Meet our Pastors

Ministers of First Baptist Church

Pastor Dennis Tapp

My Life Verse

Acts 20.24 “But none of these things move me; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God”

My Call to the Ministry

I’ve been involved in church ministry since I was a teenager. I loved being at church and just helping out. In our church the young people were regularly challenged to consider full time ministry, “to be willing” to do whatever God wanted us to do. Well, I was willing to do anything but be a pastor and stand in front of people and preach. I was honestly terrified of such a possibility! The battle raged in my soul until I finally surrendered to that possibility as a Senior in High School. The only logical thing to do then was attend Bible college and Seminary to receive training for ministry. The door never closed to the pastorate, it only opened wider as time moved on. God in His patience and grace has led me into full time ministry time and time again. I couldn’t do anything else; His Sovereign hand has chosen me to be an under-shepherd. So, with all my heart I seek to serve Him and work at keeping my heart surrendered to Him.

My Experience

It was my joy and passion to be a Youth Pastor for 15 years in two different ministries in the U.S. and Canada. My family and I were led to First Baptist Church in Wisconsin in June of 2004, as the Senior Pastor. Our church is a small-town church, Woodville is approximately 1300 people. I love our small town. I attend a conference for small town churches annually. The conference emphasizes the significance of works like ours by stating . . .
“In God’s sight there are no little people and no little places.”

Jesus himself was sent to this earth and he reached into the villages of Galilee. Small town ministries can be challenging indeed but God & His word are sufficient.

My Soul Mate

My wife Debra has been by my side through the years of ministry and is a gifted musician. She is a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in music, and best of all she has a passionate heart to train young people in music. 

Associate Pastor Walter Olsen

Pastor Olsen has been at First Baptist since he retired from full time ministry in 2004.   His part time Ministry here has included teaching, writing, and preaching. The church family calls Dr. Olsen – Pastor O. or “Mr. Gracious!”    We are thankful for the testimonies and influence of Pastor O. and His wife BJ.

His writing ministries include :

1) “The SonShine” – A Monthly pamphlet discussing life’s questions and their answers from Christ the “Son” through His Word.

2) A Weekly Article called “Word to the Wise” – in local papers

What We Believe

We believe the Bible is God’s infallible, completely trustworthy Word. It tells the story of God and mankind (2 Tim. 3:16).

The universe was created by God directly, by His own power (Gen. 1:1).

The Gospel

During His time on earth, Jesus told people to “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). What did He mean?

The true gospel is a set of truths taught in the Bible (1 Cor. 15:1-4).