Dr. Orville E. Sproull was an active minister with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church from 1925 to 1961. He served in various roles in Canada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida, as well as alongside Oral Roberts in his ministry.
Rev. O.E. Sproull
Dr. Sproull served as an evangelist in Canada and in Florida for a number of years. He was the Baltimore Conference Superintendent from 1930 to 1933, as well as pastor of Washington, D.C. PHC and the supply pastor at Norfolk, VA PHC during those same years. In Baltimore, he served on the Devotional Committee, Division of Labor Committee, Education Committee, Resolutions Committee, Stationing Committee, and Finance Committee (Minutes, Baltimore, 1930-1933). In 1934, he was elected as the Pennsylvania Conference Superintendent, where he also served on the Stationing and Division of Labor Committees (Minutes, Pennsylvania, 1934).
In Toronto, Canada, Dr. Sproull served on various committees and was elected Conference Superintendent in 1935. However, in 1936, he declined any and all offices, deciding to remain pastor of Toronto First Pentecostal Holiness Church, also called the Evangelistic Center. In 1937, he served on the Conference Board and Committee on Examination and was once again elected Conference Superintendent in 1938 (Minutes, Ontario, 1935-1939).
While in Toronto, Dr. Sproull installed a radio connection in the church. Every week he would preach a sermon live on the air, which was broadcast to multitudes in Toronto and surrounding territories. Please follow this link if you would like to hear one such sermon: https://youtu.be/TKo9uSQmm3A
In 1937, Dr. Sproull served on the General Board. He was elected to the Naming and Nominating Committee and Church Polity Committee. He was also elected Chairman pro term due to absence of the Assistant General Superintendent. He was nominated for General Superintendent but was elected Assistant General Superintendent. On June 5, 1941, J.H. King “announces the withdrawal of Assistant General Superintendent, O.E. Sproull, from the Pentecostal Holiness Church” (General Conference Minutes, 1937-1941).
Evangelistic Center Choir
In 1949, Dr. Sproull served as a delegate from Florida. He was nominated and elected to Evangelism, Church Extension, and Radio Committees (General Conference Minutes, 1949). In the same year, Dr. Sproull joined Oral Roberts as his associate crusade evangelist. According to David Edwin Harrell, Jr.’s book, Oral Roberts: An American Life, Healing Waters announced the appointment by saying, “Dr. Sproull is one of the most powerful, spirit-filled preaches of this generation…” Oral Roberts considered Dr. Sproull’s partnership “one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received” (Harrell, 114). Dr. Sproull served with Oral Roberts until 1951.
Dr. O.E. Sproull, Oral Roberts, and Reg. G. Hanson, about 1950.
After leaving Oral Roberts’ ministry, Dr. Sproull continued to serve the IPHC as a Florida delegate and on the Board of Home Missions. In 1957, he served on the General Board of Administration, as well as on the Resolutions committee. He was one of several nominated for Assistant General Superintendent, as well as for Treasurer of the IPHC. Dr. Sproull finished out his service on the Judiciary Committee in 1961 (General Conference Minutes, 1957-1961).
Thank you to Jim Sproull, Dr. O.E. Sproull’s grandson, for sparking this search for information on his grandfather.
Bibliography
General Conference Minutes of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1953.
—. Franklin Springs, GA, The Pentecostal Holiness Church, Inc., 1961.
General Conference Minutes, Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1949.
Jr., Harrell David Edwin. Oral Roberts: An American Life. Indiana University Press, 1985.
Minutes of the Baltimore Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1930.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1931.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1932.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1933.
Minutes of the Eighth General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1937.
Minutes of the Fifth General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1925.
Minutes of the Florida Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1949.
Minutes of the Ninth General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1941.
Minutes of the Ontario Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1935.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1936.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1937.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1938.
—. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1939.
Minutes of the Pennsylvania Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1934.
Minutes of the Seventh General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1933.
Minutes of the Sixth General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, Publishing House P.H. Church, 1929.
Minutes of the Thirteenth General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA, The Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1957.
