About Messenger College
Messenger College is committed to developing world-changing Spirit-empowered leaders for the 21st century. At Messenger College, you will find a community of believers completely focused and dedicated to the pursuit of God's purpose in His Kingdom. The students who enroll at MC share a passion to become men and women of God fashioned as arrows in His hand to be released into their world for His glory.
It is here their passion is met with kindred hearts in the faculty and leadership of MC. The Holy Spirit is alive and living in our community, a place where Spirit-empowered learning meets focused academics and specialized training for men and women who have responded and answered the call of God.
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We invite you to explore our website, and meet the faces of Messenger College.
The Legacy and Progress of Messenger College
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 event, 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 Euless, Texas, in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.
In August of 2018, Messenger College moved to the Pentecostal Church of God International Missions Center. This location at 2705 Brown Trail, Suite 401, Bedford, Texas, includes classrooms, library, and administrative offices. The student residence apartments are located in Euless, Texas.
Messenger College is a private institution and 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 over 875 churches and 35 districts in the United States. In addition, the denomination’s outreach to international nations include over 5,000 churches and outstations, 107 schools and training centers, and numerous assistance programs providing food, clothing and related human care outreaches.
Mission and Values
The Mission and Purpose of Messenger College:
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To educate and train leaders to effectively and efficiently change their world.
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Four Foundational Planks:
The rationale for the mission statement of Messenger College originates out of four foundational needs Messenger College senses it must address.
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We must strive to compassionately understand the substructures and underpinnings of our contemporary society.
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We must make an authentic expression (communication) of the Gospel/Truth. Truth, genuinely stated and authentically expressed, will save the present generation, ensuring the future.
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We must find an effective way to confront our contemporary society with the rational content and authentic personal expression of ultimate and objective truth (God’s Word-the Gospel).
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We must develop ministers, spiritual leaders, preachers, and communicators of character and integrity, who are prepared, able, and willing to rise to this contemporary occasion and meet the above challenge.
Understanding the Four Foundational Planks:
The four foundational planks are understood and interpreted in terms of Mission, Method, Message and Messenger.
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The first plank speaks to Mission. Mission has to do with the process of education. It is the process of education, which enables one to understand life universally and to discover one’s purpose. Mission and education have to do with the body of foundational knowledge that is necessary to fulfill one’s calling in life. This relates to the academic side of the process of education and training.
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The second plank speaks to Method. This plank has to do with the process of training. It is the process of training that enables one to understand and acquire a skill to accomplish the mission (call). This includes several varied, but inter-related skills and disciplines and relates to the practical side of the process of education and training.
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The third plank speaks to Message. This plank has to do with effectiveness. Effectiveness is doing the right thing in order to accomplish the mission. Therefore, this plank has to do with the nature and concept of truth (God’s Word – the Gospel). Knowing and doing the right thing, as opposed to an expedient thing, is a quality of leadership.
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The fourth plank speaks to the Messenger (the person). This plank has to do with efficiency. Efficiency is doing the right thing in the right way. It has to do with whom and what the messenger is relative to issues of character, integrity, and authentic spiritual formation. Doing things in the right way, as opposed to an expedient way, is a quality of management.
Out of the above rationale emerges the mission statement of Messenger College:
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Messenger College is committed to educating ministers and community leaders who will be:
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Academically equipped with the essential knowledge,
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Well-versed in the prerequisite skills,
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Experienced in the fundamental practicalities necessary to authoritatively and effectively respond to the need of the church and the world in which we live
Commitments of Messenger College
Messenger College is a Christian, evangelical, Pentecostal institution founded to serve the youth and adult learners of the Pentecostal Church of God and the community.
The College is not concerned with challenging the church allegiance of its students; rather, it seeks to bring each student into a more personal relationship with Christ and to acquaint the student with the Holy Spirit and the operation of the spiritual gifts for the enrichment of spiritual life and ministry.
Faculty members are dedicated Christian men and women endowed with the power and love of the Holy Spirit. Each is academically competent and is dedicated to the ideal of educating the whole person in the concept that man is a triune being – spirit, mind and body. Further, each member of the faculty has an authentic concern for the welfare and total development of each student.
