Evangel University

Evangel University is a private Christian university and seminary in Springfield, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God Christian denomination, which is also headquartered in Springfield. The campus sits on that were originally part of O'Reilly General Hospital. History Evangel College (later University) was founded by the General Council of the Assemblies of God on September 1, 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, 1955. 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. Consolidation 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 were owned by the Assemblies of God and located in Springfield, Missouri. A resolution for consolidation was passed at the Assembly of God's 2011 General Council in Phoenix, Arizona, following which efforts began to make a formal proposal to the Higher Learning Commission. The consolidation was approved by the Higher Learning Commission in April 2013, making way for the official launch of the "new" Evangel University in August 2013. With the Higher Learning Commission's approval, the Assemblies of God also announced that Carol Taylor, president of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA, had been named to lead the consolidated university. Taylor is an alumnus of Evangel University and the Assembly of God Theological Seminary. Mike Rakes became president of Evangel University in 2021.