First Baptist Church in 1959.
PHOTO COURTESY FBC
Not long after he arrived at the church in 2019, Carlin began seeking out architectural firms’ advice on whether it would be feasible to either convert the gym into a sanctuary or expand the current one. It turned out that neither option was selected considering the amount of space created with the amount of money spent.
“ Expanding the existing sanctuary to gain only about 150 more seats was deemed unfeasible,” said Carlin.“ We were also looking at spending a lot of money converting the gym that was only going to seat between 600 and 650 people. You also have to build with an eye on the future, so neither option would have solved our problem.”
The idea of Cullman First Baptist picking up stakes and moving from downtown was off the table, so church leadership elected to look from within.
“ If we were going to stay here and continue to grow, what were our options?” said Carlin.“ This project ended up making the most sense.”
The church eventually hired MG & A Architects, the firm that has done the two most previous renovations at FBC. The construction will expand the sanctuary seating capacity from 412 to 800-plus seats. In addition, the commons area is being expanded for fellowship after worship services and the Recreation and Outreach Center( ROC) will once again be used as a gym facility. The project, which got underway in January of 2025, is expected to be completed in late May or early June.
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18 | PROFILE 2026