Downtown Dream: A Home for The Paradox Church
The Paradox Church, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is a church passionate about saturating Fort Worth with the glory and grace of Jesus, with a particular focus on the downtown area. Originally planted 12 years ago, Paradox has since planted four churches nearby—and one of those plants has gone on to plant another church of its own.
Paradox, which currently meets at the Ridglea Theater, has long dreamed of owning its own facility downtown. For a long time this dream seemed unattainable, given the high value of and demand for property. They made 12 different offers on various downtown locations, all of which were refused. It wasn’t until 2020, during the slowed market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, that one seller reached back out to Paradox to ask if they were still interested in purchasing the property they had offered on previously. The funding for a multi-use high-rise building had fallen through, and the property had become available. For Paradox, the location was perfect—an acre and a half of land, at the corner of Belknap and Henderson Street, situated near the heart of Fort Worth.
Jim Essian, lead pastor of Paradox, recalls an appreciation for the Foundation’s vision, ability, and flexibility to work with churches in these situations. “They understand it’s like a young family buying their first home.” He says it’s also vital that the church continue to serve and fulfill their mission and focus in the midst of such a building project, without being hampered by financial concerns—something which the Foundation understands and is committed to as well. “We are not going to sacrifice our commitment to church planting, and we’ve always given 10% of our church budget to church planting.” They held to their focus, even while raising funds for the new location and building. Essian recalls an occasion when an unexpected and generous gift from a couple at the church was an immediate answered prayer to some hard financial conversations. “An amazing sign that the Lord is there, and he’s going to bless us and provide for us, and he wants us to keep doing what we’re doing.”
The building itself, white brick with a sleek black roof and classic spire, is one which complements the historic aesthetic of the downtown. “It looks like it’s been there for a while, it looks like it belongs,” Essian says. It was important to Paradox that they design a building that would truly feel like a sacred space and be a blessing to the city in every way, including architecturally. The building is now almost complete, and Paradox looks forward to welcoming the community into their space very soon.
“As a pastor, it’s not just about you. He’s doing work in people everywhere.”
To pastors and church leaders, Essian reminds them that the building process is hard. God will use it to expose you and sanctify you, and to shape you to be more like Jesus. Essian urges them to remember to submit to the process of what the Lord wants to do. When you’re in the middle of a building project, it’s easy to get discouraged by holdups and slowdowns. What you don’t see is how God is using those circumstances behind the scenes, in the lives of individuals—from church members, to contractors, and city officials working in permitting and legal work. “As a pastor, it’s not just about you. He’s doing work in people everywhere… you have to trust all the ten thousand things that the Lord is orchestrating for our good and his glory.”
Article written by Raelea Sutton