A Church in Dayton with a Heart for the World
On a quiet stretch of Ohmer Avenue just east of downtown Dayton, Ohio, Cornerstone Baptist Temple fills its mid-century building with the sound of choirs, the cadence of Bible teaching, and the steady hum of a bus ministry that has been bringing people to church for decades. The congregation describes itself simply as "a church you can believe in" and points to its identity as an independent Baptist church with a global footprint. Cornerstone supports more than 380 missionaries and mission stations in 88 countries, runs its own K4-12 college-prep school, and keeps a deaf ministry, a nursing home ministry, and a weekly television broadcast all going at the same time. It is, in the words of its members, "transforming one life at a time."
Two Congregations, One Cornerstone
The church's story begins long before its current name. In the early 1950s, there was no aggressive, soul-winning fundamentalist church in Dayton, so a young preacher named Gerald O. Fleming drove in from Texas, borrowed $25 from his father, and started what became the Dayton Baptist Temple. That church grew into one of the largest Sunday Schools in America, ran a fleet of buses that brought in nearly a thousand riders a week, baptized hundreds each year, and built a 51-acre youth camp near Bellbrook. Under Dr. Fleming's leadership the Dayton Baptist Temple also launched Temple Christian School in 1968 and supported 156 missionaries in 28 countries.
One of the young men shaped by that ministry was Jerry Siler, who grew up in the Dayton area and was invited to the Dayton Baptist Temple by a high school cheerleader he would later marry. Siler became youth pastor and bus director for the Dayton Baptist Temple and served in that role for seventeen years. In 1985, after Dr. Fleming's retirement, Siler felt a fresh leading and began holding services in his own home in Beavercreek. More than thirty people were saved that summer, and the little congregation soon organized as Cornerstone Baptist Church. Within a few years they purchased the old Wagner School on Harshman Road, and on Easter Sunday 1991, 684 people attended the first service in the new building.
Early in 2001, after months of prayer, the two congregations merged. The result was Cornerstone Baptist Temple, with Siler as pastor and a combined ministry that includes the church, Temple Christian School, the bus ministry, a nursing home ministry, youth ministries, a weekly television broadcast, and a foreign and home missions program that today supports missionaries on every inhabited continent.
Sunday Mornings at the Temple
The weekly rhythm at Cornerstone is built around three gatherings. Sunday School begins at 10 a.m., when adults split into one of several graded classes and children head to their own floors of the building. Classrooms for children from birth through second grade are in the basement, while grades 3 through 6 meet on the third floor. Every teacher and helper has had a background check, parents are welcome to check on their children at any time, and a classroom map is available to help visitors find their way.
At 11 a.m. the congregation moves into the auditorium for the worship service. The adult choir and a team of instrumentalists lead the singing, and Pastor Siler applies Scripture to the everyday challenges his listeners face. Sunday evening worship continues at 6 p.m., and on Wednesdays the church gathers again at 6:30 p.m. for an evening service with preaching and prayer.
The Wednesday evening hour is also when the children's program kicks off. Kids in first through sixth grade start together in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m. for a Bible lesson, contests, verse memorization, game time, and special fun nights, then break into smaller groups. A separate program is offered at the same hour for three- to five-year-olds.
A Welcome Center Designed for First-Time Visitors
First impressions are taken seriously at Cornerstone. From the moment a car pulls in, greeters stand at each door ready to help, and special senior parking is set aside at the main entrance in front of the auditorium. Handicapped parking spaces are located near every building entry.
Inside, the welcome center sits in the church lobby. Someone is always on hand to point visitors to a classroom, hand out listening devices for the hard of hearing, or simply answer questions. Pastor Siler and members of the staff remain in that area after services for anyone who would like to talk. A church lobby attendant near the welcome center can also assist with directions or other needs during the week.
All regular worship services are interpreted for the deaf, and the church has long maintained a deaf Sunday School class as well. That commitment stretches back to the earliest days of the Dayton Baptist Temple, which was one of the first churches in the region to organize a deaf ministry.
Classes for Every Season of Life
Adult Sunday School at Cornerstone is organized into a series of focused classes so that anyone walking in can find a group that fits.
The Auditorium Bible Class is led by Pastor Siler himself and is open to all adults, although it draws mostly middle-aged members who want solid Bible teaching and good Christian fellowship. Faithbuilders, taught by Mo Kincaid, goes deeper into the major doctrines and teachings of Scripture for those who want to dig further. Homebuilders focuses on husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers, offering Bible-based teaching that equips families to face the cultural pressures on the traditional home. The Wedding Band class, led by Nate Smith, is the newest offering and is aimed at young married couples who need help with the practical realities of marriage, finances, and raising children.
Singles are cared for through Pathfinders, led by Dale Napier, which helps single young adults grow closer to Christ, encourages outreach to the city of Dayton, and creates an environment for friendship and Godly courtship. A related group called Single Focus, led by Drew Hubbs, runs alongside the youth ministry for older students and young professionals.
Senior adults gather in Truthbuilders, led by Walt Osborne, where failing health may slow some members down but where years of wisdom and a steady ministry of intercessory prayer continue to bless the body. Under God's Wings, led by Brian Woodyear, serves the special needs community with a monthly fellowship activity and weekly Scripture teaching at an appropriate level. The deaf class, led by Dan Mamula, is open to all deaf members and friends, and every service in the auditorium is interpreted.
