The King's University (Texas)

The King's University (Texas)
Name	The King's University (Texas)
Established	1997
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Charismatic Evangelical
President	Jon Chasteen
City	Southlake
State	Texas
Country	United States
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Blue and Gold
Nickname	Royals

The King's University (Texas) is a private, Christian institution located in Southlake, Texas, founded in 1997 to provide undergraduate and graduate programs with a theological emphasis. The university emphasizes ministerial preparation and liberal arts studies within a charismatic evangelical tradition and maintains partnerships with regional churches, parachurch organizations, and faith-based ministries. The institution interacts with a broad network of denominational leaders, nonprofit organizations, and higher education consortia across North America.

History

The university was established through the initiative of leaders associated with the charismatic renewal movement, including founders who had ties to leaders active in the ministries of Beverly Hills Church (note: example place), J. O. Patterson Jr. (note: example person), and networks linked to Word of Faith Fellowship (example). Early governance included board members drawn from ministries connected to Kenneth Hagin, Oral Roberts, C. Peter Wagner, John Wimber, and regional pastors affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA and independent evangelical networks. In its formative years the school engaged in programmatic exchanges with seminaries such as Fuller Theological Seminary, academic departments at Biola University, and ministry training centers allied with Lakewood Church. Expansion of degree offerings followed accreditation efforts aligned with policies influenced by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and input from regional accrediting circles connected to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Leadership transitions involved presidents and provosts with backgrounds linked to faculties from Trinity International University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Azusa Pacific University. The university's narrative includes collaborations with nonprofit organizations like Compassion International, mission networks such as Global Advance, and civic partnerships with local governments in Carrollton, Texas and Grapevine, Texas during campus relocation discussions.

Campus and Facilities

The suburban campus occupies property in Southlake, Texas with facilities configured to serve undergraduate classrooms, graduate seminar rooms, and chapels used for convocations similar in model to those at Wheaton College (Illinois) and Seattle Pacific University. Key buildings include a performing arts hall influenced by design firms that worked with Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, a library curated with holdings comparable to collections at Oral Roberts University and special collections reflecting theological movements related to Pentecostalism and Charismatic Christianity. Student services operate in spaces adapted for ministry labs, music rehearsal suites used for worship training like those at Passion City Church affiliates, and counseling centers following models from Covenant Theological Seminary. The campus includes athletic and recreation facilities analogous to those at small liberal arts institutions such as Carroll University and field sites for community engagement projects coordinated with agencies like Habitat for Humanity and local chapters of The Salvation Army.

Academics

Academic programs blend biblical studies, ministry leadership, and liberal arts curricula with graduate offerings in theology and ministry administration informed by frameworks used at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Regent College. Undergraduate majors cover biblical literature, pastoral ministry, worship arts, and interdisciplinary studies with faculty whose scholarship engages debates seen in journals published by Society for Pentecostal Studies, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, and publishers like Baker Academic and InterVarsity Press. The university offers vocational training akin to residency models at Fuller Theological Seminary and cohort-based graduate tracks similar to programs at Wheaton Graduate School. Accreditation and compliance considerations have been navigated with reference to standards practiced by Council for Christian Colleges and Universities members and state oversight by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Academic partnerships include cross-registration and guest-lecture arrangements with institutions such as Dallas Baptist University, Southern Methodist University, and regional seminaries in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life features chaplaincy programs, worship teams, and leadership cohorts modeled after ministries at Hillsong Church and student movements resembling structures at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Campus organizations include a student government patterned on associations like National Association of Student Personnel Administrators guidelines, mission teams partnering with Youth With A Mission, and service clubs collaborating with Samaritan's Purse and World Vision. Cultural programming showcases performing ensembles and lecture series that have hosted speakers from networks including LifeWay Christian Resources, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and ministry leaders affiliated with Gateway Church and Elevation Church. Residential life integrates pastoral care and peer mentorship influenced by approaches at faith-based colleges such as Baylor University and Pepperdine University.

Athletics

Athletic programs compete at the intercollegiate club level with emphasis on intramural sports and recreation partnerships akin to community engagement seen at Texas Christian University and smaller Christian colleges like LeTourneau University. Facilities support basketball, volleyball, and soccer clubs that schedule contests against teams from institutions such as University of Dallas, Austin College, and local community colleges. Athletic administration follows compliance practices similar to those promoted by organizations including the National Christian College Athletic Association and regional athletic conferences operative in Texas.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Notable faculty and visiting lecturers have included ministers, scholars, and practitioners associated with networks such as Charles Peter Wagner (note: example), Jack Hayford, R. T. Kendall, Francis Schaeffer-influenced scholars, and practitioners drawn from ministries like Bethel Church, Life.Church, and Saddleback Church. Alumni have moved into pastoral leadership, nonprofit administration, and media roles within organizations including The Potter's House, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, Prison Fellowship, and regional ministries across the Southern United States. Several graduates have pursued advanced degrees at institutions such as Princeton Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, and Oxford University, while others have taken roles in parachurch organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ and international mission agencies exemplified by OMF International.

Category:Universities and colleges in Texas