Upon returning to Buffalo, Tommy Reid became the senior pastor and leader of the Full Gospel Tabernacle, a small church located in
South Buffalo of about 120 people. During this time, the
Charismatic movement swept through Buffalo and the Full Gospel Tabernacle grew from a small 120 member congregation to a massive 800 member congregation in one week. The church quickly became the largest pentecostal church in the United States, which prompted Reid to author his book,
The Exploding Church. In 1977, the Buffalo School of the Bible was founded on the Tabernacle campus, training young people on how to become ministers and religious leaders He was named as Bishop of the Tabernacle, a title he would hold until 2013, when he appointed Eagles Wings Ministries founder
Robert Stearns as his successor. Reid then took the title of Bishop emeritus. Tommy befriended many evangelists during his time as senior leader of the Full Gospel Tabernacle, including
Paula White,
Paul Crouch,
Jim Bakker,
Oral Roberts,
Jack Hayford and
Benny Hinn. Hinn used to minister monthly at the Tabernacle. ==Personal life==