John C. Bowling is the former president of

Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Nazarene university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930 ...

(ONU). John Cubby Bowling was the president of

from 1991 to 2021. His tenure as president ended at the end of the 2020–2021 school year. His 30-year tenure makes him the longest serving president in Olivet's history. Before accepting the position in August 1991, Dr. Bowling served for eight years as the senior pastor of the College Church of the Nazarene in

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. He also served as senior pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. He has been a member of the faculty at

Nazarene Bible College Nazarene Bible College (NBC) is a private Nazarene Bible college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970. NBC has ...

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, and at

. Bowling holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Olivet, a second master's degree, an doctorate in education from

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It ...

and was chosen as a Resident Fellow for post-doctoral studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. In addition, he was honored by Olivet with the conferral of the Doctor of Divinity degree as part of their centennial celebration. In addition to his work at Olivet, Bowling is active with professional organizations and local community affairs, including membership on the Board of People's Bank in Kankakee. Dr. Bowling is a former member of the Board of Directors of the

Nazarene Publishing House Nazarene Publishing House (NPH), the publishing arm of the Church of the Nazarene, is the world's largest publisher of Wesleyan-Holiness literature. NPH was located on Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1912 until its move in February ...

in Kansas City, Missouri, and of the Church of the Nazarene Foundation. He is a member of the USA/Canada Council of Education and the International Board of Education for the Church of the Nazarene. In addition to over 60 published articles, he has authored four books: ''A Way With Words'', ''Grace-full Leadership'', ''Packin' Up and Headin' Out: Making the Most of Your College Adventure'' and, most recently, ''Making the Climb'', which chronicles his ascent to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

General Superintendency of the Nazarene Church

In 2005, Bowling was elected as a general superintendent of the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, Lenexa within Johnson Cou ...

but declined the office, saying that his mission at Olivet Nazarene University was not complete. In 2009, Bowling was again elected to serve as a general superintendent. He accepted, but rescinded his acceptance the next day.

Published works

* ''A Way With Words'' () * ''Grace-full Leadership'' () * ''Packin' Up and Headin' Out: Making the Most of Your College Adventure'' (), co-authored with wife, Jill * ''Making the Climb'' () about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro * ''ReVision: 13 Strategies to Renew Your Work, Your Organization, & Your Life'' () * ''Above All Else: 20 Years of Baccalaureate Sermons'' ()

Notes and references

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowling, John Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Presidents of Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University alumni