Canaan Baptist Church

A Vision

Canaan Baptist is a small, predominantly African American Christian church that ministers to the Duncanville and South Dallas community. Central to the Church’s sincerely held religious beliefs is the conviction that Jesus Christ has called them to be a “city on a hill,” (Matthew 5:14), by spreading his love and Truth to the people in the community where they live, both in words and in acts of service.

In 2002, the Church acquired a property that would in time serve as a new base of its ministry, including the eventual construction of physical buildings, which would increase the Church’s ability to minister to the community. Because it is a small congregation, the Church anticipated that raising money for the buildings would take several years, and much prayer, patience, and sacrificial giving. It would also require overcoming many challenges including purchasing the property and getting the land rezoned for church use. Yet they persevered in faith—continued to pray, continued to wait, continued to give, continued to believe. Now, here they are within eye-shot of seeing decades of sacrificial giving, prayer and belief come to fruition by breaking ground on a new permanent facility.

But just as the Israelites had to face the mighty walls of Jericho before entering the promised land, the Church must now overcome an attempt by the City to take the property they have owned and used for religious activities for 18 years. Despite having a multitude of other options for building an unspecified public facility, the City of Duncanville seeks to wield the full force of government against its own citizens in one of the most violent powers in its arsenal—the power of eminent domain. The City of Duncanville seeks to condemn Canaan Baptist’s property via eminent domain under the vague interest of building “a fire station, public safety facility and/or other related improvements, public utilities necessary and associated with public purposes[.]” The City has a fire station across the street from the Church property.

First Liberty Fights Back

In October 2020, First Liberty Institute and Winston & Strawn LLP filed a motion to dismiss the City of Duncanville’s condemnation petition seeking to seize Canaan Baptist Church’s property through eminent domain.  In May 2021, officials with the City withdrew their condemnation petition.

Dr. Jarvis Baker, pastor of Canaan Baptist said, “We praise God that the battle to keep our property is over. We are eager to continue using it to minister to the community. We want to thank the City for ending this conflict.”

“Canaan Baptist Church believes that God gave the Church this property to fulfill its religious mission,” said Keisha Russell, Counsel for First Liberty Institute.  “The church is relieved, and we are grateful that the City made this decision.”