Curriculum: Messenger College has a general education and professional curriculum. Particular emphasis is placed on biblical studies, music, missions/intercultural studies and discipleship.
Truth: Messenger College is committed to truth. Truth is the way things really are. Facts change but truth is eternal. It is constant, reliable and fixed.
Prayer: Messenger College emphasizes prayer as a way of life. On the Messenger College campus, prayer is a normal and a natural means of constantly relating all of life to the will of God.
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Messenger College has explicit rules and regulations for the development of self-discipline and character. Messenger College believes that self-discipline and learning should go hand-in-hand to build character. A student can best develop in the dimension of the whole person when both sound scholarly habits and a commitment to a disciplined behavior and sound character are engaged.
Messenger College firmly stands for and works to create a climate in which appreciation and respect is encouraged between the sexes, between members of different ethnic groups, between students and faculty, and in all other relationships. In addition, the College encourages spiritual worship and personal witness as well as church and chapel attendance.
Further, the College encourages cultivation of prayer and Bible-study habits, neatness of dress, good manners, personal integrity in speech, business and conduct, and a personal lifestyle that enhances individual integrity and personal development. Unseemly behavior is prohibited at the College. This includes sexual immorality, academic dishonesty, lying, stealing, cheating, gambling, profanity, vandalism, use of tobacco, immodest dress, violation of the rights of others, and other negative behaviors.
Upon enrollment at Messenger College, the student voluntarily accepts a unique way of life that seeks to provide development of spirit and physical fitness on the same high level as that of intellect. The student is expected to maintain the highest standards of behavior and performance while attending Messenger College, both on and off campus.
Statement of Faith
As a Christian College operating under the auspices of the Pentecostal Church of God, Messenger College is firmly committed to the evangelical, Pentecostal position of its sponsoring denomination. Messenger College holds to the following truths:
We believe that it is the express purpose of God, our Heavenly Father, to call out of the world a people who shall constitute the Body, the Church of Jesus Christ, built and established upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone.
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We further believe that members of the Body, the Church, are enjoined to assemble themselves together for worship, fellowship and instruction in the Word of God, the work of its ministry, and for the exercise of those spiritual gifts and offices provided for in the New Testament; and according to God’s Word, the early Christians came together in such fellowship as a representative Body of blood-washed and Spirit-filled believers, who cooperated with, and sent out, evangelists and missionaries and, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, set over the churches, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, deacons and helpers.
Therefore, we recognize ourselves as a cooperative Fellowship of Christians, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:3-13).
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As a covenant community comprised of followers of Jesus Christ devoted to the Word of God, the Pentecostal Church of God adheres to the following essential values as foundational doctrines and those things which we hold as absolute beliefs (Luke 1:1); seeking always the global advancement of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:8); endeavoring to be connected and serve with a Christ-honoring approach that there be no divisive disturbance of the peace and harmony within the Body of Christ (Mark 10:45, 1 Corinthians 1:10) in order that we will be a relevant voice to reach the unreached peoples of our generation and send the reached into the harvest (Acts 13:36).
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1. The Scriptures: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) presenting to us the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and constituting the Divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice (2 Peter 1:21).
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2. The Godhead: We believe there is but one true and living God, who is everlasting, infinite in power, wisdom and goodness; that He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, and Preserver of all things (Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16). In the unity of this Godhead, there are three persons of one individual essence, who are co-equal, coexistent and co-eternal; namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:16, 17; 28:18, 19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1, 2, 18; 10:33; 14:26; 15:26; Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 9:14).
The Son is the eternally begotten of the Father and accepted earthly limitations for the purpose of incarnation, being true God and true man; conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the just for the unjust as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on High as our great High Priest, and He will return again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and justice. The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, Executive of the Godhead on earth, the Comforter sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to indwell, to guide and to teach the believer, and to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8).
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3. Man, His Fall and Redemption: Man is a created being, made in the likeness and the image of God, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world (Romans 5:12). “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil, and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man to God (1 John 3:8).
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4. Salvation: Salvation is made possible through the meritorious work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through Holy Spirit conviction. Godly sorrow works repentance and makes possible the experience of the new birth, and Christ formed within us is the gift of eternal life (Titus 2:11; Romans 10:13-15; Luke 24:47; Titus 3:5-7). Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the Law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God (Ephesians 2:8). Man is a free moral agent and can at any time after the new birth experience turn away from God and die in a state of sin, with the consequences of hell to look forward to.
