Beginnings.

Faith Bible Church began through the vision of a small group of men who met and prayed together in Cincinnati early in 1962. In February 1962, Robert Lowery accepted the call to pastor the small flock of these men and their families. The first regular Sunday Worship Service was held on March 4, 1962, with fifty-two in attendance. During those first months, Worship Services were held at a small American Legion Hall near downtown Cincinnati.

In December 1962, the church moved to the Junior Order Hall in St. Bernard, a small suburb just north of downtown Cincinnati. Over the years, Faith Bible Church continued to grow, moving from the Junior Order Hall to our first permanent facility in the suburb of Montgomery in December 1968.

Changes and growth.

Outgrowing the Montgomery Road building, in 1985 FBC completed a 15,625 square-foot church building on the 11.9 acres of land that the Lord provided just north of the I-275 beltway in northeastern Cincinnati � our current location.

About the same time, in February 1985, Bill Binford accepted the newly-created position of Associate Pastor. Two and a half years later, Keith Missel joined the staff in October 1987, as the full-time Youth Pastor. In October 1991, after nearly thirty years of serving the Lord at Faith Bible Church, Pastor Lowery retired in order to pursue full-time missions work.

Pastor Binford served as Senior Pastor for the next six years. In January 1997, Pastor Binford announced his resignation from FBC, in order to pursue a church-planting ministry in White Plains, New York. During this time, Keith Missel continued to serve as Youth Pastor and, in January 1992, was given additional responsibilities as an Associate Pastor.

Our current Senior Pastor, Wayne Lowe, arrived in August 1998, after pastoring a church in Newport, North Carolina, for seven years. In October 1998, Pastor Missel accepted the call to pastor a church in Virginia.

Aware of the need for additional Pastors, the Board of Elders used this time to develop a new philosophy of staffing Pastoral and Ministry needs. In August 1999, Marv Lucas was hired as the Associate Pastor of Education and Worship. Pastor Lucas has over twenty years of experience as a Pastor in a variety of roles. In January 2000, Kirt Conroy was hired as the Associate Pastor of Students and Assimilation, rounding out the Pastoral Staff. Pastor Conroy had been serving with the Navigators in Colorado Springs prior to coming to Faith Bible Church.

Expanded ministry.

The elders determined that if FBC needed significantly more worship seating capacity, we would expand by planting other churches.

For seventeen years, our church building served us well. However, with the continuing numerical growth of FBC, the facilities were stretched to their limits. In January, 2002, FBC embarked on our Living Stones Facilities Expansion that more than doubled the existing building, adding over 17,000 square feet of new youth, classroom, office, lobby and multipurpose/gymnasium space. Construction was completed in mid-November and on November 24th the expanded building was commissioned in a ceremony including Michael Card in concert.

Also in 2002, following a period of prayer and study, we created the role of Deacon to supervise the care ministries for those in need within our Fellowship and beyond.

As part of the Living Stones expansion, in May 2003 FBC welcomed John Jakus as Assistant Pastor of Students, and Kirt Conroy transitioned into the new role of Associate Pastor for Family Life.

When Pastor Kirt expressed his aspiration to the pastorate, the elders perceived that the time was right to plant another church. A core leadership team was formed, and in 2006 Kirt was appointed to be Pastor of Faith Bible Fellowship, a new venture in the Lebanon, Ohio, area.

This transition prompted an evaluation of pastoral staffing needs. John Jakus was promoted to Associate Pastor of Students and assumed additional duties. Rick Bush began serving as our Associate Pastor of Administration. Other changes in responsibility among the pastors, office staff, and lay ministry leaders may follow.

We look forward to what the Lord will do with and through us in the future.