Joshua Tapp and Nathan Holmes to Start a New Church!
Joshua Tapp and Nathan Holmes were destined to meet and to start True Words Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky in October 2024. They prayed for months for God to open doors and to shut other doors. They did not know they were going to be in Louisville, Kentucky until mid 2024.
Pastor Tim DeVries and Vision Valley Baptist Church welcomed the Tapp family and the Holmes family into the church. The decision was made to plant a soul winning Baptist church in the inner city of Louisville, Kentucky. The timing was perfect and the church was launched.
Months of planning, preparation, and soul winning went into the launch of the church. Opening day was a huge success with 77 people in attendance and many souls saved that day.
The Life and Journey of Pastor Joshua Tapp
Early Life (1979 – 1998)
Pastor Joshua Tapp was born in Louisville, Kentucky on November 9, 1979, to Gary and Beverly Tapp. He is the second of four children: Tonya, Joshua, Tiffany, and Jason. He spent most of his childhood in Shelby County, Kentucky.
As a child, Josh loved farm life, playing baseball, and working hard alongside his father. His early years were shaped by family values, discipline, and a strong work ethic. He attended Southside and Northside Elementary Schools before moving on to Shelby County High School, where he excelled academically and athletically.
Growing Up in Kentucky
🏡 First Home in Smithfield, KY: Josh’s earliest memories include family remodeling projects, playing with his siblings, and learning life lessons from his parents.
🔥 A Miraculous Escape: As a young child, a house fire broke out at night. A mysterious man wearing a white t-shirt rescued Josh, carrying him to safety. To this day, his family never discovered the identity of the man, believing it was God’s protection at work.
🏡 Life on the Farm: Throughout his childhood, Josh lived in multiple homes across Shelbyville, KY, where he worked on 120 acres of farmland, fed livestock, and learned hard work and responsibility.
🏀 Sports & Passion for Baseball: Josh was a natural athlete, excelling in basketball and baseball. He played in multiple leagues and even made the Shelby County High School baseball team as an eighth grader. His talent as a third baseman and contact hitter earned him recognition, though he later left baseball to focus on more meaningful pursuits.
Education and Engineering Career (1998 – Present)
🎓 Shelby County High School Graduate (1998) – Honor student with a 4.0+ GPA, excelling in calculus and mathematics.
🎓 University of Louisville – Speed Scientific School (1998 – 2003)
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (2002) – 4.0 GPA, Graduated #1 in a class of 20,000+ students
- Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (2003) – 4.0 GPA, with highest honors
🎓 Naval Postgraduate School (2005 – 2007) – Master of Science in Systems Engineering (Graduated with honors)
👨💻 Electrical Engineer (2002 – Present) – Josh has worked as an electrical engineer for over two decades, leading projects at major corporations such as General Electric (GE), Raytheon Missile Systems, and the Department of Defense.
🏡 Hard Work & Debt-Free Living: Josh and Pamela worked tirelessly, building and selling three homes, running a small business, and achieving financial freedom through discipline and perseverance. He brings that experience to the church.
Marriage and Family
💍 Meeting Pamela Mills (1996) – Josh met his wife Pamela at McDonald’s in Shelbyville, KY in 1996, and they have been together ever since. They married on August 3, 2002, at Shelby Christian Church in Shelbyville, Kentucky where they attended church together for many years.
👨👩👧👧 Blessed with Four Children (4 Daughters):
- Callie (Born 2008) – A talented musician and soul-winner.
- Taylor (Born 2011) – An independent thinker and evangelist in training.
- Emma (Born 2016) – A passionate, energetic leader with a love for sharing the Gospel.
- Abigail (Born 2021) – A bright and joyful child, already learning about faith.
👨👩👧👧 A Family Committed to Christ: The Tapp family is deeply involved in ministry, evangelism, and serving the Lord. They are not perfect people. They have many flaws. But they do their best each day to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation and Call to Ministry
Pastor Joshua Tapp watched a sermon on YouTube, in his home, where he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation in 2017.
✝️ Josh’s Salvation (2017) – After weeks of searching for the truth, Josh accepted Christ in his home in Simpsonville, KY, after hearing the Gospel preached by Pastor Steven Anderson and Pastor Roger Jimenez. Joshua immediately went and got his wife, Pamela, who was saved that same day by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Note: Josh left the New Independent Fundamental Baptist movement voluntarily and is no longer associated with that movement. If you would like to discuss the reasons, please let him know.
