North Central University (NCU) in Minneapolis occupies a prominent place in Pentecostal and Assemblies of God history.

Healing evangelist Smith Wigglesworth served as a North Central booster in the institution’s early years. Revivaltime radio evangelist C.M. Ward later taught at the school.

G. Raymond Carlson, AG general superintendent from 1986–93, earlier served as NCU president. Thomas E. Trask, who occupied the AG general superintendent position from 1993–2007, is a North Central graduate.

Don Argue, president of the National Association of Evangelicals from 1992–98, spent 16 years as North Central’s president.

As North Central University looks to the future, there is reason for continued optimism.

“North Central has a long history of preparing Kingdom leaders,” says Darnell Keith Williams Sr., who officially began his duties as the university’s president on May 2 (following interim president Doug Graham). “We will continue that legacy and honor the ethos that has been here for 95 years.”

The school opened with 26 students in 1930, just after the onset of the Great Depression. North Central went on to become the city’s largest private landowner.

Situated in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, NCU is surrounded by urban life. Rows of skyscrapers serve as the backdrop for the 12.5-acre campus in a metro area of 3.7 million residents.

Williams sees the university’s diverse neighborhood, which includes the largest Somali immigrant settlement in the U.S., as a mission field that is ripe for harvest.

“As the only inner-city campus in the Assemblies of God, we have a unique opportunity for students to learn in a multiethnic, multicultural setting,” Williams says. “I believe the next great move of the Lord will be in cities.”

Approximately 35% of North Central’s students plan to pursue ministry or missions work.

Children of ordained AG credential holders can receive a four-year scholarship that offers an approximate 50% reduction in tuition. Dependent children of AG world missionaries receive free tuition if they commit to remain on campus and engage in work study.

A Cleveland native, Williams began teaching at the school in 2022 after 29 years as lead pastor of AG churches in Columbus and Lima, Ohio.

Williams is the first African American to oversee an AG higher education institution. He views the milestone as a tipping point for the Fellowship.

“We’re seeing the efforts of intentionality take off,” Williams says. “I feel being the first Black president speaks to where we are as a Movement.”

“Every leader needs to ask, ‘Who’s missing around the table, and what do we need to do to get them here?’”
 — Darnell K. Williams Sr.

Williams cites the roles of such current national ministry leaders as General Secretary Donna Barrett, the first woman on the six-member national Executive Leadership Team, and Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús, the first Hispanic executive director of AG U.S. Missions.

“The Assemblies of God is being shaped by God to create opportunities for minorities and people of color to lead institutions and areas with high visibility in our Movement,” Williams says. “We’re seeing people being given opportunities who didn’t have them before.”

Three years ago, when he became associate professor of pastoral studies at NCU, Williams didn’t envision ascending to the school’s top post. While content with his long tenure in pastoral ministry, Williams sensed the Lord spurring a change.

“I came to realize I could influence a single congregation, or I could influence a generation of leaders,” Williams says. “I couldn’t say no to that second option.”

Williams sees his journey to university president as an improbable one. His mother was only 16 when Williams was born, and his absentee father grappled with emotional turmoil due to unresolved trauma from fighting in the Vietnam War.

Despite these challenges, Williams credits his mom with instilling in him diligence, a strong work ethic, the need for a solid education, and readiness to seize opportunities when presented.

Williams accepted Christ as a 16-year-old and started attending a weekly church-sponsored Bible study.

During early adulthood, Williams reconciled with his father and forgave him for his abandonment. The pair had a fulfilling relationship before Williams’ father died of liver cancer in 2018, saying a prayer of salvation on his deathbed.

Williams earned a doctor of ministry degree from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in 2020. His doctoral dissertation focused on how people of color can gain a pathway to ministerial leadership. Williams stressed the need for intentionally cultivating opportunities, arguing that minority leaders are often bypassed because of “invisibility.”

In recent years, Williams has been encouraged by the Fellowship’s movement toward greater inclusivity. He served a four-year term on the AG’s 21-member national Executive Presbytery when the body, for the first time in 2021, featured a majority of ethnic minorities and women.

Yet even today, when 10.9% of AG adherents are Black, only 3.3% of AG ministers fit that demographic — albeit a record ratio.

While not an advocate of quotas or tokenism, Williams is appreciative that district/ministry network opportunities for all people seem to be gaining strength. However, he believes this is no time to ease up.

“We can’t sit back and say we’re done,” Williams says. “We must all ask if there are any obstacles or hindrances to be removed. Every leader needs to ask, Who’s missing around the table, and what do we need to do to get them here?”

Williams notes that NCU has a dozen Black faculty members, including his Guyana-born wife of 32 years, Charlene, who is an adjunct professor.

When the university’s presidential search committee reached out to ascertain his availability, Williams says he sensed the Lord prompting him to apply for the vacancy.

In January, Williams also became president of the AG’s National Black Fellowship (NBF). He says both NCU and NBF have effective team leaders in place, enabling him to manage both positions. Rather than competing for his attention, Williams believes the two organizations will dovetail in fruitful ministry.

“I envision National Black Fellowship will be a strategic partner with North Central University,” says Williams, who held the role of NBF vice president from 2018–24. “We want to develop innovative models that will lead to effective ministry in an urban context.”

This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Influence magazine.