Growing Christians to live out the transforming power of Christ’s Love.

To be known as a place where generations gather to experience the Kingdom of God through vibrant worship, sound Biblical teaching, and a deep fellowship that creates an environment for God to manifest His will in each of our lives.

Our Vision.

Our Values.

Prayer and worship as the central callings of the Spirit-empowered believer

Authentic relationships across families, generations, and Christian church traditions

God's Word, understood and obeyed, as essential for Christian growth and healthy living

Missional living as the norm for Christ's followers

Our History.

The Okoboji Bible Conference traces its roots to one of America’s earliest religious radio broadcasts.

In 1921, R.R. founded the Omaha Gospel Tabernacle (now Christ Community Church). In 1923, Brown was invited to deliver Sunday morning services on WOAW (later WOW), a radio station that could be heard across the country, coast to coast, and reached even to the South Pole via short wave. Listeners throughout the Midwest encouraged Brown to speak at their local churches. This led to a summer tent meeting in 1935, at Arnolds Park, Iowa, near Lake Okoboji, so that listeners to his radio broadcast could meet him, along with other Bible teachers, missionaries, and musicians. That tent meeting became the annual Okoboji Lakes Bible and Missionary Conference. By 1945, the Conference secured a permanent site, and in 1950, a unique building with garage door sides was constructed to accommodate growing crowds. The event became synonymous with Brown’s leadership, continuing under his son, Robert Shuman Brown, who expanded programs and facilities over the next 30 years.

Following R.S. and May Brown’s retirement in 1994, the Conference transitioned to a team leadership model. In 2005, Rick Porter became the first full-time executive director, helping to establish a year-round ministry presence in the region. Over time, the board of directors evolved, implementing term limits and welcoming fourth-generation family members alongside new leadership. Despite changing times, the Conference remains committed to its original mission of bringing outstanding ministry leaders from across the country to provide Bible teaching, musicians and global missions perspectives for spiritual growth, worship, and Christian fellowship.

Today, our leaders continue to build upon the vision set forth by R. R. Brown, ensuring that the Conference endures "until Christ returns."

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world. (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 3:16)
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6)
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4 and 1:29; Acts 1:11 and 2:22-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4, 4:15)
We believe that all people everywhere are sinful and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation sinful people, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:46-47; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life. (John 3:5-8; Acts 1:8 and 4:31; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 6:12)
We believe that the ministry of evangelism (sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ) and discipleship (helping followers of Christ grow up into maturity in Christ) is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15; 1 Peter 3:15)
We believe in the historically Christian view of marriage and sexual expression; namely, that marriage is a one flesh covenant union between two sexually different persons (male and female) from different families and that all sexual relationships outside the marriage covenant are sin. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9)
We believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end; and that we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of all people for life. (Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Gal. 6:10)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person biological male or female. These two distinct but complementary sexes reflect the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-24)

Statement of Faith

Meet the Team

Mark Schwarz

Executive Director
Jody Stevenson

Conference Coordinator

Board of Directors

Nancy Davies - Chair
Retired Executive Director of Ministry Environments
Christ Community Church
Valley, NE
Steve Fisher - Vice Chair
Agriculture
Grand Junction, IA
Kevin Kammer - Secretary
Financial Services
Mableton, GA
Larry Van Meeteren - Treasurer
Retired Agriculture
Sheldon, IA
Bryan Bargen
Home Designer/Builder, Bargen, Inc.
Mountain Lake, MN
Vickie Franken
Agriculture
Sioux Center, IA
Greg Jorgensen
Pastor
Milford, IA
Heather Langhus
Marketing / Branding
Plymouth, MN
Derek Lee
Construction
Spirit Lake, IA
Mark Leiss
Real Estate
Spirit Lake, IA
Elizabeth Perkinson
Homemaker
Bennington, NE
David Taylor
Retired
Marion, IA