A global scope. Expect to see a lot more blue and a lot less green in the blocks between Commercial Street and downtown Bellingham’s Flatiron Building this summer.
The shift may not be as visible on the streets as it will be online and inside office buildings that house the headquarters of Faithlife, the three-decade-old developer of the Logos Bible study software platform. But de-emphasizing the green Faithlife logo and name to re-emphasize the blue Logos brand is effectively a return to the company’s roots under its relatively new CEO.
“You’re going to see Logos as our presence in the market,” said Vik Rajagopal, who stepped into the chief executive officer role 18 months ago. “Logos will be front and center, whereas Faithlife will really be more about the corporate entity, recruiting, jobs, etc.”
The public repositioning is one of several moves the company is taking under Rajagopal. Previously Faithlife’s CFO, and before that in leadership positions at Amazon for nearly a decade, Rajagopal took over as CEO in January 2022 from co-founder Bob Pritchett, who became the company’s executive chairman.
While a technology company at its core, Faithlife is no startup. Pritchett and a friend created the first version of Logos Bible Software in 1991, and Logos Research Systems followed in 1992. The company expanded into books, plus more digital content and tools, formally changed its name to Faithlife in 2014 and developed products to help churches manage their operations.
Logos, with the release of version 10 in October 2022, now comes in seven languages and 10 standard editions that combine Bible study features with a wide range of theological content. Flanking the $295 Starter package is a free version with access to about two dozen digital resources at one end, and a $10,800 Collector’s Edition with more than 8,000 resources at the other. Logos also has specific packages for Christian traditions such as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal and more.
Rajagopal said it’s an “ecumenical” product approach. “We’re not here to take a position on theology,” he said. “We are here to be a resource of knowledge through the content, through the works, we make available.”
For all its longevity in Bellingham and Logos’ description as “the most popular Bible study tool on the planet,” Faithlife keeps quiet about its funding and revenues.
The tech industry database Crunchbase doesn’t have any financial details. Tech news site GeekWire ranked Faithlife at No. 17 in its GeekWire 200 rankings of the top privately held Pacific Northwest tech companies in late 2020 based on non-financial factors, but has since updated its methodology to exclude established companies.
Rajagopal simply said that co-founder Pritchett owns “a large stake,” but the company is “closely held, privately owned.”
Yet staff numbers can provide a sense of the company’s scale. Faithlife said it now has nearly 400 employees worldwide with close to 200 in Washington state, primarily in the Bellingham area, and the rest in Faithlife locations in Puebla, Mexico, and Chandler, Arizona, or working remotely.
“Even as we’ve shifted to a hybrid working model with a large remote contingent, our Bellingham campus remains a focal point for in-person team-building and collaboration,” Rajagopal said. “Our teams look forward to gathering in Bellingham — lots of adventuring to do together in a beautiful setting — and our Gracewood property in Lynden serves as a charming, luxurious retreat center for both employees and VIPs.”
The Bellingham campus is seeing its own evolution under Rajagopal. Of its five buildings, two — one facing West Holly Street, the other along West Magnolia Street — are for lease. Rajagopal said that’s the result of having an office complex able to handle 800 staff facing a reset due to the pandemic and its aftermath, requiring a fresh look at space planning.
Putting the Logos brand front and center comes alongside one other major product change for Faithlife: its exit from selling directly to churches, which Rajagopal said began eight years ago.
“Faithlife Equip was our attempt at what’s called an integrated ministry platform — a one-stop shop, all the software solutions you might need to run, manage a church on a daily basis,” he said. “For a number of reasons, that didn’t work out the way we’d hoped. COVID really didn’t help our cause. So we chose to pull back from that product late last year.”
When Faithlife Equip and related products sunset as of June 30, other well-known Faithlife brands such as Lexham Press, Verbum and, keenly, Logos will continue. The difference is the focus not on business-to-enterprise sales, Rajagopal said, but a business-to-consumer model and individuals including pastors, theologians, professors and students.
“We’ll be more intentional in embracing Logos, our history and frankly, our core strengths as a company,” he said. “As we speak to users out in the market, when they think Logos, they think depth, trust, authenticity.”
Rajagopal said the most significant change to Faithlife’s business since he took over as CEO is this “streamlined” product offering so the company can focus on what he said it does best, facilitating digital Bible study.
Ahead in the near term, he said, is “more user-friendly technology designed specifically for certain segments.” And longer term?
“Ultimately, I think we have an ability to really accelerate our progress in our mission, which is to improve biblical understanding and accessibility for every Christian around the world,” Rajagopal said. “And I think we’re just scratching the surface.”
Places & Things
Oystercatcher reopened in early June under new ownership at 901 Grace St. NW in Coupeville. The Whidbey Island restaurant had closed in October 2022.
An introductory letter from the new owners on Oystercaster’s website said, “Together we have a combined 28 years in the restaurant industry as a chef and fine dining server, and we promise to bring our passion and excitement about all things food, wine and hospitality to this storied place.”
(For the latest Places & Things, check here throughout the week.)
Frank Catalano’s column appears Wednesdays. Email: frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com; Twitter @FrankCatalano.
