​In 1977, Rev. Teague Groce and his wife, Marsha, came to pastor Temple Baptist Church. Under his faithful leadership, the church experienced tremendous growth and became known for strong Bible preaching, heartfelt worship, missions, and a burden to reach people with the Gospel. As the church continued to grow, land was purchased on Highway 601 South between Mount Airy and Dobson. God provided in a miraculous way, even making a way for the land to be cleared and graded at a great savings to the church.

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In 1992, Temple began a major building program for a new sanctuary. After much prayer, God opened the door for the church to receive the needed loan, and the new facility was built. In only eight years, the church paid off the $1,000,000 loan, seven years ahead of schedule. As the ministry continued to expand, more parking and additional facilities were needed. Behind the church stood a large mountain of dirt and rock. The people of Temple began to pray. One day, a man came to the church asking about moving the mountain because the dirt was needed for a Walmart construction project. At no cost to the church, 400,000 yards of dirt and rock were removed over seven months. God literally moved a mountain and provided the space Temple needed.

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Rev. Teague Groce faithfully pastored Temple Baptist Church until October 2002. Following his passing, Bro. Zane Fishel became pastor of Temple Baptist Church. Having already faithfully served at Temple for several years as youth director, Pastor Zane and his wife, Amy, daughter of Pastor Groce, continued the vision and ministry of Temple Baptist Church. Under Dr. Fishel’s leadership, Temple Baptist Church has continued to grow and remains one of the largest churches in the community, where thousands of people have been introduced to Jesus Christ. Through a strong media ministry, worldwide missions outreach, and a continued commitment to serving and reaching the local community, the Gospel continues to impact livesboth near and far