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The Tabernacle Baptist Church had its beginning during the Fall of 1954 when a group of spiritually minded men and women began to have prayer meetings to seek the mind of the Lord in the establishment of a Baptist church which would be sound in doctrine and evangelistic in practice.

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A decision was made to begin having Sunday School as soon as a suitable place to meet was located. The Whitley Electric Service building, 2000 Hwy. 301, was under construction with only the main floor completed. Arrangements were made to use this for Sunday School. Thirty-one people were present for the first Sunday service, and this group continued to meet in this building for the next six months.

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Three committees were established: one to seek a place to build a permanent facility, one to determine the kind of church to be established, and one to locate God’s man to begin preaching to the group each Sunday. Prayer meetings continued each week for these three committees, and the preaching services began in May, 1955.

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After hearing the recommendations from these committees, the group voted to organize as an Independent Missionary Baptist church called Tabernacle Baptist church. The Lord then provided for the purchase of the 910 South Tarboro Street location. A large two-story white house on this new property became the auditorium and classrooms for this new ministry. On August 16, 1955, this ecclesiastical body formally organized as the Tabernacle Baptist church of Wilson, NC. A pulpit committee was established to locate the first pastor of this newly organized church.

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The Reverend Donald Melvin was called as the first pastor on March 1, 1956, and served for two years.

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The Reverend Otis Holmes became pastor of the church on August 15, 1958, and served for six years. During this time the membership of the church increased from

less than fifty to almost 400 with an average Sunday school attendance of more

than 300. Dr. Holmes led the membership in constructing a three-story brick

educational building. In the spring of 1961, a small group of people interested in a

Bible-oriented education for their children met at Tabernacle Baptist Church, and

decided to start Wilson Christian School. The following fall, Pastor Holmes led in the

beginning of a kindergarten with eight students.

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The Reverend Charles Britt became pastor of the church in March, 1965, and served for 6 years. A new auditorium, built at an estimated cost of $120,000 with seating of approximately 700 people, was dedicated on January 17, 1971. In 1969, the church purchased eight mobile classroom units to provide for the growth of the school until 1970. At this time, the church purchased fifty-four acres of land conveniently located to the west of the growing city of Wilson. On February 25, 1971, the people voted unanimously to build a new facility consisting of a twelve-classroom building containing restrooms and office space on this new property. In addition, a gymnasium was constructed. The church and school saw considerable growth during the ministry of Dr. Britt due to his active soul-winning efforts.

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The next two pastors, Rev. Ron Hoelz and Rev. Cotton Nelms, stayed for one year each.

The Reverend Randy Carroll was called as pastor in September 1975, and served for ten years. Dr. Carroll was used of the Lord to bring about stability and growth both spiritually and fiscally. At this time, the church was supporting missionaries in 18 foreign countries and 11 states. Numerical growth was realized by a constant emphasis upon the family and leading souls to Christ. During the period of 1984-1985, nearly $100,000 was raised for the construction of a new family activities building.

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The Reverend Roy Wise became pastor from September 1985 to 2000. It was at this time that the funds yet necessary to build the new activities center debt-free were raised. Construction of this new $150,000 multi-purpose building was completed in August of 1986. In 1987, several adjacent properties were purchased and the buildings torn down to make room for future ministry expansion. In 1988, money began to be saved to build a new parsonage on Waverly Road.

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Reverend Jeff Davis became pastor in June of 2000 and served until 2010. During this time, the church began talks to sell the Tarboro Street building to move across town.

In the spring of 2010, Reverend Wayne Golson began serving as the Interim Pastor and served for nearly a year. During this time, the Tarboro Street building was sold to a community outreach organization and the church began meeting in the Wilson Christian Academy Fine Arts building.

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On February 27, 2011, the church called Joe Shakour, Sr. to be their pastor. Just a few days after this, fourteen acres were purchased debt-free across from WCA to be the new church location. In August of 2011, the church voted unanimously to build a 385-seat, 17,076 sq. ft. church facility with further phases planned. In August of 2011, Pastor Shakour hired Jon Utley to be Minister of Youth, followed by hiring Mike Bennett to be Minister of Music in July of 2012. On November 4, 2012, the phase 1 building of a sanctuary, classrooms, offices, and a fellowship hall was constructed and dedicated with over $2.2 million raised. Due to stronger growth than was originally predicted,

shortly after this, a parking lot expansion project was completed with $50,000 raised debt-free. In July of 2014, a playground project was completed with $15,000 raised. A Spanish Ministry began meeting shortly thereafter at the church fellowship hall in August of 2014.

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The Lord also provided miraculously for TBC to apply and receive a license for an FM radio station, with $35,000 raised, which became operational in October of 2015.

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The last several years have brought a fresh sense of momentum. Ministries that hadn’t existed before have taken root and started to thrive. Bridge to Recovery was launched in 2013 to support those struggling with addiction. Grief Share and Divorce Care in 2020, began offering a safe place for people facing loss or major life changes. The Senior Adult Ministry has become a real source of friendship and encouragement for older members.

Our Youth and Children’s Program is growing, giving young people a place to ask questions, make friends, and build their faith. We’ve added four full-time team members and two part-time team members to lead and organize ministries. The Spanish Ministry has opened doors for new families, making sure everyone feels welcome. Community Kids Church feeds children every week and provides reliable childcare for parents who need it. The Foster Care Ministry has stepped in to help some of the most vulnerable kids and families in our area. We also have a Center for Biblical Studies teaching and training students of the Bible for ministry. Every other Friday since 2014, a team of at least 20 members goes to the street to feed and provide transportation for the homeless and to share the gospel with all we meet. Every Easter weekend, we see over 3000 people fill our property for free events and to hear the gospel. At the time, we’ve rotated full-capacity presentations in the gym to accommodate all who come and hear. 

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From those simple prayer meetings in 1954 to a church family that serves all ages and backgrounds today, Tabernacle Baptist Church keeps finding new ways to care for people and share hope. The story keeps growing, always with the same focus: loving God, loving people, and meeting needs right here in our community.