor Harvie B. Yates (1940-1942)
The History of Castleberry Baptist Church goes back as far as 1938, when a few people started meeting together in the Castleberry district (River Oaks). In April 1939, Harvie B. Yates, along with his wife and children, moved to Fort Worth from Georgia to attend the Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute at First Baptist Church (later known as Bible Baptist Seminary and Arlington Baptist University).
Within the following months, Bro. Yates was approached by the local residents who had been gathering and who had a vision to meet the spiritual needs of the community. They appealed to him about starting a church in the area. After visiting the homes and meeting the people, Bro. Yates saw the need for a church and shared that same vision with other residents. In June 1940, Bro. Yates was granted permission to conduct services in the “oak grove” on the south side of Ohio Garden Road and Robert’s Cut-Off (across the street from the Castleberry Grade School). Ten benches were built and twenty-five hymnals were purchased. Bro. Yates invited Bro. Lloyd Adams, Bro. Bert A. Kimball, and Jerry Miller for services, and on July 12, 1940, they officially organized the Castleberry Fundamental Baptist Church - now called Castleberry Baptist Church. On July 13, thirteen others joined the church, and within a month’s time, there were twenty-five members meeting for services. On October 4, 1940, the growing congregation purchased 1.33 acres from the city of Fort Worth for just under $700 and made plans toward the construction of their first building. Excitement mounted as the foundation was poured in the last part of November, and construction began on January 1, 1941. The work was done by the members in the evenings. As soon as the walls were up and a roof placed overhead, they began holding services there with sawdust floors. They used nail kegs for seating. In those early days, God’s people saw the reality of their vision as He blessed their efforts through growth and missionary outreach.
CBC’s first sign.
CBC’s first building.
Early members in the sight of where the first official services were held in 1940 under the shade of the Oak Grove.
Pastor Joe Hull (1942-1943)
Following Bro. Yates’ resignation, Bro. Joe Hull was elected Pastor on March 26, 1942. The first recorded revival meeting was conducted by Bro. Hull, beginning on May 17, and was held for two weeks. On August 12, 1942, Bro. Truman Whitfield was elected as Assistant Pastor. On August 30, he was the first man to be ordained to the Gospel ministry at Castleberry Baptist, with Pastor Hull preaching the ordination sermon.
Pastor Bennie F. Bullard (1943-1946)
Bennie F. Bullard was elected as Pastor on May 19, 1943. Through his leadership, the attendance continued to grow. As a result, the church built a new auditorium on the corner of Robert’s Cut-Off and Tulane Street. With the new worship center, they were able to use the original building for Sunday School classes. During Bro. Bullard’s ministry, the outreach of the church expanded into the homes of over 500,000 people through a daily radio broadcast in a local studio. In October 1944, Bro. Ferman Suddeth joined the church staff as a co-laborer to help Bro. Bullard while attending school here in Fort Worth.
Services under Pastor Bullard in the auditorium 1943-1946.
Pastor Luther R. Bradley (1946-1950)
In the summer of 1946, Bro. Bullard contacted Bro. Luther Bradley and invited him to come to Castleberry to preach a revival. About ten days later, Bro. Bradley traveled to Fort Worth for the meeting. Upon his arrival, he learned that Bro. Bullard was sick and in the hospital. Blessings came, however, and God gave a good revival. A short time later, Bro. Bullard resigned due to his illness, and the church called Bro. Bradley as their new pastor. Within a few months, Bro. Bradley led the church toward building its first Sunday School building. This was constructed adjacent to the east side of the existing auditorium. In the last year of his pastorate at Castleberry (1949-1950), Bro. Bradley led the church in building a two-story addition adjoining the front of the auditorium. This enlargement of the auditorium gave them additional Sunday School facilities and enabled them to have a high attendance of 300.
Services at CBC under Pastor Bradley (1946-1950)
Additional facilities added and adjoined to auditorium.
