Maria Beulah Woodworth-Etter (July 22, 1844–September 16, 1924) was an American healing

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a co ...

. Her ministry style was a model for

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Life

Woodworth-Etter was born in New Lisbon, Columbiana County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, as Mariah Beulah Underwood. She was born again at the beginning of the Third Great Awakening at the age of thirteen. Maria immediately heard the call of God and dedicated her life to the Lord. Of her calling she would later write, "I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and hedges and gather in the lost sheep." In 1863, she married Philo Horace Woodworth, whom she divorced for infidelity in 1891. She had six children with Woodworth, five of whom died young. In 1902, she married Samuel Etter, who died in 1914."Grandmother of the Pentecostal Mother", ''Healing and Revival'', 2004. Accessed July 21, 2011. She studied the scriptures and began preaching the Lord's divine will in healing. It didn't take long to see that evangelism and healing went hand in hand as thousands were won to Christ as a result of seeing others healed. Sister Etter pioneered the way for Pentecostal manifestations that are so common in Charismatic and Pentecostal groups today.

Ministry

Her earliest exposure to religion was through a local

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

congregation. After her marriage, she chose to enter evangelistic ministry. Prohibited from public preaching among the Disciples, she found support in a local

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

meeting. It was while associating with the Quakers that she received the

baptism in the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...

while praying for an "anointing for service".Blumhofer, Edith L. ''The Assemblies of God: A Chapter in the Story of American Pentecostalism''. Volume 1. Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1989. . Page 34-35. After this experience, she began to preach. Reporting hundreds of conversions, her campaigns attracted reporters from across the country. She was briefly affiliated with the Brethren in Christ but eventually joined the Church of God of the General Eldership founded by

John Winebrenner John Winebrenner (March 25, 1797September 12, 1860), founded the Churches of God General Conference. Life Winebrenner was born in Walkersville, Maryland. He studied at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and was ordained in the German Ref ...

. She was dismissed from the Church of God in 1904. She began to pray for the sick in 1885, believing that those with sufficient faith would be healed. Her meetings also became known for people falling to the floor in

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

-like states. These people would later report profound spiritual experiences while in such a state. As she preached throughout the nation, her reputation grew, leading her to purchase an 8,000-seat tent in which to conduct her services. In 1912 she joined the young

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

in 1914.enrichmentjournal.ag.org
/ref> In 1918 she founded what is today Lakeview Church (Temple) of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

References

External links

Maria Woodworth-Etter: Strength Perfected in Weakness (Born-Again-Christian.Info)

About Lakeview Church
Woodworth-Etter's Tabernacle
Maria Woodworth-Etter: A Powerful Voice in the Pentecostal Vanguard (Enrichment Journal)

Loose the Women (Christianity Today Library)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodworth-Etter, Maria 1844 births 1924 deaths American Pentecostals American evangelicals

Life

Ministry

References

Further reading

External links