On October 6, 1930, a small group of students gathered in the auditorium of the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle as the very first class of the new North Central Bible Institute. Today, 90 years later, we mark this day with gratitude and joy at what God has done, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow and sustain the school we know today as North Central University. Today’s blog post shares a brief look at our founding story.
Responding to a challenge
The 1930s in the United States began with a historic low: more than 15 million Americans—fully one-quarter of all wage-earning workers—were unemployed. Families scraped and struggled to get by. The stock market crash of 1929 that sent the entire American economic system into a tailspin was less than one year in the rearview mirror when a Minnesota pastor made good on a challenge:
“You must begin a Bible school.”
In 1929, Lilian B. Yeomans, M.D., a doctor and popular Bible teacher and writer, issued that prophetic challenge to Rev. Frank J. Lindquist. “Your young people need the training they can only get in a Bible school,” she told the pastor.
North Central beginnings
Lindquist, who was originally from Pennsylvania, had been called to Minneapolis in 1924 to begin a ministry at a church that had just 41 members on the roll. By 1933, the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle had about 400 members and an average Sunday evening attendance of 650 people.
In the midst of growing his congregation, Pastor Lindquist agreed with Yeomans about the need for a Bible college. And what Yeomans may not have known was that such an idea had already been on the hearts of many leaders in the Assemblies of God North Central District. Lindquist worked in diligent partnership with the District Council, and in the fall of 1930—one year after Yeomans’ bold challenge—the “Bible school” came to life.
The year 1933 saw the first group of graduates, who felt it was important to chronicle the founding of their beloved school in their yearbook, “The Archive.” Travel back in time with us to hear the origin story of North Central in the words of these early North Central students.
Class chronicles from 1933 yearbook
“It is truly remarkable the way the omnipotent hand of God has moved in the establishment of the North Central Bible Institute. For years the leading men of our district had seen the need of an institution where young men and women could receive training for the service of the Lord. Prayers had ascended to God in behalf of such an undertaking, and in the end, as always, the prayers of righteous men availed.
“In the fall of 1930, fine quarters were obtained in the beautiful, new Gospel Tabernacle in Minneapolis, and the North Central Bible Institute was opened, dedicated to the teaching of God’s Word to those zealous to enter His Service.
“A red-letter day arrived on the first of October in 1930 when some of the earth’s finest, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, sanctified by His grace, filled with the Holy Spirit young folk began to pour into Minneapolis from the north, the south, the east, and the west to form the pioneer class of the school. They came from all walks of life, and they included teachers, clerks, farmers, and office girls. The strangers found a welcome in the newly erected Gospel Tabernacle.
“Monday the sixth was the opening school day. The students gathered in the main auditorium for a brief time of getting acquainted. In the evening they were given a reception by the Christ Ambassadors of the Tabernacle.
“Due to the fact that the downstairs rooms were still under construction, classes were held interchangeably in the main auditorium, the balcony, and in the choir loft. The carpenters were still working, and the noise of electric drills, the pounding of hammers, and the sawing of lumber made it very hard to hear or to concentrate.
“At the first organization of the class, the following officers were elected to constitute the Student Council: President —Earl Adamson, Vice-President—Dorothy Wead, Secretary—Katherine Felthouse, Councilmen—Clarence Beem and Helen Anderson.
“November 24th was a day of great rejoicing. Then the students recited for the first time in the new classrooms that were to be their permanent home.
… [Those who returned for the third year] were kept busy by the daily lessons, with home Bible Classes, in preaching at missions, and in visitation work. We pray they may ever remain the faithful foundation stones of the North Central Bible Institute.”
A look to the future
In the same 1933 yearbook, Lindquist, who was now also president of the young school, shared a prophetic reflection: “If the Lord tarries, I am sure the Institute will outgrow its present quarters in the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle.”
Little did Lindquist know how true that statement would be.
The year 1930 may have been an unlikely—and by some standards unwise—time to start a school. But little is much when God is in it, and the impact of Frank Lindquist’s obedience to start NCBI is felt to this day.
Journey with us in the coming months as we celebrate 90 years and share about the people, the buildings, the impact, and even the miracles that tell the story of North Central University.
Sources
History.com Editors. (n.d.). The 1930s. Retrieved September 2020, from History.com
North Central Bible Institute. (1933). The Archive 1933 (Yearbook). Minneapolis: North Central Bible Institute.
North Central University. (2006). A Faithful Past, A Shining Future. Minneapolis: North Central University Press.
Yeomans, L. (2003). His Healing Power: Four Classic Books on Healing, Complete in One Volume. Tulsa: Harrison House.
Contributors to this article
Jenny Collins
Tabby (Wilson ’89) Finton
Erica Hanson ’13
Nancy Zugschwert, ’19 M.A.
