Ambrose University is the product of similar educational journeys begun in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance established the Canadian Bible Institute in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1941 . It was established under the founding leadership of Gordon Skitch, superintendent of the Western Canadian District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), Willis Brooks, pastor of the Regina Alliance Tabernacle and well-known radio pastor, and George Blackett, who had served as the principal of Winnipeg Bible Institute and became the first principal, then president, of the Institute. In 1949, it was recognized by Saskatchewan and renamed Western Canadian Bible Institute (WCBI). It was renamed again in 1957 as the Canadian Bible College (CBC) of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) and, in the 1960s, became associated with the University of Regina. Canadian Theological College (CTC) was established in 1970 as a graduate sister school to CBC, and was renamed Canadian Theological Seminary (CTS) in 1982.

Similarly but independently, the Calgary Bible Institute was first established in 1921 in the basement of the Calgary First Church of the Nazarene. In 1927, the school relocated to Red Deer, where it became known as Alberta School of Evangelism, and then Northern Bible College (NBC) with the construction of a new campus. In 1940, it was renamed again as Canadian Nazarene College (CNC) as it began offering theology degrees. In 1960, CNC moved to Winnipeg and was established as the official Canadian university college for the Church of the Nazarene.