Our History
Word of Faith Christian Center is a satellite church of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, Michigan. Founded by Bishop Keith A. Butler, Word of Faith International Christian Center has a membership of over 18,000. There are over 15 other satellite churches which include locations in Smyrna, GA, Birmingham, AL, Grand Rapids, MI, Jackson, MS, Jacksonville, FL, Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, Miami, FL, Nashville, TN, Phoenix, AZ, Saginaw, MI, San Antonio, TX, Round Rock, TX, San Francisco, CA, and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Internationally there are 200 churches in Africa; 3 in Bulgaria, 1 in London, England and Toronto, Canada.
Rev. Keith Echols, Pastor of Word of Faith Christian Center, served as Senior Assistant Pastor under Bishop Butler from 1986 to 1993. He is a graduate of Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, OK and has been in full-time ministry for over 24 years.
Word of Faith Christian Center began in 1993, meeting at the Holiday Inn on City Avenue in Philadelphia. After two years, the church moved first to Germantown Avenue. Then, with a congregation of approximately 350 members, it relocated to the Frankford section of the city. In 2001 Pastor Echols began a weekly bible study in the state of Delaware which grew into regular Sunday morning services with 20 members at the Wyndham Hotel in Wilmington. As the Delaware congregation continued to thrive, Word of Faith moved to Newark, DE.
In January of 2010, Word of Faith purchased its current location at 4150 Market Street in Aston, PA. The merger of both congregations from Philadelphia and Delaware produced over twenty-five departments that meet the needs of the ministry, congregation and community.
Pastor Echols and his lovely wife, Min. Riena Echols, have been faithfully married for over thirty-three years. They have four beautiful children, one daughter-in-law, two son-in-laws and seven grandchildren.
