Southwestern Assemblies of God University

Three Bible schools were brought together to form Southwestern Bible Institute. The first, known as Southwestern Bible School, was established at Enid, Oklahoma in 1927 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 high school. The third, which was operated as Southern Bible College in connection with the Richey Evangelistic Temple, began at Goose Creek, Texas in 1931. It was started by Reverend J. T. Little in Trinity Tabernacle and later 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.