A Korean-American Baptist Congregation on South 84th Street
Tacoma First Baptist Church sits at 1328 S. 84th Street in Tacoma, Washington, a single campus where two languages and three generations share a sanctuary, a chapel wing, and an education building. The congregation grew out of a small gathering of Korean believers in 1975 and has spent the past five decades becoming a bilingual hub for the Pacific Northwest Korean diaspora and the wider Tacoma community. Marking its fiftieth anniversary in 2025, the church now runs parallel worship services in Korean and English on Sunday mornings, a midweek prayer service, an early-morning devotion five days a week, and a network of small groups that meet in living rooms across the region.
Founded in 1975, Now in Its Second Generation
The congregation traces its roots to November 2, 1975, when believers who had accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord gathered, were baptized, and united as one body under the name Tacoma First Baptist Church. From the beginning it has been a member church of the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States, working in cooperation with the denomination and its cooperative missions programs. In October 2025 the church held a fiftieth anniversary music concert, and a special anniversary worship service on November 2, 2025 marked the milestone with choirs, a combined revival, and a recorded video retrospective that is still available online.
What They Believe: The Baptist Faith and Message
Tacoma First Baptist Church affirms the Baptist Faith and Message as its statement of belief. The church teaches that the Bible is the divinely inspired, trustworthy Word of God and the final authority in matters of faith and practice. It confesses one true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who created humanity in His image. Human beings, because of the fall, stand in need of redemption, which is offered only through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning blood. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, and is secured by God's grace alone.
Two ordinances are observed: believers' baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. The church is governed as an autonomous local body led by pastors and deacons, exercises the priesthood of all believers, maintains the eternal security of the redeemed, and keeps a functional separation between church and state. The congregation looks for the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, and the everlasting reign of God. These doctrines, drawn from the SBC statement, are taught in new-member classes and woven into the regular preaching schedule.
Three Sunday Mornings, Two Languages
Sunday is built around three back-to-back services in the main sanctuary. The Korean 1st Service begins at 7:30 AM, followed by the English 2nd Service at 9:30 AM, and the Korean 3rd Service at 11:10 AM. The third Korean service includes English translation so that bilingual families and English-speaking visitors can follow along. At the same time, age-graded ministries run in chapel rooms throughout the building: a children's service in Bethlehem Chapel at 9:30 AM, a preschool service in Nazareth Chapel at 11:00 AM, the English youth and college group in Antioch Chapel at 11:00 AM, the Korean young adult gathering in room N-208 at 1:00 PM, and the Agape service for individuals with developmental disabilities at 11:00 AM in room O-19 and again at 1:20 PM in Bethlehem Chapel. Visitors can attend any of the three sanctuary services without registering, and English translation is available on request at the third Korean service.
Midweek Worship and Dawn Prayer
Wednesday evenings are devoted to teaching and prayer. The Korean midweek service meets at 7:00 PM in the main sanctuary, while the English midweek service gathers at the same hour in Antioch Chapel. Children and preschoolers join AWANA, the international children's discipleship program, meeting at 7:00 PM in the Education Building. Tuesday through Saturday mornings begin with a 6:00 AM early-morning prayer service, held in Korean in the main sanctuary and in English in room N-117. Sunday and midweek sermons are recorded and posted on the church's YouTube channel, and online giving is available through the church portal.
House Church: Discipleship in Living Rooms
Small-group life at Tacoma First Baptist Church is organized around what the church calls House Church, or 목장. These groups are conceived as spiritual families - households where believers gather in homes for worship, Bible study, prayer, mutual care, and outreach. The teaching emphasizes three elements: a true community of interdependent believers, servant leadership modeled on a parent's heart, and active evangelism that seeks out the lost. Members are encouraged to view house church not as an add-on program but as the primary place where disciples are formed, and the stated goal is for every house church to multiply by planting another one. A Shepherd Class is offered for those training to lead a house church.
Children, AWANA, and the Children's Ministry
The children's ministry, called TFBC Kids, exists to partner with parents in cultivating lasting faith in Christ. Its stated values are establishing a gospel foundation, equipping children with Bible literacy, cultivating belonging, supporting family discipleship at home, and engaging the surrounding community. During the 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM services, nursery care is available for infants, preschool-age children meet in Nazareth Chapel, and elementary-age children meet in Bethlehem Chapel. Wednesday nights extend the work through AWANA, with the Cubbies club (ages three and four) in Nazareth, and the Sparks (K through second grade) and T&T (third through sixth grade) clubs in Bethlehem. The children's ministry also runs an annual Vacation Bible School; recent summers have included themed programs such as the 2025 VBS.