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5. The Church: The true Church, built upon the Foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20), is the Body of our Lord (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27); Christ being the Head (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18). Its earthly constituents are all true believers, born again of the Spirit (John 3:6) and of the Word (1 Peter 1:23), who are living an overcoming Christian life (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 21:27). To the Church, through its members, is delegated the various gifts and offices of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27, 28) which are necessary for the successful evangelization of the world and the perfecting of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:11, 12). This universal, invisible, sanctified Church is the chaste virgin Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians1:1, 2; Ephesians 5:26, 27; Revelation 21:9, 27). It is this Bride for whom Jesus Christ will return, just prior to the Great Tribulation, to catch her away and take her to heaven (John 14:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
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6. The Ministry: God, through the Holy Spirit, definitely calls such as He desires to serve as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and specifically endues the one called with the talents and gifts peculiar to that office or offices (Ephesians 4:11, 12). Under no circumstances should anyone be ordained or set apart to any such office unless the calling is distinct and evident.
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7. Water Baptism: Baptism in water is by immersion, a direct commandment of our Lord (Matthew 28:19) and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36-39). The following recommendation regarding the water baptism formula is adopted, “On the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
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8. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost: The Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire (Matthew 3:11), is a gift from God, as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the new birth (John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 2:38, 39; 10:44-48). The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is accompanied by the speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance as the initial physical sign and evidence (Acts 2:4).
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9. Sanctification: The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive, work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation (Hebrews 13:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 5:26; 1 Corinthians 6:11; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
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10.The Lord’s Supper: The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is a commandment of our Savior; and being a memorial to His death and resurrection, is strictly limited to Christian believers (1 Corinthians 11:27). The time and frequency of its observance is left to the discretion of each congregation (1 Corinthians 11:26). Only unfermented grape juice, the fruit of the vine, as recommended by our Lord (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18) shall be used in connection therewith.
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11.Foot Washing: Foot washing is recognized among many believers as a Christian practice, and the time, manner and frequency of its observance is left to the discretion of each local congregation (John 13).
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12.Divine Healing: Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God, through the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands (Mark 16:18; James 5:14, 15). It is provided for in the atonement of Christ and is available to all who truly believe.
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13.Resurrection of the Just: The Bible promises, “This same Jesus…shall so come in like manner” (Acts 1:11). His coming is imminent; when He comes, “The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). Following the tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, and together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall reign a thousand years (Revelation 20:6).
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14.Setting a Time for the Lord’s Return: It is unwise to teach that the Lord will come at some specified time, thereby setting a date for His appearing. It is also unwise to teach, preach or publish visions of numbers and dates which would tend to fix the time of the second coming of the Lord (Mark 13:32, 33).
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15.The Coming of the Lord: We believe the Bible presents the coming of Christ as personal, imminent, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial. We further contend that this position alone admonishes watchfulness, incites holy living, prevents spiritual declension, and provides maximum incentive and motive for urgency and zeal in evangelizing the unsaved. As demonic deception and satanic darkness deepens, we urge our ministers to maintain and proclaim this doctrinal viewpoint as the “blessed hope” of the church. Furthermore, we recommend that should any of our preachers hold to the mid- or post-tribulation doctrine, they refrain from preaching and teaching it. Should they persist in emphasizing this doctrine to the point of making it an issue, their standing in the fellowship will be seriously affected.
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16.Hell and Eternal Retribution: The one who physically dies in his sins without Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire, and therefore has no further opportunity of hearing the gospel or for repentance (Hebrews 9:27). The Lake of Fire is literal (Revelation 19:20). The terms “eternal” and “everlasting” used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned (Matthew 25:41-46) in the lake of fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence, as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God.
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17.Tithes: We recognize the scriptural duty of all our people, as well as ministers, to pay tithes as unto the Lord (Hebrews 7:8). Tithes should be used for the support of the active ministry and for the propagation of the gospel and work of the Lord in general and not given to charity or used for other purposes (Malachi 3:7-11; Hebrews 7:2; 1 Corinthians 9:7-11; 16:2).
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