Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary is a private Christian college and seminary in Ankeny, Iowa. History Early Omaha years At the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, William H. Jordan heard Dwight L. Moody speak about the importance of training students for the Christian ministry. Impressed by Moody's vision, Jordan became concerned about establishing schools to carry out such an objective. As pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Omaha, Nebraska, Jordan founded Omaha Bible Institute (OBI) in 1921 to educate men and women in the Bible, theology, and ministry. OBI was legally incorporated on January 14, 1924. Jordan served the institute for the next thirty-one years, first as president until September 4, 1942, and then as chairman of the board until resigning on May 19, 1952. From 1942 to 1947, the institute had a series of deans including Harold A. Wilson, Ralph C. Nelson, Paul Sawtell, and Albert Schultz. On March 16, 1947, Paul Sawtell was named the institute's acting president and John L. Patten was named acting dean. Later in March, the board of directors met to answer the question: “Shall we continue to keep the school, or shall we sell the property, clear the debt, and let the students go to other Bible institutes and colleges?” The next evening, only John L. Patten, pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Omaha, and the institute's dean of women, H. Nell Malen, expressed the need for the school to continue. Both "contended that the Midwest area needed a school that would teach fundamental, Biblical Christianity and complete separation from and not compromise with modernism in any form." Since Paul Sawtell expressed his wish not to continue as acting president, John L. Patten, acting dean, was named by the board as president as of June 1, 1947. Patten then served as president for the next eighteen years until his resignation for health reasons, effective May 31, 1965. As president emeritus, he continued to teach at the college until his health forced his full retirement in 1975. As pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Omaha, Patten, prior to becoming institute president, had led his church to affiliate with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). Feeling strongly that the Institute needed a denominational affiliation for continuing support, he succeeded in the Institute’s becoming affiliated with the GARBC as of April 28, 1952. Accordingly, in board action on August 1,