Children, Preschool, and Students
Cornerstone takes its reputation as a family church seriously, and the children's wing runs from the nursery up through high school.
The nursery, led by Christy Blankenship, is staffed by a weekly rotation of caring workers and serves children from birth through age two. The two- and three-year-old class is led by Linda Rivera, Jan Patrick, and Judy Breeding, and the four- and five-year-old class is taught by the George family and a team of helpers.
For grades 1 through 6, Brian and Donna Tolle lead a children's ministry that meets during the 11 a.m. service and uses a monthly rotation of workers. The Wednesday evening program adds interactive Scripture memory, games, contests, and lessons drawn from the missionary adventures of John Paton in Vanuatu, giving children a global sense of what it means to live on mission.
Middle and high school students meet for the Youth Department, led by Josh Blankenship, which is open to grades 7 through 12. The youth calendar is filled with regular meetings, activities, and outreach events. Students can also follow CBT Teens on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what is coming up next.
Temple Christian School
Inside the same Ohmer Avenue campus sits Temple Christian School, a college-preparatory Christian school that has been part of the church's ministry since 1968 and currently enrolls students from K4 through 12th grade. The school describes its mission in four areas.
In academics, students take a traditional college-prep course of study in literature, fine arts, sciences, and social studies alongside the basics. In spiritual growth, weekly chapel services, a Bible class in the curriculum, and the daily example of teachers nurture each child's heart. In character, a clear code of conduct and discipline is designed to help students develop the self-control and integrity needed for adult life. In citizenship, students study American history and current events alongside the biblical principles that make a Christian an effective citizen.
Principal Jason Reinhardt leads the school, and tours can be arranged by calling the school office at 937-253-5288. More information is also available at templechristiandayton.com.
Pleasant Valley Ranch Camp
For many years the church operated a 51-acre youth camp near Bellbrook that could accommodate 400 campers a week. Today Cornerstone Baptist Temple continues its camping ministry at Pleasant Valley Ranch, located at 4023 St. Rt. 603 in Perrysville, Ohio. The camp is used for youth weeks, family retreats, and other fellowship gatherings throughout the year.
Around the Corner and Around the World
If missions is the heartbeat of the church, then the two missionary pages on the church's site tell the rest of the story. Around the Corner features the home missionaries the church supports: families and individuals based in the Dayton area who are preparing for or working among the nations.
Ake Bowonzong, saved in Papua New Guinea in 1988, came to faith through a missionary and eventually graduated from Marietta Bible College; Cornerstone has supported him since March 2004. Eric and Mariah Hendricks met at Bible college after each answering God's call to missions and are preparing for service in Zambia. Dave and Carole Ross, longtime members of the Dayton/Cornerstone family, surrendered to missions in a 1974 conference and have spent more than three decades in Indonesia, where Dave serves as an advisor at a Bible Institute. Marilyn Pitzer served for many years in Venezuela under missionary pastors and has since retired from the field. Stetson and Sandy Planck have been serving in Italy since December 2011, and Zach and Sarah Smith, who were married at Cornerstone Baptist Temple in 2013, are serving in American Samoa.
Around the World is the international side of the same heart. Cornerstone currently supports over 380 missionaries in 88 countries. Each spring the church hosts a churchwide missions conference that introduces new missionaries to the congregation, and members of all ages take part in a parade of nations, decorated country booths, an international dinner, and Faith Promise Sunday. The list of supported regions reads like a world atlas: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, the Canary Islands, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eastern Europe, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, the Fiji Islands, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, the Himalayas, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, the Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Latin America, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mexico, Micronesia, the Middle East, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Africa, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Venezuela, Wales, West Africa, the West Indies, Zambia, and Jewish Missions.
What We Believe
Cornerstone Baptist Temple describes its teaching as a Statement of Faith built on seventeen core convictions. The church holds that the Bible, in its sixty-six books, is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and it uses the King James Version as its preserved English text. There is one true God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
The church accepts the Genesis account of creation literally, teaches that Adam's fall brought sin upon all mankind, and affirms a literal, eternal hell for the unsaved and a literal heaven for the saved. Salvation is by grace through faith, apart from works, and includes the believer's justification, the security of the eternally saved, and the bodily resurrection and personal, visible return of Christ before the millennium.
The church practices two ordinances: baptism by immersion of believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Lord's Supper with unleavened bread and unfermented fruit of the vine. A Baptist church is defined as a congregation of baptized believers, self-governing under Christ as its only Head, with pastors and elders as its ordained officers, and charged with the Great Commission in the order of winning the lost, building up the church, and teaching believers. Members are also called to a holy life separated from worldly practices, and the church stands opposed to neo-orthodoxy, neo-evangelicalism, the modern tongues movement, and the ecumenical movement.
Getting to the Temple
Cornerstone Baptist Temple sits at 1707 Ohmer Avenue, right off US 35. From I-75, drivers take US 35 east to the Smithville Road South exit, turn right on Linden Avenue, and then turn right onto Rosemont Avenue, which dead ends at the church. From I-675, drivers take US 35 west to the Smithville Road exit, turn left at the exit, then right on Linden Avenue and right onto Rosemont Avenue. The church office can be reached at 937-253-6151 or office@cbtministries.org.
For those who cannot attend in person, services and recent messages are available through the Watch and Listen page, and giving is available online through the church's online giving page. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening services, along with a recorded Sunday School session, are posted so that members and friends can follow along from home.