ORU Announces 2025 Commencement Speaker Bobby Gruenewald
Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 11, 2025—Oral Roberts University (ORU) is pleased to announce that Bobby Gruenewald, Pastor and Innovation Leader at Life.Church and founder of the YouVersion Bible App, will be the keynote speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony. The graduation will take place at the Mabee Center on Saturday, May 3rd, beginning at 1:00 pm, with doors opening at 11:30 am (CDT).
“We are honored to welcome Bobby Gruenewald as our Commencement speaker,” said ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson. “Bobby’s visionary leadership and passion for leveraging technology to share the Gospel exemplify ORU’s ethos of innovation and global impact. His story will inspire our graduates to think creatively as they launch into their careers and ministries around the world.”
Gruenewald serves as Pastor, Innovation Leader at Life.Church, and is the founder and CEO of the YouVersion Bible App, which has been installed on more than 875 million devices worldwide. Recognized as one of the leading voices in the Church on innovation and technology, he has been featured in The New York Times, TechCrunch, CNN, and more. Gruenewald is passionate about exploring new ideas and finding practical ways to leverage them for the global Church. Prior to joining Life.Church in 2001, Gruenewald started and sold two technology companies and provided advisory services to various startups and venture capital funds. He and his wife, Melissa, reside in Edmond, Oklahoma, with their four children.
Commencement will be broadcast live on ORU’s international television network GEB (available on DirecTV channel 363 and locally on KGEB-TV 53/Cox HD) as well as on Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, and GEB.tv. Family and friends can also watch the ceremony live on ORU’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.
For more information about ORU Commencement 2025, please visit ORU’s website.
UNIVERSITY BRIEF
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 16 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 165 nations in the last 5 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2025). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche has recognized ORU as one of the top 25 most diverse colleges in America, the # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and the # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest. Heritage.org classified ORU as a great option for families prioritizing freedom, opportunity, and civil society.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
