Empire Baptist Temple

In 1974, the Bible Baptist Church of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, authorized Dr. Ronald L. Tottingham to plant the Empire Baptist Temple in Sioux Falls, SD. Originally, Dr. Tottingham intended to take a pastorate of an existing work, but through counsel with his pastor, Dr Gordon Silcox, the Lord confirmed it was the right time to plant a church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. And all these years later, it’s clear that the Lord had a great vision from that humble calling.

EBT began having services the second Sunday in April 1974. Originally called the Bible Baptist Church, EBT has had several locations over those early years, including the Lutheran Church for the Deaf, the Lion Sight & Sound Center, a storefront used by the Disabled American Veterans for bingo, and the North End Community Sunday School Union building until we finally purchased and settled in our current location. The Empire Baptist Temple became officially organized in April 1977 when our first permanent families were added to this body.

In these early years, EBT started many ministries that have become the foundation for who we are today. The Empire Baptist Academy is overseen solely by EBT as a K-12 educational program that is staffed with literally thousands of volunteer hours per year.

The Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, also under sole EBT oversight, was started to train servants for the ministry at all levels of education -- graduate and post-graduate.

The Unaffiliated Baptist Churches of America has as managing directors the leadership of EBT, and has many ministry functions that include providing endorsement and chaplaincy opportunities in various levels of communities both national and global.

Empire Baptist Temple has always been aggressive to reach out into the community with the gospel witness. Establishing "preaching stations" wherever the Lord will open a door has been a normal mission for the church. A legislative lobby, state penitentiary, federal prison and county jail ministries, military and veterans group ministries, publishing ministry for books and tracts, an international newspaper called the Doorstep Evangel, and ministries to community youth groups and aged care all have been the focus of the mission of the EBT. Currently, the staff and ministry students hold an average of 11 preaching services every week, most of those on Sunday alone.

These ministries were started in-spite of some deep trials and struggles. For example, the EBA was the leading force behind forging what today is known in South Dakota as "Alternative Instruction" rights. EBT was instrumental in shaping state legislation for South Dakota, and helping do the same for other churches in Nebraska. Fighting the good fight is not always enjoyable, but by God’s grace EBT ministries exist today because of the pioneering spirit of the early days of EBT.

When EBT celebrated its 30th Anniversary, pastor Erich P. McCandless was installed as co-pastor. On January 1, 2007, Pastor McCandless was installed as senior pastor. Empire Baptist Temple has had just 2 pastors in all of its years, supported by a team of preachers co-laboring for the Lord’s cause. Amidst a global recession, the Lord laid on Dr. McCandless' heart to call for a sacrificial offering to lead EBT completely out of debt. As the offering was counted on Christmas day 2008, EBT entered a new phase of history being 100% debt free! This new status is allowing EBT more freedom to use all monies towards the ministries of the Lord Jesus Christ.

EBT praises the Lord for his goodness and the undeserved and unearned blessings he continues to bestow. The church will continually reach people for Christ, wherever the Lord will open doors, until we see him face to face. 

The Lineage of Empire Baptist Temple

We begin the history of Empire Baptist Temple of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by quoting an epitaph found on a tombstone, which reads as follows:

"To the Memory of Doctor John Clark, one of the original purchasers and proprietors of this island and one of the founders of the First Baptist Church of Newport, its first pastor and munificent benefactor; He was a native of Bedfordshire, England, and a practitioner of physics in London. He, with his associates came to this island from Massachusetts in March 1638, O.S., and on the 24th of the same month obtained a deed thereof from the Indians. He shortly after gathered the church aforesaid and became its pastor..."

Throughout the grand history of the United States, Empire Baptist Temple can trace her lineage as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. A look at more modern times starts in 1955, when missionary Don White out of the Grace Baptist Church of Middletown, Ohio, began services in Anchorage, Alaska. In January of 1956, that church was organized as the Bible Baptist Church of Anchorage. One of the men of that church was sent by the U.S. Air Force to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Upon arrival, this man, Sergeant Bruce Milene, contacted his pastor, Don White, in Alaska and reported that there was no true Baptist church in the Grand Forks, North Dakota/East Grand Forks, Minnesota area. Don White then told Bruce Milene to start one. Don White and Missionary Jim Jenkins came to Grand Forks, Minnesota, and helped begin the new church called Bible Baptist Church. Its first building was located at 813 South 11th Street, an old Union Hall. Jim Jenkins also helped the new church in its organization.

In March 1966, Bible Baptist Church of Grand Forks, Minnesota, issued a call to Gordon Silcox (a native of Minnesota who had pastored in Iowa and Oklahoma) to become the pastor of this new church. Gordon Silcox arrived the first week of April 1966, and pastored the church until June 1990. During his 24-year pastorate, over 70 men surrendered and trained to preach the gospel and many churches were started and organized out of Bible Baptist Church. One of the early churches to be organized was Bible Baptist Church of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (later known as Empire Baptist Temple). This church was established in April 1974 by Ronald L. Tottingham and was officially organized in 1977. Out of Empire Baptist Temple over a dozen churches have been organized, mostly in North Dakota and northern Minnesota, and several missionaries have been sent around the globe.

Empire Baptist Temple has a common link of faith and practice with the church that Christ started in his earthly ministry. When our Lord promised the perpetuity of his church in Matthew 16:18, he made it clear that there would always be New Testament Baptist churches on this earth until he returns for his saints at the rapture. We believe there is an unbroken chain of genuine New Testament Baptist churches from the days of the early apostles until the present time. Though we might not be able to find direct connecting links, we know that links exist between churches from the first church established by Christ down to today. Empire Baptist Temple of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has a rich heritage that goes all the way back to Christ's first church in Jerusalem.