Former names
|
Southwestern Bible Institute Southwestern Bible School Shield of Faith Bible School Southern Bible Institute |
---|---|
Motto | Higher Education for a Higher Purpose |
Type | Private |
Established | 1927 |
Religious affiliation
|
Assemblies of God |
President | Kermit Bridges |
Provost | Paul Brooks |
Academic staff
|
125 |
Students | 2,012 |
Undergraduates | 1,700 |
Postgraduates | 312 |
Location |
Waxahachie, Texas, U.S. 32°24′14″N 96°51′11″W / 32.4038°N 96.8530°WCoordinates: 32°24′14″N 96°51′11″W / 32.4038°N 96.8530°W |
Campus | Suburban, 70 acres (0.28 km2) |
Colors | Purple and Gold |
Nickname | Lions |
Sporting affiliations
|
NAIA, NCCAA Sooner Athletic Conference Central States Football League |
Mascot | Judah the Lion |
Website | www |
Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) is a private Christian university and seminary located in Waxahachie, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, United States. SAGU is regionally accredited with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA. It is the only Assemblies of God university located in Texas. The university offers associates, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in liberal arts, Bible and Church ministry.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University began life as three separate Bible schools. The first, known as Southwestern Bible School, was established in 1927 in Enid, Oklahoma, under the leadership of the Reverend P. C. Nelson. The second, Shield of Faith Bible Institute, was founded in Amarillo Texas, in 1931 under the direction of the Reverend Guy Shields. It included not only a Bible school, but also a grade school and a high school. The third, which was operated as Southern Bible College in connection with the Richey Evangelistic Temple, began in 1931 at Goose Creek, Texas (now Baytown), in 1931. It was started by Reverend J. T. Little in Trinity Tabernacle and moved to Houston in 1933. The school's name was then changed to Southern Bible Institute.
The Bible school division of Shield of Faith Bible Institute was moved to Fort Worth in 1935. The high school division was transferred the following year. In 1940, a merger resulted in Southern Bible Institute, moving to Fort Worth. The combined school, operating as South Central Bible Institute, came under the ownership and direction of the Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God.
The school in Enid merged with South Central in 1941, at which time the name was changed to Southwestern Bible Institute. In 1943, the institute was moved to its present facilities in Waxahachie, Texas. During the 1944–45 term, a junior college curriculum was added to the school's program. The Junior College Division soon accounted for about half of the enrollment in the College.