🙏 Ordained as a Deacon (2018) – At Rhema Christian Assembly, Josh was ordained as a deacon, marking the beginning of his spiritual leadership. He decided to read and study the Bible every day for hours each day at this point in his life. He soon found out he was in the wrong church as a works based salvation was slowly being taught over the years of attending there. This is when he began to learn the differences in churches, denominations, and beliefs.
🏛 True Words Christian Church (2019 – 2023) – Josh co-founded True Words Christian Church in Shelbyville, KY, preaching over 350 sermons and leading soul-winning efforts. Many people all over the world were saved through this church.
🔥 Training at Sure Foundation Baptist Church (2023 – 2024) – Josh moved his family to Vancouver, WA, for pastoral training, leading multiple weekly soul-winning groups and preaching at various churches. Josh learned how to be even more effective with soul winning due to several church members there who are great soul winners (Alex and Ramon). Josh left this church to go back and be with his family and his wife’s family who were sick (along with many other reasons). Josh’s uncle, Bruce Farris, passed away and he decided to move back faster than planned. Soon after returning, Pam’s grandmother Pauline Montgomery passed away. They were glad to return sooner to be with their families during these very difficult times. Josh and Nathan were also very thankful to be in Kentucky when Nathan’s mother, Jane, passed away soon after they came back. Jane helped launch True Words Baptist Church.
🏛 True Words Baptist Church (2024 – Present) – Vision Valley Baptist Church and Pastor Tim DeVries planted True Words Baptist Church. Josh co-founded True Words Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, preaching 4 sermons per week and leading soul-winning efforts. The church averages 100 salvations per month in the area of West Louisville. The church is also reaching people all over the world. The opening Sunday Morning service saw 77 people in attendance and multiple salvations that day.
⛪ Ordained as Pastor (2025) – Pastor Tim DeVries of Vision Valley Baptist Church in Mt. Washington, KY ordained Joshua Tapp as the Pastor of True Words Baptist Church.
A Family Committed to Christ: The Tapp family is deeply involved in ministry, evangelism, and serving the Lord. They are not perfect people. They have many flaws. But they do their best each day to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Big Leap of Faith (February 2025): Josh decided to resign his Electrical Engineering job as a Department of Defense United States Navy employee in February 2025 and focus 100% on True Words Baptist Church.
Nathan Holmes and Family
Nathan Holmes called Joshua Tapp the week that Josh moved his family to Vancouver, Washington. Nathan had been searching for a good church around Louisville, Kentucky. Nathan wanted to join together with Josh at True Words Christian Church.
Josh invited Nathan to go soul winning in Detroit, Michigan with him and Nathan decided to drive to Detroit, Michigan from Louisville to go soul winning.
Many souls were saved by this group of soul winners in Detroit, Michigan. Josh and Nathan then stayed in close contact over the months. Nathan then visited Josh in Vancouver, Washington and stayed for several weeks. Josh and Nathan went soul winning together often.
Things didn’t work out as promised in Vancouver, Washington and Josh decided to move back to Kentucky where he attended Vision Valley Baptist Church. Nathan Holmes played a huge role in planting the church in Louisville, Kentucky. Without Nathan Holmes, True Words Baptist Church wouldn’t exist and Josh would probably still be stuck in the Pagan Northwest (PNW).
The Birth of True Words Baptist Church (2024 – Present)
On October 13, 2024, Pastor Joshua Tapp and Nathan Holmes launched True Words Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. Vision Valley Baptist Church assisted in the launch of the church. This church was founded with a mission to preach the Gospel, baptize believers, and teach biblical doctrine.
🎯 Mission & Vision:
- Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily and in every house (Acts 5:42).
- Baptize saved believers as an act of obedience (Matthew 28:19).
- Teach all things – Grounding believers in biblical doctrine and discipleship (Matthew 28:20).
🌍 Global Reach: Through online sermons and soul-winning missions, True Words Baptist Church reaches people around the world with the Gospel.
We Welcome You to True Words Baptist Church!
🙏 Join us in serving the Lord! We are passionate about soul-winning, biblical teaching, and preparing believers for spiritual growth.
📍 Location: 1377 S. 20th St. Louisville, KY 40210
📞 Phone: Josh (502)396-1657 | Nathan (502)203-2320
📧 Email: info@truewordsbaptist.org
📌 Google Maps: View Location
👉 Learn More About Our Church: Click Here
📌 Come be a part of a Bible-believing, Christ-centered church dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission!