Youth, Young Adults, and the English Ministry
English-speaking students are reached through two connected ministries. The Youth Ministry, branded under the acronym B.R.I.D.G.E. - Building Relationships Integrating Discipleship and Godly Experiences - helps middle and high school students build relationships with God, with one another, and with the wider church. The Young Adult Ministry, known as YAM and branded R.O.A.D. - Reaching Out And Discipling - walks students through the transition into college and early careers. Together the two groups emphasize five core values: developing biblical literacy, creating an encouraging community, serving the local neighborhood, empowering family values, and teaching Scripture for daily life. Youth meet for Friday worship at 7:00 PM, Saturday prayer at 9:00 AM, and Sunday worship at 11:00 AM. YAM gathers for Friday Bible study from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, Sunday worship at 11:00 AM, and a small group at noon.
The English Ministry overall, called EM, is pastored by Rev. Jake Ahn and supported by Minister James Graham, who oversees youth and young adults. The EM Sunday service at 9:30 AM is fully in English, and a separate Wednesday service in English meets at 7:00 PM. Recent sermon series include studies in 1 John, Galatians, Romans, Isaiah, and the Gospels.
Agape: A Place for Every Ability
Class Agape is the church's ministry for individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism and intellectual disability. The class meets every Sunday at 11:00 AM in room O-19 and at 1:20 PM in Bethlehem Chapel, with English and Korean translation available during the service and activities. Members study God's Word, pray together, sing, and take part in crafts, recreation, field trips, and camps. The team leader is Deacon In S. Song. Families with children who have special needs are encouraged to visit the class.
Tacoma First Korean School
Alongside the church runs Tacoma First Korean School, a Saturday language and culture program serving second-generation Korean Americans as well as non-Korean students. The school year mirrors a typical U.S. academic calendar, running from September through June, with classes every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Students are grouped by level into beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes. The principal is Y. Goering. The school is part of the Northwestern Korean School Council and regularly participates in regional ceremonies and contests.
The Daycare on Campus
Sharing the campus with the church is TFBC Daycare, known in Korean as 제일어린이동산. The daycare is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, with class hours from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Both full-day and half-day care are available, and rates are set by the child's age and family size. The daycare accepts DSHS-subsidized children. Trained staff provide age-appropriate activities and care for infants through pre-kindergarten. The daycare can be reached directly at 253-535-9435.
From Tacoma to the Ends of the Earth: Missions
Under the motto "From Tacoma to the Ends of the Earth," the church partners with both domestic and international mission organizations. Each house church takes responsibility for a specific missionary family, and the churchwide budget supports cooperative missions giving through the Southern Baptist Convention, the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in North America, and the Northwestern Korean Baptist Association. Missionaries are supported across East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, in countries including Guinea-Bissau, Guatemala, Nepal, Laos, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Ukraine, Madagascar, Zambia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Hungary. Short-term mission trips have recently visited Tokyo, Türkiye, and other locations.
Worship, Music, and the Pastoral Team
Music is central to the church's three Sunday services and is led by a team of conductors and accompanists. Soonim Kim conducts the choir for the first Korean service, Hannah Cho conducts the choir for the third Korean service, Kyungsoon Kim serves as pianist for the second service, and Chanmi Kim plays for the first and third services. The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Kyungwon Song, who also preaches at the Korean services. The associate pastors are Soonmo Gweon (administration), Woo-il Jun (worship and seniors), Jooyoung Jung (young adults, media, and missions), and Jake Ahn (English ministry). Minister Ester Kim serves in the church office and with preschoolers, Minister James Graham oversees youth and young adults, and Minister Jaehwan Youn directs children's ministry. Six ordained deacons - Kum Chul Oh, Joseph Sweet, Patrick Barcelona, Jong Duk Lee, Byung Chul An, and Young-ki Paik - serve alongside the pastoral staff.
Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and previous sermons in Korean and English can be viewed any time. Visitors can find the church at 1328 S. 84th Street in Tacoma; the office can be reached at (253) 535-5803 during weekday hours.