ABOUT US

The purpose of Tabernacle Baptist Church Ministries is to glorify God in all we do by personally living Spirit-filled lives and by humbly performing the Lord’s work His way. We desire to be a Christ-centered, family-oriented body of believers who strive to develop strong families and, in turn, godly young people who will make Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives to evangelize the world for Christ. 

Tabernacle Baptist Church began in the spring of 1967 when five families asked Pastor Rod Bell to come and consider starting a church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The first service in Kempsville High School yielded 32 in attendance, and people were saved in both services that Sunday. On May 21, 1967, the Bells moved to Virginia Beach to start an old-fashioned, fundamental, independent Baptist church. 

Through the years, God has blessed and allowed the church and its ministries to have a worldwide impact on the faith. This ministry has been and continues to be a place where people put faith in a prayer-answering God! 

The highlights are many, but a few worth noting involve the growing ministry, the called men, and biblical missions. 

The ministries grew almost immediately, with attendance reaching an average of 700 in 1971. The first auditorium was dedicated on May 19, 1968, with Evangelist Oliver B. Greene speaking. Two more wings were constructed in 1969 and 1970, respectively, followed by a 1500-seat auditorium in March 1972. All the buildings housed the active programs, which included a bus ministry (1967), Sunday school ministry (1967), missions program (1968), Tabernacle Baptist Academy (1969), Tabernacle Baptist Institute (1970), Tabernacle Baptist Publications, Child Development Center, Pre-teen and Teen Ministries, and a host of other areas. Churchwide visitation, a nursing home ministry, Sunday and Wednesday children’s programs, a Christian bookstore, and a counseling division all became parts of God’s work here. Among many special services, the revival that occurred in November of 1992 stands out because scores of people were saved. What a blessing to see God grow this ministry! 

The men God has used and has called from this place have been many. They are pastors, missionaries, Christian day school educators, faithful church members, and great Christians. With the many active-duty military families arriving in the Hampton Roads area, Tabernacle has a unique opportunity to teach and influence them for godliness. Many times, these men retire in the area and serve at TBBM. Also, the Tabernacle Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary has graduated over 360 individuals who serve the Lord around the world. 

The ministries continue today under the leadership of Dr. James Baker. Pastor Baker was one of the men mentioned above who was influenced by the ministry of Tabernacle when he attended the church in the early 1970s. Now, having come home after pastoring in Ohio for almost 21 years, he has led the church to increase its Mission Giving and support, updated the facilities in many areas, and continued to teach the people with an expository pulpit ministry from God’s truth.

• We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Old and New Testaments and the Bible as the only rule for faith and practice. 
• We believe in God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
• We believe in the new birth in Christ alone and the eternal security of the believer. 
• We believe in the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and His bodily ascension into heaven, wherein He now intercedes with believers. 
• We believe in the six days of creation. 
• We believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of all believers, the pre-millennial return, and the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
• We believe in the two judgments—the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne. 
• We believe in the reality of heaven and hell. 
• We believe in the local church as God’s autonomous institution of regenerating, immersed believers practicing the two ordinances—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 
• We believe in two Scriptural offices—the pastor and deacon. 
• We believe that every believer is responsible for living a holy life and practicing separation both ecclesiastically and personally. 
• We believe that every believer should witness to others the saving power of the gospel and carry out both at home and abroad the Great Commission. 
• We believe in the priesthood of individual believers, soul liberty, and the freedom to interpret the Bible individually. 
• We believe in the separation of church and state. 
• We believe that the process of inspiration ended with the original manuscripts and that God superintended the preservation of His Word throughout the church age. We further believe that Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic studies are valid tools to help translate and interpret those preserved manuscripts in their original languages.