CBC was founded by the General Council of the Assemblies of God in 1922 to meet a need for ministerial training in the young denomination, which had formed in 1914. The first class met in the basement of an old church building but quickly outgrew that space. With a $5,000 donation from local businessmen, CBC purchased a 15-acre tract on North Grant Avenue in Springfield. They moved into the first permanent building on the campus, Bowie Hall, in 1924. The first class graduated in 1925. Additional land was acquired over the years and the campus increased to 32 acres. CBC grew rapidly, fueled by mergers with three other schools in the early years: Bethel Bible Training Institute of Newark, New Jersey in 1929, South Central Bible College of Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1953, and Great Lakes Bible Institute of Zion, Illinois in 1954.