Tucked along South Sheridan Road on the south side of Tulsa, Tulsa Bible Church has gathered the same conviction for more than seven decades: a simple motto drawn from Matthew 28, to know God and make Him known. The church describes itself as a body of believers who treasure the Word, pursue real community, and want their lives to adorn the Gospel in a city that is increasingly secular. Whether someone has lived in Tulsa all their life or just moved into the 74145 zip code, the front doors at 5838 S. Sheridan Road open onto a Sunday morning that has been refined over generations of teaching, singing, and discipleship.
Sundays at Tulsa Bible Church
The Sunday rhythm at TBC begins at 9:00 a.m. with an hour of Bible study for every age. Adults spread out across six fellowship groups - Lighthouse, Ambassador, Journey, Iron-Sharpens-Iron, Cornerstone, and MAC - each meeting in its own room for chapter-by-chapter teaching, prayer, and friendship. At the same hour, TBC Kids classes gather for Sunday school and the nursery opens for infants and toddlers cared for by trained volunteers.
At 10:30 a.m. the congregation moves into the sanctuary for the main worship service, where cross-generational music and expository preaching anchor the hour. Free coffee is served in the foyer before the service, and the Welcome Center is staffed afterward for anyone wanting to learn more about the church. Visitors are encouraged to fill out a connect card so a team member can follow up during the week.
Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and audio is released through a podcast called Hidden God and on Spotify.
The Great Adventure: Children's Ministry
TBC Kids calls its ministry The Great Adventure, and the goal is simple: teach children to hear God's voice from a young age and prepare them to live for Jesus. The nursery welcomes children from birth through age two with play time, Bible stories, and Cheerios. Twos and threes learn through free play, age-appropriate crafts, and simple Bible lessons, while PreK and Kindergarteners move into a structured morning of free play, focused teaching, and a craft that reinforces the lesson.
First through third graders and fourth through sixth graders use The Gospel Project curriculum during the 9:00 a.m. Sunday school hour. At 10:30, fifth and sixth graders are dismissed to the main worship service alongside their parents, and first through fourth graders gather for Children's Church with games, worship, and a topical unit lesson. Sarah Rhom directs the ministry alongside associate director Kim Peters, both bringing decades of children's ministry experience to the team. Families new to TBC are invited to register their children ahead of time through the church's online portal.
Student Ministry for 7th Through 12th Grade
TBC's student ministry meets in the Family Life Center on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Youth pastor Trenton Cox leads the program with a straightforward mission: for students to know God and make Him known, and to be equipped to live confidently in a culture that pushes back on Christian identity. The gatherings include teaching through books of Scripture, small-group discussion, and time for fun and friendship.
Parents are considered the primary disciplers of their children, and the youth ministry exists to come alongside them. Throughout the year the group plans retreats, conferences, and seasonal events that build community across grade cohorts. Information is shared through the TBC Church Center app and a dedicated youth email address.
Treasure, Transform, Trust: The Vision
In March 2021 the church adopted a three-word vision that now shapes everything from Sunday planning to budget conversations. Treasure calls the congregation back to a prayer-shaped worship, the kind of dependence on God that has marked TBC for decades. Transform asks every ministry to intentionally engage in sharing the Gospel and showing Christ's love, beginning with TBC's own neighborhood in south Tulsa and radiating outward to the rest of the city and the world, an approach the church describes as an Acts 1:8 strategy. Trust calls the body to fight for unity in the essentials of doctrine, liberty in the non-essentials, and a Spirit-empowered community across both Sunday gatherings and small groups.
That vision is rooted in five core values: the principal purpose of glorifying God, the primacy of Scripture, the precedence of the Gospel, the pursuit of excellence, and the priority of life together. Each value is paired with a Scripture and reads less like a slogan and more like a charter.
A Faith Built on Scripture
Tulsa Bible Church teaches that the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, without error in their moral and spiritual teachings and in their record of historical facts. God is one, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church confesses the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His atoning death on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, and His personal, visible return.
Salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ alone, and the Holy Spirit is the one who brings new life and ongoing transformation. The church teaches that all who trust Christ will be raised to everlasting blessedness, while those who persistently reject Him will face conscious, eternal separation from Him. The church is described as the body and bride of Christ, made up of all who in this present age truly believe on Jesus.
Armor Bearers: Men's Ministry
The men's ministry takes its name, Armor Bearers, from 1 Samuel 14 and is built around the conviction that men need courage to live as wholehearted disciples of Christ. Seven groups meet across the Tulsa area through the week:
- A Downtown Small Group on Mondays at noon for men who work near downtown.
- Fellowship of the Book on Mondays at 7:00 p.m., originally a group of young singles and college students that has worked through books like Pilgrim's Progress and is now studying Hebrews.
- The LaFortune Small Group on Tuesdays at 6:15 a.m. at International Towers across from LaFortune Park, one of the longest-running groups at TBC.
- The 10/40 Cafe Small Group on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., currently working through Genesis.
- Two breakfast groups on Thursdays at 6:30 a.m., one at IHOP on South Lewis and another at IHOP on Hillside Drive in Broken Arrow.
- A monthly Men's Fellowship Breakfast on the second Saturday at 7:45 a.m. with food, fellowship, and teaching.
Women's Ministry and Lives of Fragrance
TBC's women's ministry gathers around Bible study, prayer, and the simple disciplines of care. A monthly newsletter called Lives of Fragrance circulates scriptural encouragement, calendar events, and recipes contributed by women of the church. Women disciple women one-on-one and in groups, and a Seasons of Life visitation team maintains connection with women who cannot regularly attend because of health concerns. A card ministry reaches out during illness, hospitalization, family bereavement, and other trials, and a New Born basket welcomes each new baby into the church family. A Women's Fall Retreat happens annually, with a larger conference replacing the retreat every four years.
Life Together in Small Groups
The small-group ministry at TBC carries the name Life Together, taken from the church's value of choosing real love and community over pretense. Groups meet in homes, in the community, and at the church building. Some work through the same passage preached on Sunday; others follow their own study. A North Bixby group meets every other Sunday near 101st and Memorial, and a Broken Arrow group meets every other Sunday in homes. Children's ministry is built into both groups so the whole family can participate. Newcomers can call the church office or visit the events page for the latest listing.
Pastors, Elders, and the Team
Senior Pastor Jared Verwiel has led TBC since November 2018. A graduate of Mississippi State University and Dallas Theological Seminary with a Th.M. in Old Testament, he previously pastored near Wichita, Kansas for more than five years. He and his wife Brandy have three children and love Old Testament narrative books.
Scott Susong serves as Shepherding Pastor, drawing on decades of pastoral experience and a Master of Arts from Dallas Theological Seminary. Worship is led by Derek Cannavo, a worship director and producer whose family ties run back to pastoral work in Sicily. Rick Pitcher serves as Administrative Pastor. Children's Ministry is led by Director Sarah Rhom and Associate Director Kim Peters. The student ministry is led by Youth Pastor Trenton Cox, an Oklahoma native who worked with FC Tulsa before stepping into ministry. The audio and video ministries are led by Kirk Shiew and Dominic Peters, both longtime members of the TBC community.
The church is governed by a council of elders: Jared Verwiel, Brian Shoop, Justin Ennis, Tim Condie, David Hall, Amos Ralston, Forrest Cowan, and Hal Driver. Hal Driver, a retired broadcaster who served with Cru/FamilyLife, focuses on the Missions Committee and discipleship. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the TBC Church Center app keeps members and visitors connected to events, registrations, and a church-wide directory.