Quick Facts
Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable
Pastor Jesse Rodriguez (since 2018)
Founded
Unknown
Denomination
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
Service Times
Sunday mornings (check website)
Men's Ministry
No
Kids Ministry
No
10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Not stated on available sources — verify
Caution
Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
Pastor Jesse Rodriguez since 2018; elder/plurality structure not documented in available sources
Caution
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
TEXAN article describes approach as 'creative with gospel teaching' — mixed indicator
Caution
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Not stated on available sources — verify in person
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
Per web sources, merged entity (Esperanza First) affiliated with BGCT + SBC + Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). CBF is the progressive Baptist split — moderate/liberal trajectory; red.
WARNING!
Assessment
First Baptist Church Del Rio is a real, historic SBC congregation. Led by Pastor Jesse Rodriguez since 2018. Historical marker indicates church was at southwest corner of Garfield and Pecan streets. FaithStreet listing confirms existence. Limited web presence -- no standalone website found. Rodriguez described as combining creative approaches with gospel teaching. No red flags but very limited online info.
#sbc#del-rio#active#historic#limited-web-presence#needs-review
MOOP Engagement Tracker
How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:
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Researched church website
Sources & Evidence
Enrichment Notes
CBF affiliation flags this as liberal-mainline adjacent per rubric (denominational: black for CBF). Merged church identity; directory may need re-listing as Esperanza First. | URL research: FBC Del Rio's verified address is 301 Avenue G, not 510 E Garfield; no current dedicated website found, only YouTube channel
These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.
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[1] Live source
esperanzafirst.org
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[2] Live source
texanonline.net/articles/sbtc/del-rio-church-combines-cre…
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[3] Live source
hmdb.org/m.asp
Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.
Last reviewed:
2026-05-16
— Annual review recommended
510 E Garfield St, Del Rio, TX 78840