Southwestern Assemblies of God University
Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) is a private Christian university in Waxahachie, Texas. SAGU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges[2] and endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA.[3] The university offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in a variety of liberal arts programs, as well as programs in Bible and church ministries.
Former names
Southwestern Assemblies of God College (1927–1994)
Southwestern Bible School
Shield of Faith Bible School
Southern Bible Institute
Higher Education for a Higher Purpose
1927
Kermit Bridges
Paul Brooks
125
2,012
1,700
312
Suburban, 70 acres (0.28 km2)
Purple & Gold[1]
Lions
NAIA – Sooner
NCCAA Division I – Central
Judah the Lion
On March 1, 2024, it was announced that there will be an upcoming name change to Nelson University on August 1, 2024.[4]
History[edit]
The Merger[edit]
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.[5]
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.
Becoming Southwestern Bible College[edit]
Southwestern Bible Institute became a regional school in 1954. At that time seven districts of the Assemblies of God—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Texas, Oklahoma, South Texas and West Texas—owned and operated the school. In 1969, the Rocky Mountain District, composed of Colorado and Utah, was admitted to the Region. The Mississippi District was then added to the Region in 1979. In 1980, the Rocky Mountain District voted to withdraw from the Southwestern Region and to remain neutral.
The proposal to change the name of Southwestern was ratified by all seven districts, and the name became Southwestern Assemblies of God College. In 1963, the upper two years of the college were renamed Southwestern College of the Bible. In 1968, the separation of the divisions of the college was made more complete, and the Junior College was designated Southwestern Junior College of the Assemblies of God. In 1988 the two divisions were reunited.