BY GREG MILLER
STAR Correspondent
“In 1929,” says Pastor Travis L. Biller, “a group from First Baptist Church had a vision of a mission church on the west end of town. It began with the Sunday afternoon Bible class in the hotel lobby called Kenmore Inn. Soon the vision was expanded to include an entire church. In 1934, a little log cabin church was built. As the church grew, the desire for a bigger building grew. Originally the church was called Westside Baptist. In those early years, the name of the church was changed to Emmanuel Baptist (1936), meaning ‘God with us.’ The men of the church dug and built the basement in early 1942 until World War II stopped the project. The project was completed in 1946 and served the church until a new auditorium and education building was built in 1961.
“Before coming to Immanuel Baptist Church (IBC), I pastored Cedar Fork Baptist Church in Durham N.C., and Kilbourne Park Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C.,” Biller said. “I am on my 18th year of full-time pastoral ministry. I came to IBC in November of 2011. I am also currently a Chaplain (Maj.) in the Air Force reserves. I am currently stationed at Shaw AFB, in Sumter, S.C.”
Matthew 28:18-20, sometimes called “The Great Commission” passage, is Biller’s favorite Scripture passage on which to preach. “This scripture reveals why we exist as a church,” he said. “The main purpose of the church is to make Christ known amongst the nations. Further, it reveals the purpose of every Christian. Christians are called to be disciples who follow Christ and who work together to make him known. Discipleship is not a program of the church; it is the mission of the church. Believers are called upon to become dedicated disciples who lead others to Christ and who, in turn, teach those they have led to follow Christ as a disciple. Another favorite verse is Acts 11:26. The end of the verse reads, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” This shows that a Christian is not a nominal believer who goes to church occasionally, but a Christian is a disciple of Christ — i.e. a dedicated follower.
“I do what is called expository preaching,” Biller said. “I preach through books of the Bible. We are currently going through the gospel of John.”
Biller said it was difficult to name a favorite Bible character about whom to study. “That’s a hard question,” he said. “There are so many I love. But I think if pressed for an answer I would have to say Paul. Paul was a dedicated disciple. He demonstrates what serving Christ looks like. He was sacrificial. He was bold. He was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. He did not and would not compromise the gospel. He also had a great love for the church. He dedicated his life to building the church and training the church to glorify Christ. But it needs to be remembered that Paul was not without his faults. He was, like the rest of us, a sinful man who needed a savior. But, warts and all, Paul was used mightily of God.”
Biller has preached many times in India and once in Nepal. “In India, I have preached to whole villages and also in established churches,” he said. “I love preaching the gospel in India. There are many people there who have never heard of Christ. It’s hard to believe that so long after the birth of the church, there are still many who have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. So many who hear the gospel for the first time get excited about what God has done for them in Christ. There is nothing like seeing a person hear the gospel for the first time and then surrender their life to Christ. We have seen many village people come to faith in Christ. God is doing a great work there! I began going to India when pastoring my last church. I am so thankful that the people of IBC have a heart to reach the nations with the gospel. They have been so supportive of our work there. Without them, the work could not be done.”
For Biller, “the easiest doctrine to preach about is the doctrine of salvation. There is no greater news than God sending his Son to be the sacrifice for our sins so we can be saved from the coming judgment against our sins, and so we can know God. I love John. 17:3 where Jesus says, ‘And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’ Because of what Christ has done for us, we can be forgiven all of our sins, and as a result we can know God! Let that sink in. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ we can have a personal relationship with God! That’s what the gospel is about. Christ removing our sin so we can know, love, worship, serve, and walk with the living God!”
The most important aspect of a local church’s ministry in today’s society, Biller says, is “preaching the gospel and making disciples who go into the world making Christ known. Christ is the only hope people have. Because of that reality, the church must make as its priority fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Christ created the church for the express purpose of preaching the gospel and making disciples who in turn make Christ known.”
The only thing that can change a person is the gospel of Jesus Christ, Biller says. “When a person responds to the gospel, they are not only forgiven of their sin, but they are made a knew creation in Christ and brought into an eternal relationship with God. There is no substitute for that. The most important thing a church can do for the community is to stay true to the gospel, consistently preach the gospel, and seek to reach as many people with the gospel as possible. God gave the gospel to every community in the world as a gift. Our Lord died on the cross and rose again so we could have the power of the gospel in our lives. We cannot do better than what God has done through Christ. The church that wants to impact its community must be committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Worship opportunities include Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; morning worship, 10:30 a.m.; small groups in members’ homes, Sunday evenings; discipleship meetings, AWANA and youth group meetings, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
“We have Team Kids during the summer (replaces AWANA during the summer),” Biller said. “VBS which will be this June 19-21. Our theme is, ‘The Incredible Race: Exploring God’s Love for All Nations.’ Excluding summer, we have meals every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. We are also the sight for Blast, a home-school co-op during the school year. We also have an active ministry in India, where we have been doing evangelism, church planting, and leadership training since 2014. We also have a very active youth group.”
Biller is the only paid ministerial staff. Part-time positions include Carrol Lowe, custodian; and Carrie Harrison, financial secretary. Volunteers lead all ministry positions. Danny Barnhill currently serves as the youth leader. “We have a very good praise band led by Emilee Whitehead,” said Biller. “Our children’s coordinator is Leslie Johnson, and Mike Guinn is our missions leader.”
Biller and his wife, Diana, have one son, Ryan, and one daughter, Christina. “We homeschooled our children until they graduated from high school,” Biller said. “So, being a home-school mom was her full-time job and ministry for many years. After our son graduated, she went to work for Citi-Bank. She has been there since August of 2018.
“Christina graduated from high school in 2016 and Ryan in 2018. “They both are attending Surgeon College, which is part of Midwestern Baptist Seminary,” Biller said. “They are a part of the school’s Fusion program, where they are active in missions training. Christina has been overseas doing missions for years (the spring semester of each year). And Ryan had his first mission experience this past spring.”
Biller describes how he began his Christian walk. “I came to faith in Christ when I was 22,” he recalled. “I was on active duty in the Army at the time. It was after a long succession of witnesses whom the Lord sent into my life that the Spirit weighed down upon me and convicted me of the sin in my life and the need to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I did not grow up in a Christian home. Because of my background, humbling myself and asking Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior was one of the most difficult things I did. However, with the strength of the Lord’s conviction upon my heart, I came into saving faith. My life was never the same again.”
Immanuel Baptist Church, 205 Hunter Ave., Elizabethton, is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Watauga Association of Baptists. For more information about the church, call 423-543-5633, visit the website, ibcelizabethton.org or email travisbiller@aol.com.