Beyond the pulpit, Bishop Tisdale has spent decades building pathways for people to thrive.
By Asia Nail
The Truth Reporter
For Bishop Duane C. Tisdale, community service has always been an expression of faith.
With more than 40 years of service as Senior Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, he has long believed that ministry must reach beyond Sunday mornings and address the everyday challenges families face — from education and housing to economic opportunity and financial stability.
“The church ought to help the community,” Bishop Tisdale shares.
Beyond his pastoral ministry, Bishop Tisdale has devoted decades to strengthening Toledo through economic development, education, workforce training, and outreach. As a visionary leader and key partner in the creation of Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, he recognized the need for safe, regulated financial services in Toledo’s central city and helped unite civic and faith leaders around a “New Vision” initiative. Since opening on July 21, 1996, Toledo Urban FCU has provided tens of millions of dollars in financial services, lending, and economic opportunity to historically underserved families.
His commitment to empowerment extends beyond the credit union. Through Friendship New Vision, Inc., the church’s community development arm, and the Ternion Training & Education Center (TTEC), Bishop Tisdale has championed financial literacy, workforce development, vocational education, youth mentorship, substance abuse recovery, transitional housing for women, and other initiatives designed to create pathways to stability and opportunity for Toledo families.
He believes strong communities are built when people recognize their responsibility to one another.
“Kingdom is not just church,” he says. “Kingdom is community.”
Over the years, Bishop Tisdale has witnessed the impact of that belief through the lives of families served by Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union. He remembers seeing members move from uncertainty toward stability; repairing credit, purchasing vehicles, becoming homeowners, and gaining a stronger understanding of financial responsibility.
“I watched people go from renting to owning a home,” he shares. “I watched people that had never gotten their credit straightened out get their credit where they could begin to do big things.”
To Bishop Tisdale, those moments represent more than financial progress. They represent dignity, confidence, and the ability for people to create a different future.
His message to the next generation of leaders centers on unity, patience, and collective responsibility.
“We have to learn to be patient with the process,” he says. “If we’re going to be strong, we have to have a program or a message that helps the community.”
Thirty years later, Bishop Tisdale still sees Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union as evidence of what happens when faith is paired with action.
“Economic empowerment is ministry in action,” he emphasizes.
The mission remains clear: when a community is given an open door, it must walk through it together.