Messenger College 3.97

Messenger College was founded in 1987. In November of 1983, the Pentecostal Church of God elected to merge two collegiate institutions into one college in Joplin, Missouri, the host city of its international headquarters. Southern Bible College (Houston, Texas) and Evangelical Christian College (Fresno, California), were consequently closed. The resources of both institutions were relocated to Joplin, Missouri. Subsequently, Messenger College was able to open in newly constructed facilities on wooded acres across from the international offices of the church denomination. The College officially opened its doors in September, 1987.

In May of 2011, a terrible EF-5 tornado devastated the city of Joplin. Messenger College opened its campus as a distribution and volunteer housing center during that summer. In the aftermath of this even, Mercy Health Systems approached Messenger College with an offer to purchase its campus as the new site for their hospital, which was destroyed in the tornado. This offer made possible the relocation of the college to its current campus in Euless, Texas, in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.

Messenger College is a legal entity operating under statutes of the State of Texas. Messenger College is the national collegiate institution of the Pentecostal Church of God in the United States for the education of its ministers, missionaries, teachers and other professionals to serve its constituency and others in the United States and abroad. The Pentecostal Church of God consists of 1,134 churches in the United States. In addition, the denomination’s outreach to Third World nations include 3,365 churches and outstations, 107 schools and training centers, and numerous assistance programs providing food, clothing and related human care outreaches.