Evangel University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian university and seminary in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, United States. It is affiliated with the

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

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 The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially The General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal ...

on September 1, 1955, as the first national

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

school of arts and sciences. The denomination, led at the time by Ralph Riggs, already had several Bible schools, and wanted a college where students entering secular fields could study in a Pentecostal, faith-based environment. Evangel college library postcard

The college was established on the property of the former O'Reilly General Hospital, which had been established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 Central Bible College (CBC) was a private"Central Bible College"

and

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) is a seminary located in Springfield, Missouri. History The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary was founded in 1972. The enrollment as of Fall 2006 was 474. In 2010, the school was merged with ...

. 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 Vanguard University (officially Vanguard University of Southern California) is a private Protestant university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. Vanguard's required core curriculum includes courses o ...

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.

Academics

Academic departments include Business, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Communication, Education, Humanities, Kinesiology, Music, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Theology and Church Ministries. In addition Evangel offers graduate degrees in social sciences, kinesiology, and education along with master's and doctoral degrees through Evangel's embedded seminary, the

. Evangel's School of Theology and Church Ministries was launched in 2013 to prepare students for vocational ministry. The new school was created with the 2013 consolidation of Evangel, Central Bible College, and Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. The three departments within the school are Bible & Theology, Church Ministries, and Intercultural Studies.

Accreditation

Evangel University is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

, whose predecessor the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...

first accredited Evangel in 1965. Evangel also has the following specialized/programmatic accreditations: * Social Work –

Council on Social Work Education The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association in the United States representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1 ...

* Music –

National Association of Schools of Music The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Resto ...

* Education – Initial Teacher Preparation and Advanced Preparation Levels –

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 1954 and was recognized as an accreditor by ...

The

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the administrative arm of the Missouri State Board of Education that works with school officials, legislators, government agencies, community leaders, and citizens to mainta ...

issues teaching certificates to graduates who successfully complete the Teacher Education program.

Student life

In 2009, approximately 2,350 students attended Evangel University from all 50 U.S. states and 20 countries. In 2018, the university's gender distribution among students was 55% female and 45% male. There are more than 50 student clubs and organizations at Evangel. Each year more than 80% of Evangel students are involved in at least one campus activity outside of athletics and music. Evangel is primarily a residential campus, with most students living in one of six residence halls: Spence Hall, Walther Hall, Scott Hall, Krause Hall, Burgess Hall or Lewis Hall. The Perkin Apartments are available for married student housing.

Athletics

The Evangel athletic teams are called the Valor. The named was changed from the Crusaders in 2021. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Heart of America Athletic Conference The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in ...

(HAAC) from the 1987–88 academic year through the spring of 2023. In February 2022, Evangel accepted an invitation to join in the

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second-oldest in the United St ...

(KCAC) for all sports, effective beginning the 2023–24 academic year. Evangel competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading. The university offers club sports such as bass fishing, beach volleyball, bowling,

CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

and disc golf.

Facilities

* Ashcroft Center – sports: basketball, volleyball, capacity 1,200 * Baseball Complex – capacity 1,000. * Coryell Field – sports: football, men's and woman's soccer * Softball Complex – capacity 1,000 * Tiger Stadium – sports: football, capacity 4,400 * Baseball/Softball Fieldhouse * Rivercut Golf Course * Bill and Payne Stewart Golf Course

Notable alumni

Barry Corey Barry H. Corey (born November 28, 1961) is the eighth and current president of Biola University, located in Southern California. Corey became Biola's president on July 1, 2007, succeeding Clyde Cook, who retired after serving as Biola's president ...

, academic administrator and minister * Derrick Clark, professional football player *

Vern Clark Vernon Eugene Clark (born September 7, 1944) is a retired admiral who served as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the United States Navy. He retired on July 22, 2005, making his tenure of five years the second-longest serving CNO behind Arle ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who was 27th

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

Samuel Der-Yeghiayan Samuel Der-Yeghiayan (born February 16, 1952) is a former United States federal judge, United States District Court Judge of the Northern District of Illinois. He was appointed in 2003. Der-Yeghiayan is noteworthy as being the first Armenians, Ar ...

United States federal judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. S ...

Richard Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American diplomat, public official, and former public relations consultant who has served as Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, special presid ...

, U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence *

Tony Dollinger Tony Dollinger (born October 18, 1962) played for the Detroit Lions briefly during the 1987 NFL season and overseas in the BAFA National Leagues 1988–1990. He was a running back. At Evangel University Evangel University is a private Chri ...

, professional football player *

Sara Groves Sara Groves (born Sara Lee Colbaugh; September 10, 1972) is an American contemporary Christian singer, record producer, and author. Groves received her Bachelor of Science degree in history and English in 1994 from Evangel University, a priva ...

, recording artist and author *

Ted Dekker Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) (stylized as TED DEKkER) is an American author of Christian mystery, thriller, and fantasy novels including ''Thr3e'', '' Obsessed'', and the ''Circle Series''. Biography Dekker was born in Dutch New Guine ...

, author * Jonathan Kvanvig, philosopher * Beverly Lewis, author *

Kristen Mattio Kristen Mattio is an American basketball coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Northern Colorado Bears women's basketball team. Coaching career From 2015 until 2021, Mattio served as head coach of the West Texas A&M ...

, college basketball coach * Troy Paino, academic administrator *

Todd Tiahrt William Todd Tiahrt ( ; born June 15, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected as part of the historic Republican Wave of 1994, defeating 18-ye ...

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

, R-Kan *

George O. Wood George O. Wood (September 1, 1941 – January 12, 2022) was an American Pentecostal minister. He served in executive leadership of the U.S. Assemblies of God for 24 years in the roles of general secretary and general superintendent. From 2007 un ...

, former General Superintendent of the

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Springfield, Missouri Universities and colleges affiliated with the Assemblies of God Universities and colleges established in 1955 Council for Christian Colleges and Universities 1955 establishments in Missouri Liberal arts colleges in Missouri Private universities and colleges in Missouri