Dedication of Sunday School building.
Pastor David A. Cavin (1950-1964)
Following the very successful ministry of Luther Bradley, on August 26, 1950, David A. Cavin came to Castleberry to pastor the growing congregation. The church grew from a membership of 485 to over 1,500. The Sunday School attendance grew from 142 to a high of 1,143 under his leadership. Even greater was that many souls were saved under Dr. Cavin’s leadership. Due to the steady growth and crowded conditions in the old auditorium, the church launched into a new building program. On March 15, 1953, they dedicated a new auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,000.
After entering the new auditorium, the church was confronted with another problem - crowded facilities for a growing Sunday School. So, on October 6, 1956, the ground was broken for a new two-story educational building. The construction on this began in March 1957 and was completed the following October. These facilities are still standing today and are owned by a bilingual church.
The remainder of Dr. Cavin’s pastorate continued to see missionary outreach grow, strong attendance, souls saved, and missionaries and pastors sent out. After fourteen years of faithful ministry, Dr. Cavin resigned in 1964 to begin a pastorate at High Street Baptist Church in Springfield, MO.
Pastor, Dr. David A. Cavin in Baptistry of the new auditorium constructed in 1953.
The congregation in the old auditorium with Pastor David Cavin.
1952 construction of the new auditorium in the distance behind the previous facilities.
Interior of the auditorium dedicated in 1953.
Left: Original facilities with additions. Center: New auditorium dedicated in 1953. Right: Sunday School facilities dedicated in 1957.
Congregation inside the newly dedicated auditorium in 1953.
Pastor Victor E. Sears (1964-1969)
Dr. Victor E. Sears was called as pastor on August 23, 1964. Castleberry members were blessed that God had sent them another of the finest preachers in the country. As they began laboring together, Dr. Sears chose the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 as their motto, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Dr. Sears and the members continued laboring together, and God blessed the church with many saved and many surrendering to full-time service. Several men were ordained to the Gospel ministry under Dr. Sears and continued to serve in great churches for many years. Dr. Sears often brought in well-known speakers to minister to the congregation, such as G.B. Vick, Art Wilson, John R. Rice, and Bob Jones Jr.
During his pastorate, Dr. Sears led the church in two construction programs. The first included the addition of a new balcony in the auditorium, plus a new modern ceiling and lighting system. The second construction project was the youth center, which provided additional Sunday School space as well as recreational facilities.
Congregation with Pastor Victor Sears.
Castleberry Choir inside the old auditorium.
Theme day in a Sunday School class.
Dr. John R. Rice preaching at Castleberry with Pastor Victor Sears to his left.
Children’s ministry event during Dr. Sears’ pastorate.
Pastor Scotty Alexander (1969-1978)
Dr. Scotty Alexander was called to pastor Castleberry in November 1969. His wisdom, compassion, vision, and leadership abilities endeared him to those whose lives he touched. Shortly after assuming the pastorate, Dr. Alexander began broadcasting the morning worship service on KBUY in Fort Worth. The choir opened the live broadcast with the familiar chorus, “Coming Again.”
In March 1972, Dr. Alexander supervised the project of enlarging the pulpit platform and choir loft. New carpet was also installed, and the pews padded and upholstered. Another renovation was made in 1976 when three new entrances were opened with an arch-style walkway on the west side of the auditorium. At the same time, a drive-thru canopy was built at the rear entrance.
The vision of Castleberry Baptist Church expanded in 1973. After much prayer, Dr. Alexander offered an alternative to school-age students: the Castleberry Baptist Christian School. That first year, sixty-three students enrolled in the new Kindergarten through twelfth-grade Christian schools, which were located on the second floor of the Education Building. Accelerated Christian Education recognized Castleberry Baptist Christian School as a model from the time of its inception.
