A native of Appleton, Wisconsin, Keith is the seventh of eight children born to a middle-school math teacher and a homemaker. He was nurtured in a strong youth program at Memorial Presbyterian Church. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion from Coe College in Iowa, and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. In a summer Hebrew class, Keith met his future wife. In 1984, Keith began his first ministry at Winnebago Presbyterian Church, a rural, 250-member congregation in Winnebago, Minnesota. A co-pastor soon joined him there: his new bride, Marilyn Crawford-Roberts, also an ordained Presbyterian minister. After six years at Winnebago, Keith moved on to the Presbyterian Church of Deep Run, a congregation of about 425. Keith's 17 years at Deep Run were a time of vitality, accomplishment and stability. His time there brought an expansion of church programs and mission outreach; the construction of a new fellowship hall, library and classrooms; and the hiring of Deep Run's first full-time associate pastor.
Keith and Marilyn have two daughters Mary and Ann.