History

The Alaska Bible Institute began with the burden of a few Alaska missionaries to establish a place where Alaska natives could be grounded in the faith through the concentrated teaching of God's Word and Christian fellowship. After months of prayer and effort, God, in a most unexpected way, began to fulfill this vision.

In the fall of 1965, under the encouragement of missionary Barbara Crozier and the direction of Pastor Ray Arno, The Alaska Native Bible Institute began. School facilities were non-existent and operating capital was very small, but God provided. Students were flown in from villages and housed in rented cabins in Homer.
In 1971 God made it clear that the school should be available to all, so the word "Native" was dropped and the school is now known as the Alaska Bible Institute. ABI operates under the Board of Directors of Alaska Village Missions, Inc. (AVM). There is no tuition charge and the staff receive no salary. ABI is interdenominational and the board and staff strive to make it an institution that can be a help to all, regardless of church affiliation.