History of ConvergeNW/Columbia Baptist Conference

During the flood of immigration from Europe in the late 1800’s, many Scandinavians settled along the Pacific Coast. Among them in the 1880s was Olaus Okerson, a pioneer apostle, who organized Central Baptist Church in Seattle and then the First Scandinavian Baptist Church in Portland in 1884 (now Temple Baptist), and Central Baptist Church in Tacoma. In 1889 The Swedish Baptist Conference of the North Pacific Coast was organized, including these churches and Northwest Baptist Church in Bellingham.

From the beginning the “Conference” has had a focus on personal devotional living and evangelism.
This has been shown not only through our emphasis on a personal walk with Jesus Christ, but also with the planting of churches throughout the Northwest.

As the years have passed the name of this association of churches has changed from The Swedish Baptist Conference to the Columbia Baptist Conference to our new missional movement name of Converge Northwest.