A Baptist church from Seattle sent missionaries to the East Side with the intent of working with the Indians and early settlers. Thus the First Baptist Church was established in Houghton in 1888. During Kirkland’s “boom days,” the church was moved to Kirkland in 1889, and was located on a lot donated by the Kirkland Land and Improvement Company. The church was incorporated in 1890.

A financial panic swept the United States in 1893, and Peter Kirk’s Iron and Steel Mill did not materialize, so the town population and church membership decreased. The remaining members of First Baptist joined with remaining members of another church, most likely the Methodist church, and for some forty years the church lost its identity. In 1929, the American Legion moved into the old Baptist Church building (which originated from Houghton). The building still stands on 5th Avenue, across from Kirkland City Hall, and is still occupied by the American Legion. However, the church had been incorporated in perpetuity, so a group of Kirkland residents decided to re-establish the church and in 1948, they asked Rev. Charles C. Shoemaker to come to Kirkland to serve as pastor and revive the church.

In 1949, the First Baptist Church met in an old building that had been a Methodist Church, then People’s Church, then Kirkland Bible Church. The first service in the old building of the First Baptist Church was observed on January 2, 1949, with Pastor Shoemaker conducting the service. Fourteen people were in attendance, five of them being the Shoemaker Family. The church grew rapidly. By 1954, it grew to a 450-person, active membership, with attendance averaging 300 per Sunday, necessitating the construction of a new building. Pastor Shoemaker served the church until 1965. Dr. Willard Miller became its minister in 1966, followed by Pastor William L. Tate in 1971, who served until 1990. Pastor William H. Fortner, Jr. became Pastor of the church in September, 1991. Pastor Fortner retired in October of 2005 and the church called Vince Armfield to be Senior Pastor. Pastor Armfield already served at First Baptist for many years as a member, then youth pastor, then associate pastor. Now as Senior Pastor, he leads the church in a continual effort to glorify God and reach our community.

Blessed with a Beautiful Church

First Baptist Church of Kirkland has been blessed with a beautiful church edifice, lovely landscaped grounds, and pastors who have believed in and taught the verbally inspired, infallible Word of God. We thank God for a family of believers who have been called into a living, working relationship by and with Jesus Christ. It is our desire that He be the first in everything and that we glorify Him in all that we do, and that we reach our community, surrounding area, and the nations of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.