Baptist Tabernacle Church sits along Dubois Road on the edge of Carlisle, a small village in Warren County, Ohio. The congregation, often called BapTab by regulars, has shaped its identity around three commitments: a global missions program that began in 1973 with a single missionary to India, a steady pipeline of ministries for children and teens that fills the building from Sunday morning through Wednesday night, and a detailed statement of faith built on the King James Bible. Twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday, the doors open for worship, Bible study, and prayer.
Worship Twice on Sunday and Once on Wednesday
The weekly rhythm at Baptist Tabernacle centers on three regular gatherings. Sunday School meets at 10:00 AM for all ages. Sunday Morning Worship begins at 11:00 AM, with Sunday Evening Worship following at 6:00 PM. Wednesday nights bring a Prayer Meeting at 7:00 PM, running alongside the children's AWANA club and the teen Bible study called Teen ReConnect.
The church describes its music as a blend of traditional and contemporary, "more traditional, but passionate." Songs span modern worship and older hymns, accompanied by piano, keyboard, and guitar. The music ministry includes a worship team, congregational singing, and special music from individuals and groups. Each service includes congregational singing, a time of corporate prayer, an offering, and expository preaching followed by an invitation to respond to the sermon in a way that fits the message just preached.
Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube at 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM on Sundays, and at 7:00 PM on Wednesdays, so members who are traveling, sick, or shut in can follow along from home. A sermon archive is also available online for catch-up viewing.
Kids from Birth through Fifth Grade
Children's ministry at BapTab is structured by age and runs in parallel with adult services. The nursery serves infants through age two, with rooms equipped and supervised by approved workers. During the 11:00 AM service, Kids SuperChurch gathers children age three through fifth grade in two groups: Lambs (age three through kindergarten) and Lions (first through fifth grade). The program includes a children's worship time and Bible teaching led by adult leaders who, in the church's words, "love God, love kids, and love to communicate the Word of God."
On Wednesday nights from September through May, AWANA clubs meet for children age three through sixth grade, with games, Scripture memory, and small group time. In the fall, Sunday evenings add a Kids Choir that fills the building with music and leads up to a Christmas performance. A Nursery Graduation ceremony each summer marks the move from the nursery rooms into the older children's programs, a milestone the church family celebrates together.
Each summer, the church runs Camp BapTab, a Vacation Bible School with Bible Adventures, crafts, games, and science exploration. Recent themes have used camping and treasure imagery, with kids exploring verses such as Psalm 56:3 and learning that "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." The week culminates in a VBS Celebration Picnic for the whole church family.
BapTab Teens and "the Garage"
The teen ministry, branded BapTab Teens, has its own dedicated space on the church property called "the Garage." The renovated, church-owned house next door is fully heated and air conditioned with comfortable seating, and serves as the hub for the teen department throughout the year.
Teen Sunday School meets every Sunday at 10:00 AM in the Garage. Teen ReConnect meets every Wednesday at 7:00 PM, working through I and II Peter as a "personality test" that examines events from Peter's life alongside his writings. The teens regularly participate in Random Acts of Kindness (RAKs) and community service projects, using the gifts God has given them to show His love to their church family and the surrounding community. The church also operates a van ministry to give rides to anyone who needs transportation to church.
Scott and Aimee Price lead the BapTab Teens, continuously investing in the students and passing on the truths of Scripture. The department maintains an active social media presence through a private, approved-member Facebook group and a YouTube channel where videos from recent activities are posted. Each spring, the teens take over the Sunday evening service themselves for a Student Led Service that lets them plan, lead, and preach.
Beyond the Garage, BapTab Teens take roughly one large activity each month, often paired with a smaller afterglow at the church or at a youth leader's home. Recent trips have included an overnight at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, a Teen Camp at Higher Ground Conference Center in southern Indiana with flag football, big-ball volleyball, gaga pit, water games, fishing, disc golf, and zip lines, a Father-Son Picnic, a Sweetheart Banquet, a scavenger hunt at Jungle Jim's, an annual Beattyville Bugout for the boys in Kentucky with camping, fishing, fire building, and knot tying, and a glamping trip for the girls.
Global Missions and Short-Term Trips
Missions is one of the defining commitments at Baptist Tabernacle. The church's missions program began in 1973 with monthly support for a single missionary to India. Under the tenure of retired pastor Mike Gray, the program grew to support more than 100 missionaries and ministries around the world. Pastor Jeffery Brown has committed to maintaining and growing the program as the Lord provides.
