28 YEAR AIR FORCE VETERAN TAKES OVER AS LEAD PASTOR
Posted by Temple Baptist Church | Nov 5, 2018 |
CENTRALIA, IL—Temple Baptist Church is excited to announce that not only are they celebrating Veterans Day this weekend but that they are also celebrating having called a 28-year military veteran to be their lead pastor.
Ronnie Tabor, a recent Air Force retiree and professional speaker, now a Southern Baptist minister, returns to Illinois as Lead Pastor at Temple Baptist Church Centralia. The TBCC congregation, dedicated to loving God, loving people and making disciples, called Pastor Ronnie in December 2017. Due to his military contract he was unable to relocate to Centralia until November of 2018.
“Carrie and I are excited to get involved in the Centralia community,” Tabor says. “At TBCC, we believe everyone has a gift and calling on their life to do great things for God.”
Pastor Ronnie is currently leading the series, “Thank Differently: 21 Days to Transform Your Outlook on Life.” Each message in this three-week series will begin at 10:45 AM at Temple Baptist Church and concludes on November 18th. All are welcome, and childcare will be provided.
Tabor’s 28 years of military experience took him coast to coast on 13 different assignments and a deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After personally delivering 7,000 training hours to audiences totaling more than 10,000 and managing 35 professional development programs, he was hand selected to the Air Force resilience training design team. He went on to lead the inaugural Air Force 10-day Master Resilience Trainer Course for both Headquarters Air Force and Air Mobility Command. Tabor culminated his military career attaining the highest enlisted rank, Chief Master Sergeant, a feat achieved by only 1% of Air Force enlistees.
Outside of the military, Ronnie’s professional speaking engagements have spanned the United States and include the Radiological Society of North America, American Society of Radiologic Technologists, Illinois State Society of Radiologic Technologists, RADSYM Radiology Conferences, Costa Leadership Institute, Doolittle Institute, leadership and resilience seminars, goal setting workshops, business and church events, as well as various video and audio recording projects.
Pastor Ronnie previously lived in O’Fallon, Illinois, and was stationed at Scott AFB from 2008-2013. During that time, he attended and served at First Baptist Church O’Fallon as the Men’s Ministry Director. He also led an adult small group, taught Discipleship University classes, and was active in the Upward Sports ministry there. He completed his education through Liberty University (2013) and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (2015), while serving on active duty. In 2015, Pastor Ronniewas ordained at Wright Baptist Church, Ft Walton Beach, Florida, where he served as an Associate Pastor, led the men’s ministry, and launched a thriving small groups ministry.
“My life has been a journey to ignite hope and transform lives through the knowledge of Jesus Christ,” Tabor says. “With all of the opportunities afforded me, I’ve always felt called to make a difference in the world—first through my military service and now ministry. With each transition, I’ve tried to grow my influence, to build up others, and to be a catalyst to help others achieve their God-given best.”
“Temple Baptist is thrilled to welcome such a visionary leader to its pulpit, and our congregation is eager to begin working with him to deepen and broaden our impact on the Centralia community.” said Bryan Hall, Deacon at Temple Baptist Church.
More on Temple Baptist
Temple Baptist, “A community of people who are not perfect and don’t pretend to be,” is located at the corner of Walnut Hill and Hwy 51 right next to the UPS distribution center.
TBCC seeks to meet the spiritual needs of the people in Centralia and neighboring communities. The congregation believes that the church is not a building or a service; the church is made up of a group of people who can learn together, laugh together, cry together, and grow together. At TBCC, life is definitely better in groups. We encourage you to find a group to connect with and to cultivate strong relationships built on the foundation of God's Word.
Pastor Ronnie is available for interviews. Please contact the church office at 618-532-1249.
For more information, please visit the following websites