Like those before him, Dr. Alexander continued to preach God’s word and emphasize missionary outreach, and as a result, saw many years of fruitful ministry. Dr. Alexander went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, October 14, 1978, after having suffered a heart attack approximately thirty hours earlier. Words could not express the feelings of his people. There was a deep sorrow that a great light had been taken from the church, but rejoicing that he was with the Lord.
Facilities in River Oaks
Sunday School class during Dr. Scotty Alexander’s pastorate.
Students and faculty at Castleberry Baptist Christian School.
Pastor Larry H. Cornell (1979-2016)
The grief from having lost our pastor was a dark valley for our church family to go through. This valley drove us to our knees for a time of earnest cleansing and fervent prayer. God answered our petitions by sending the right man, Dr. Larry H. Cornell, at the right time, in March 1979. He first encouraged us to look back with thanksgiving on all that God had done in the past. Then he reminded us that God, when commissioning Joshua to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land, encouraged Joshua’s heart by reminding him of the recorded accomplishments of Moses, his predecessor. Our young pastor concluded his challenge to us with the words, “We have a thirty-nine-year heritage of God’s blessings upon us! That heritage is God’s platform upon which to build the future ministry of Castleberry Baptist Church!”
Early in 1981, the members of Castleberry saw the need for additional space and agreed to purchase thirty-one acres on Loop 820 (our present location). The following June, they began giving sacrificially to the “Together We Build” funding program so that the vision of a new facility might be fulfilled. The new building was completed the following year, and the first service was held on October 17, 1982.
Dr. Cornell took a great interest in the building up of the home. To this end, he emphasized bus ministry to bring in kids from the neighborhoods, and on building strong children’s ministries. He also implemented soulwinning training programs so that even the most shy church member could lead others to Christ.
After many years of fruitful ministry as Castleberry’s longest-serving pastor, Dr. Cornell retired from pastoring in March 2016, after 37 years at Castleberry and 50 years in vocational ministry. Dr. Cornell and his wife Judy, continue to serve the Lord to this day, and we are so thankful for their faithfulness to God’s calling upon their lives.
Pastor Dr. Larry Cornell with wife, Judy, and family.
Bus ministry under Dr. Cornell
Groundbreaking ceremony for present location.
Construction of present location.
The congregation worshipping in the current auditorium.
Pastor Cris Powell (2016-Present)
In preparation for his retirement and a possible pastoral transition, Dr. Cornell brought Bro. Cris Powell back on staff in September 2015 (Bro. Cris previous served at Castleberry as a Youth Pastor, Music Minister, and then Associate Pastor from 1996-2002). For the following months, Bro. Cris served as the Associate Pastor. In March 2016, Bro. Cris was unanimously elected and assumed the pastorate upon Dr. Cornell’s retirement.
During Bro. Cris’ pastorate, Castleberry has continued to keep the vision of those before us in many ways. We worship God through a mix of contemporary worship music and classic hymns. We use bi-monthly fellowship meals as outreach opportunities. We have emphasized verse-by-verse (expository preaching) as the primary diet from the pulpit to help our members have a stronger grasp of the Bible. We have begun online outreach through the use of social media and through the publishing of sermons on YouTube. We continue to regularly have neighborhood outreach events, and have continued to focus on foreign missions.
Though many things have changed in an ever-changing world, the emphasis of Castleberry Baptist Church remains the same. Though Castleberry has had many good days that have included welcoming new pastors, sending out missionaries, and starting new building programs and ministries, we have also experienced our share of challenging days. However, throughout the good and bad times, God remains faithful. Castleberry continues to stand with the original vision to glorify God, equip believers through the preaching of God’s Word, and reach the lost with the Gospel. We thank God for His faithfulness for so many years, and pray that He will be gracious to give us many more years of fruitful ministry until Christ returns.
Pastor Cris Powell preaching in 2018.
Pastor Cris Powell preaching in 2025.
Blended worship service (contemporary & classic music) in 2016.
VBS in 2023
Castleberry Youth Ministry heading to Youth Camp in 2025