Pastor Greg Allen was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1957; and grew up in Seattle, Washington. He placed his trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord in 1973 as a result of a Billy Graham crusade on television; and shortly thereafter, began attending Riverton Heights Presbyterian Church in Seattle.

He graduated from The Burnley School of Art (now The Art Institute of Seattle) in 1980. In 1989, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical Education from Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon; and in 1995, was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland.

Throughout most of his vocational life and ministry training, he worked full-time both as a staff designer and as a freelance graphic artist and illustrator in Portland for various graphics studios. In 1985, he began serving part-time as an assistant pastor at Haven Bible Church; and became part-time pastor of Bethany Bible Church in 1992. He served as a teacher’s assistant during his course of study at the seminary, and, following graduation, taught as adjunct faculty on a college level. In the winter of 1997, he and a colleague taught a preaching course in the former Soviet Union through International Leadership Academies. He began serving Bethany Bible Church full-time in fall of 1997.

Pastor Greg and his wife, Marilyn, were married in 1979 and have two teenage sons. Greg enjoys music, cartooning, reading, antiquarian book collecting and hiking. He draws his sense of mission in ministry from Colossians 1:28-29 — “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

Photograph courtesy of The Oregonian