Pastor Pierre Coovert

I was not born into a "Christian family." My religious life until my teenage years consisted of an occasional visit to a Lutheran or Methodist Sunday School class or Vacation Bible School where the emphasis was more on crafts than on learning anything about the Bible.

As a teenager my best friend was a Christian. I started going to a little Southern Baptist Church with his family. For some reason they changed and started going to a Pentecostal Church. I was saved in that church. I, of course, spoke in tongues and held the standard Pentecostal doctrines.

After graduating from High School I entered the Army and got out of church. I spent twelve years in this backslidden condition before God started working in my life. An independent Baptist church invited my children to a Vacation Bible School. We started going to this church and after a short time my wife was saved and we were both baptized. It took a couple of years for me to rid myself of the Pentecostal doctrines I held. I have since written a small book, "The Sound Of A Mighty Rushing Wind", exposing the errors of the Tongues Movement. If you would like a copy just email me and I will send you one.

God called me to France as a missionary. After completing my studies at Baptist Bible College West in Denver, a year of internship, and two years of deputation, we went to France. After ten years on the field, we were forced to leave because our support just wasn't sufficient to do the work.

After returning to the States I pastored a small church in New Bedford, MA. This church could not pay me a salary and due to the economic conditions in the area I could not find a job that paid enough for us to live. After a year and a half we moved to Colorado where I helped in a small church as associate pastor and worked a full-time job.

God called me to pastor Bellingham Baptist Church in June of 1999. We hope to remain here until God calls us home.
I am an old-fashioned, independent, fundamental BAPTIST. I refuse to move from the old landmarks. I spent too much of my life finding them and too many of my Baptist forefathers died in their defense. I believe that leaving these landmarks and compromising on what we consider small principles is the root problem in our churches today. Until we return to these old landmarks we will not see healing in our churches or our nation.

Pastor Pierre Coovert