God's Bible School & College history

Upon Mary Storey’s death in 1906, she was replaced by Meredith Standley who had married Bessie Queen three years earlier.

Oswald Chambers, later known for his classic devotional book My Utmost for His Highest, joined the faculty briefly in 1907 and continued his connection with GBS for a number of years.

The founding of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in 1914 was marked by an emphasis upon the need for training ministers and missionaries.

Central Bible College (CBC) was established in 1922 in response to this need.

The first class graduated in 1925.

Furthermore, the campus was extended to a full six acres by the purchase of various neighborhood properties; and in March 1930, our school became a pioneer in Christian radio, broadcasting its “Sunrise Worship Hour” over WKRC in Cincinnati.

The goal of the institution was to enable the students to be effective workers in what Knapp called the "great, whitened harvest field." The original curriculum was called the Christian Worker's Course and in 1936 was standardized into a regular four-year collegiate course.

Beginning in 1940, students could enroll in what was popularly known as the “Ten Weeks Course,” a short, concentrated preparation for Christian workers.

Opening during a massive city-wide revival at Cincinnati’s famous Music Hall in November of 1946, this campaign began three years of highly successful jeep-and-trailer evangelism across much of the United States and even foreign countries.

The first full-time president was Bartlett Peterson, who began his administration in 1948.

Education” in the AG. Against some strong opposition from many members of the Assemblies of God, Riggs spearheaded the movement to create Evangel, and after several earlier attempts failed, the resolution to create Evangel finally passed at the 1953 General Council in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Evangel opened its doors to the first freshman class on September 1, 1955.

On June 8, 1969, a great “Jubilee Service” was held in the chapel to celebrate the liquidation of our college’s overwhelming debt, which at one time reached over one million dollars.

School finances grew, new properties were added to the school’s holdings, and in March 1975, ground was broken for the new student-activities building.

Additionally, in 1982 the Court of Common Pleas freed GBS from judicial supervision, leaving our school to chart its own destiny.

Rodney Loper, PhD, a native of Fairborn, Ohio, enrolled at God’s Bible School and College in 1997.

After graduating from GBSC with the BA in Ministerial Education in 2001, the Lopers accepted a pastorate in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

President Avery also initiated the school’s first official capital campaign, designated “Faith in the Future,” in 2002.

In December 2015, the GBSC Presidential Search Committee contacted Rev.