At the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, William H. Jordan heard Dwight L. Moody speak about the importance of training Christian workers for the ministry. Impressed by Moody's vision, Jordan also was burdened to see schools established that would carry out that objective. In 1921, as pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Omaha, Nebraska, Jordan founded Omaha Bible Institute to educate men and women in the Bible, theology, and ministry. Enrollment declined and costs increased in the 1940s, and the Board of Trustees considered closing the school. John L. Patten, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Omaha, saw the need for the school to continue. In 1947, Patten volunteered to step in as the school's new leader. He served as president until 1965. Under his leadership, the institution changed its name and sought the support of Baptist organizations. In 1956, the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches approved OBBI. To this day, the GARBC remains an important part of student enrollment, though there is no longer any official affiliation or approval system in place. In the 1960s, OBBC outgrew its Omaha facilities. Relocation to Ankeny took place in 1967, and the school again changed its name to Faith Baptist Bible College. In the 1980s, declining enrollment at Denver Baptist Bible College caused DBBC and FBBC to merge. FBBC also added the seminary at about the same time.
Campus
Faith's campus is located in Ankeny, a suburb of Des Moines. At the time of its construction, the campus was the westernmost point in Ankeny. Within fifteen years, residential development surrounded the property. The campus is built around a large center circle. It consists of 24 buildings. Some of them are:
Crown Park
Jordan Hall -- administrative offices; formerly known as the Administration Building; renamed for the school's founder William H. Jordan, in honor of the school's 90th anniversary on September 28, 2011
Benson Hall -- dining hall, homiletics lab, college and seminary classrooms
Patten Hall -- 60,000-volume library, education resource center, classrooms
Nettleton Center -- 1,500-seat gymnasium, locker rooms, weight & fitness room, athletic office, student life department, student center, bookstore, music room, health center, classrooms; formerly called the Convocation Building; renamed for Dr. David Nettleton, the president of the college from 1965 to 1980
Domokos Hall; named after Dr. Robert Domokos who served the school as a president from 1987 to 1993. The building houses the Bible faculty, the music department, and the IT department.
