The same month (July 1965) that Pastor Charles Warder resigned, Pastor Kisner was called to pastor Tomah Baptist Church. His ministry at TBC lasted seven years, until July of 1972. As with the previous three pastors, Pastor Kisner received his formal training at Northwestern Bible College, in Minneapolis, MN.
He was born on November 5, 1920 in Iowa, grew up there, and in 1942 was inducted into the armed forces during World War II. The majority of his service was in the Panama Canal Zone under the US 4th Army Headquarters Battery 906 Anti Aircraft Artillery.
As he was discharged from the armed services, his Army Chaplain encouraged him to enter the ministry and he soon felt the call to the Gospel ministry. He enrolled at Northwestern Bible College and while there, met his wife, Betty.
He was ordained on November 1, 1955 at the Highland Park Baptist Church of St. Paul, MN. Prior to coming to TBC, he served in Fargo, ND, St. Paul, MN, and Huntley, MN. He was 44 years old when he began his ministry at Tomah. A year after his arrival, he led the church to withdraw from the Conservative Baptist Association of America. It was a difficult, but necessary move, as the C.B.A. was becoming increasingly compromised and unseparated. Several Baptist churches in the area joined TBC in that move.
After leaving TBC, Pastor Kisner became the senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. He served there for 17 years. At the invitation of Pastor Tobin, he came back several times to preach at Tomah, and would often stop by our church office to chat when he was in the area.
He passed away on February 23, 2016. Betty had preceded him in death on January 20, 2000. The Kisner’s had one son, David, who has been the lead pastor at Washington Heights Baptist Church in Dayton, OH, since 1996.