Welcome to TimelessWord

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 eighteen 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 attended Multnomah University from 1990 through 1993 back when it was Multnomah School of the Bible. He met his wife, Lori, who was also a Multnomah student. Keith graduated with a BA in Theology in May of 1993, was married in July, and then began seminary in August. While in seminary Keith interned at New Heights Church in Vancouver, Washington which was one of the fastest growing churches in the Pacific Northwest.

After obtaining a Masters of Divinity degree from Multnomah Biblical Seminary (1995) Keith served as Minister of Outreach and Care at Suburban Christian Church in Corvallis, Oregon for nearly five years. Keith and Lori look back on their days in Corvallis as a time of great ministry experience and personal growth. They made life-long friendships and have fond memories. Both their boys, Joshua and Justin, were born in Corvallis. Lori was pregnant with their daughter, Jena, at the time God moved them on to take a senior pastor position.

Although they had been willing to go anywhere to preach the gospel, being called to Emmanuel Bible Fellowship in Olympia, Washington was like a homecoming for Keith and Lori. Both had been raised in the Pacific Northwest and had observed Emmanuel from a distance through the years as Emmanuel was the home church of many of their college friends. Emmanuel’s desire for the deep teachings of God’s Word drew them. They were both thrilled to continue living in the Pacific Northwest near family and friends. So, in December of 2000 Keith began his current position as senior pastor of Emmanuel Bible Fellowship.  

Keith possesses a great passion for God’s Word and immerses himself in Bible study and research. He routinely writes articles and book reviews for various publications and is a member and presenter for the Evangelical Theological Society. In the fall of 2004 Keith began the Doctor of Ministry degree through Talbot School of Theology. This degree emphasizes leadership and preaching, both key passions for Keith. He completed this program in 2008. The title of his dissertation is, “How to Teach Laypeople to Effectively Preach Paul’s Letters.” Because of his deep desire for scholarly study, Keith was also able to pursue a PhD from the University of Bristol, which he completed in 2011. The title of this dissertation is, “Temporal Judgment and the Church: God’s Remedial Agenda in 1 Corinthians.” Both doctorates have been incredibly useful in pastoral ministry as he has been able to train leaders to effectively preach. It has also made him a deeper student of God’s Word.

Keith’s primary spiritual gifts are teaching and exhortation. He is so passionate about transferring truth to the next generation that he uses his ministry leave and vacation time to equip future leaders. He does this by teaching at Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon. He has also taught at Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, Washington and Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon. Whenever possible the family travels and serves together with Keith. They believe the best way to impact their children’s faith is to serve together in ministry. As a couple they are seeking to disciple their children to have a greater Kingdom influence than their own. 

Although they recognize God could call them on to another ministry at any time, their commitment to Emmanuel remains true. Their children love Emmanuel deeply as well. It is a great gift and privilege to serve at Emmanuel Bible Fellowship, and they will do so fervently by the grace of God as long as he allows them the opportunity.