In 1922, the General Assembly authorized the establishment of Central Bible Institute (CBI) with a mission to train ministers and missionaries within a three-year curriculum. By 1939 CBI had an enrollment of 438 and graduated approximately 100 students each year.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the General Council recognized a need to establish a liberal arts college for the training of the professions within a Pentecostal environment. In the fall of 1955, Evangel College opened. Largely because only accredited institutions were eligible to benefit from the provisions of the GI Bill and academic services for veterans, Assemblies of God schools began to seek accreditation. While Evangel sought initial accreditation with The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission, Central Bible College, along with other small Bible colleges, established and became charter members of The Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges (AABC) in 1948.
Over the past fifty years, Assemblies of God higher education has moved away from the Bible school model in favor of the comprehensive university. During the 1960s, several Assemblies of God Bible schools sought regional accreditation, bringing additional pressure upon schools to broaden their curriculum in general education and introduce non-ministry majors. Unlike, seven Assemblies of God institutions which expanded into the arts and sciences and changed their names from Bible colleges to universities, Central Bible College continued its strong emphasis on ministerial education.
In 1961, The General Council of the Assemblies of God authorized the establishment of a graduate school of theology. The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) enrolled its first students in 1973, offering numerous graduate and doctoral degrees in divinity, ministry, and missions.
In August 2011, the General Council of the Assemblies of God voted to consolidate the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Central Bible College, and Evangel University. The regional accreditor, The Higher Learning Commission, approved the proposed merger and on April 30, 2013, the three institutions ceased to operate separately and to be separately accredited. The Seminary operates as a distinct unit within the consolidated Evangel.