Born and raised in Bremerton, Washington, Keith grew up in an outstanding Christian home. His earliest memory is of his parents, Richard and Pat Krell, reading the Scriptures to him. As a result of his parents’ godly influence, Keith believed in Christ as his Savior at the age of five.

Although Keith grew up in the church, he matured slowly in his faith. It wasn’t until his senior year of high school that his Christian commitment began to deepen. Yet there was still an area of his life that he wasn’t willing to yield to the Lord — his future occupation. Keith vowed he would never become a pastor. All that changed on August 12, 1989. At the age of 18 he attended a Christian & Missionary Alliance conference at Colorado State University. Young people were offered the opportunity to commit their lives to full-time occupational service on the final night of the conference. When the call went out, Keith stood to his feet and immediately sensed God’s call to pastoral ministry. He has never looked back.

Keith moved to Olympia, Washington in December of 2000 where he began his current position as Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Bible Fellowship. Prior to this position he served for five years as Minister of Outreach and Care at Suburban Christian Church in Corvallis, Oregon, and interned at New Heights Church in Vancouver, Washington. He is a graduate of Multnomah Bible College and Seminary (BA in Theology; Master of Divinity), Talbot School of Theology (Doctor of Ministry in Preaching), and is currently pursuing a PhD in New Testament at Trinity College, Bristol.

Possessing a passion for God’s Word, Keith immerses himself in Bible study and research. He writes articles and book reviews for various publications and enjoys teaching periodically at Multnomah Bible College and Ecola Bible School. His ministry is characterized by a keen desire to present God’s Word in a clear and understandable manner so that each person “does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15b).

Keith has been married for 16 years to his wife, Lori, who is also a graduate of Multnomah Bible College. A dedicated mother, Lori home schools their three children: Joshua (13), Justin (11), and Jena (9). She is a positive, supportive influence on Keith’s ministry.

When time permits, Keith enjoys racquet sports, basketball, weightlifting, and boxing and wrestling with his children.