History
Evangel College (later University) was founded by the General Council of the Assemblies of God in 1955 as the first national Pentecostal school of arts and sciences. The denomination, led at the time by the Rev. Ralph Riggs, already had several Bible schools and wanted a college where students entering secular fields could study in a Pentecostal, faith-based environment. The college was established on the property of the former O’Reilly General Hospital, which had been established during World War II by the U.S. Army. In its five-year history as an Army hospital, O’Reilly served more than 100,000 patients. After the war, it briefly served as a veteran’s hospital before the Army declared it excess property. The property was acquired by the Assemblies of God in December 1954 for the use of Evangel College. The first day of classes at Evangel was September 1, 1995. There were 87 students. Evangel students lived and went to classes in the O'Reilly barracks for years. The first permanent structure built on campus was the Klaude Kendrick Library in 1963. In the decades since, Evangel has slowly replaced the barracks with permanent structures. The last Army barrack on campus was demolished in 2009. .
In 2010, the Assemblies of God began an effort to consolidate Evangel University with Central Bible College and Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. All three institutions are owned by the Assemblies of God and are located in Springfield, Missouri. A resolution for consolidation was passed at the AG’s 2011 General Council in Phoenix, Arizona, following which efforts began to make a formal proposal to the Higher Learning Commission. As of November 2012, the Assemblies of God is awaiting approval from the HLC for the consolidation. If the consolidation is approved, the AG plans to begin admitting students to the new consolidated university in the fall of 2013. Pending this approval, the new consolidated institution will utilize the current Evangel University campus and the name will remain Evangel University. The consolidation efforts have been funded by a $5 million grant given by the Green family, which owns the Hobby Lobby corporation.
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