"We believe the heart of God is to expand the joy of all peoples and nations as they hear the Truth of the Bible and accept His salvation and authority in their lives." The church takes occasional short-term mission trips, with recent destinations including Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, China, and Mexico.
Each year, the church sets aside a Sunday service as Missions Emphasis, and the Heartbeat of God: Missions Celebration is a multi-day event held each fall that highlights the global work the church supports. Due to security concerns and persecution in many countries, the church has chosen not to publish an online list of supported missionaries. Jim Elliott's words anchor the missions page: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
Adult Ministries Beyond the Walls
While Sunday and Wednesday programming forms the core, adult ministry extends well beyond the building. Each Tuesday night, teams of two or three leave the church to visit widows, shut-ins, and hospital patients, and follow up with recent guests. The Men's Ministry provides oil changes and small engine repairs for widows and elderly members of the community, turning a car maintenance task into a ministry of presence and care.
Each month, members hold a worship service and visit with residents of the Harding House and at Carlisle Manor Nursing Home, including a Christmas party for the Harding House residents. The church also holds a monthly worship service inside the Middletown jail, with preaching, singing, and prayer; decisions for Christ are made at nearly every service.
The More Than Enough Ministry collects clothing, furniture, and other needed items throughout the year, then distributes them to people in need in Appalachian communities. Baptist Tabernacle also partners with the Community Pregnancy Center, both financially and through an annual Walk for Life and donations of clothing and supplies.
Women's ministry takes shape around events like the Ladies Tea each spring and Ladies Bites & Blessings, gatherings that bring together ladies of all ages with food, fellowship, and conversation. The annual Sweetheart Banquet invites couples from the church and the community for an evening of food, games, and a guest speaker. Military Appreciation Sunday each year honors service members and their families.
A Statement of Faith Built on the King James Bible
Baptist Tabernacle holds to a detailed, written Statement of Faith. The church believes the sixty-six books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, are the verbally inspired, error-free Word of God, and that all doctrine, policies, and faith foundations are based on the King James Version. The opening of the statement reads: "We believe in a supernatural Bible, which tells of a supernatural Christ, Who had a supernatural birth, Who spoke supernatural words, Who performed supernatural miracles, Who lived a supernatural life, Who died a supernatural death, Who rose in supernatural splendor, Who intercedes as a supernatural priest and Who will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth."
The church teaches a Trinitarian view of one true God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of redemption. It affirms the literal Genesis account of creation (with each day understood as a 24-hour period), the virgin birth of Christ, His substitutionary atonement on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal, imminent, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial return. The church is cessationist regarding the sign gifts such as speaking in tongues, but affirms that God still hears prayers for physical healing.
The church practices believer's baptism by immersion and observes the Lord's Supper as a memorial, with baptism as a prerequisite to church membership and the Supper. Salvation is described as a wholly gracious new birth, received through repentance and faith in Christ, and once received is eternally kept by God's power. The church holds to the autonomy of the local congregation, believing that Christ alone is the head of the church through the Holy Spirit and that no external hierarchy has authority over a local body. The church's offices are Pastors (Elders, Bishops) and Deacons, whose qualifications are drawn from Scripture. The church also believes in separation from "all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations" as commanded by God.
The Family Worship Center Building Project
Baptist Tabernacle is in the process of building a new Family Worship Center on the property. The project has been a focus of congregational prayer and planning, with photos documenting tree removal, truss placement, mezzanine concrete pours, and the building's progression toward completion. Drone footage has captured the structure from above through snow and clear weather alike, and the building has reached the stage of dedication. The expanded space will make room for worship, gatherings, and ministry activities such as the Father-Son Picnic.
Leadership and the Carlisle Community
Jeffery Brown serves as Lead Pastor. A Cincinnati native, Jeffery came to faith at age fourteen and surrendered to full-time ministry after a mission trip to Morocco when he was eighteen. He met his wife Mackenzie, a Baptist Tabernacle alum, during Bible college. After five years of mission service, the Browns returned to Ohio, and Jeffery became pastor of Baptist Tabernacle at the beginning of 2022. The couple has three children.
Scott and Aimee Price lead the BapTab Teens, and Krista Young, a Carlisle High School graduate and member since 1995, serves as the church's administrative assistant. The church is located at 7816 Dubois Road, Carlisle, Ohio, with regular contact through the church office at (937) 746-2702 and by email. Giving is available online, and worship services are livestreamed on YouTube. The church's mission, in its own words, is "to glorify God by making faithful disciples."