Who We Are

The ministry of Faith Bible Church is a testimony to God's faithfulness in answer to the prayers of those who have sought to honor and glorify His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church grew out of a weekly Sunday School class formed in the early part of 1948. The group was especially burdened to pray concerning an evangelical witness to the Japanese English-speaking population. This vision led to the formation of the Nisei Christian Fellowship in December 1948.

Craig Swanson

Craig joined the FBC staff as Senior Pastor in 2002.  Craig grew up in SW Washington and after finishing his training at Multnomah, he and his wife, Lois, spent the next nine years in Japan where they helped establish two churches.  After returning to the States in 1989, Craig worked in the Seattle office of a Japanese company building American style houses in Japan.  After a few years, he was led back into pastoral ministry and served for nine years as senior pastor in Sammamish, WA before coming to FBC.

Craig and Lois enjoy sailing, building projects as well as urban and backcountry hiking.  They have two married sons, Kip and Kaj, both working in the mental health field.

(email Craig: click here)

Mike Kurtz

Mike also  joined the FBC staff in 2002 as Associate Pastor. Prior to full time ministry, he worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for 15 years. In 1989, Mike attended Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, which was followed by a move to Seattle where he met his wife, Lyanne, at FBC. He later returned to Multnomah and thereafter joined the staff.

Mike's primary responsibilities include the Home Group, Music, Adult Christian Education, and College/Young Adult ministries. He enjoys music (almost any kind), baseball & football (as a fan!), and traveling.

(email Mike: click here)

Glen Thompson

Glen is our newest member on the staff, joining in September 2008 as Associate Pastor of Family Ministries. Formerly Chaplain's Assistant in the Army, Glen later attended Master's Seminary where he met his wife, Shilo. Their move from sunny California (Shilo is from Arizona) to the rainy Northwest away from friends and family was a true testament of their faith, not to mention coming at a time when their newborn son, Micah, was only 2-1/2 months old.

Glen's primary responsibilites include Children's and Youth Ministries as well as providing family support in relation to these ministries. He enjoys the outdoors, walks with the dog, and just being a dad!

(email Glen: click here)

REACHING UP, REACHING ACROSS, REACHING OUT

Our mission is simply to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19-20). Our hope is to be used of God to make this a reality for every person God brings into our lives. We strive to accomplish this by guiding and developing people through three lifelong steps:

Faith Bible Church is located just on the fringe of downtown Seattle. We are conveniently located minutes from I-90 and I-5 near the corner of Yesler and 18th Ave. Once a house in the neighborhood, FBC has expanded to four lots and yet blends well with the surrounding community.  

For a map to Faith Bible Church, click here.