A revivalist or evangelist is a person who holds or presides over religious revivals. Revival services are an integral part of the

Conservative Anabaptist Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and assimilated mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist b ...

Free Will Baptist Free Will Baptists or Free Baptists are a group originating from General Baptists that emphasizes the teaching of free salvation and free will. The movement can be traced back to the General Baptists in 17th century England. In 1702, Paul Palm ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

traditions, among other branches of Christianity. Revivals are defined as "a period of heightened spiritual activity in a section of the church, brought about by a renewing and empowering work of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

, bringing a new sense of the presence of God, especially in his holiness, resulting in a deeper awareness of sin in the lives of believers, followed by new joy as sin is confessed and forgiven."Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker Academic Common

jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...

for these meetings or series of meetings can include "having a revival meeting" or "to hold a revival." The meetings and gatherings can last for days, several weeks, or for many years on rare occasions. In the

tradition, revivals are aimed at preaching the

New Birth To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

and calling backsliders to repentance.

revivalists preach two works of grace, the (1)

and (2)

entire sanctification Within many Christian denomination, denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is Divinization (Chris ...

, along with encouraging backsliders to return to God. A revivalist can also include someone that either presides over, or actively pursues, a religious re-awakening or restoration to spiritual ideas, orthodoxy, religious or personal experiences, and/or communal pursuit of divine occurrences. A secondary definition for revivalist is a person who revives customs, institutions, or ideas.

History

Revivalists have been prominent in all major evolutions of the Christian church. In the

First Great Awakening The First Great Awakening, sometimes Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival, was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Pro ...

, Congregationalist minister

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...

was credited with being the initial catalyst for this movement that would greatly impact American culture from 1734 to 1750. Methodist preacher

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke Coll ...

also did much to see The Great Awakening's furtherance and influence on the American public. The

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...

began at the end of the 18th century, and continued until the mid-nineteenth century. It was characterized by several prominent revivalists with differing denominational backgrounds and message focuses.

Charles Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was a controversial American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism". Finney reject ...

is often cited as the most prominent preacher of the Second Great Awakening. He was known for both genders being present in his meetings, his extemporaneous preaching style, the use of the " nervous seat" (where those considering salvation could contemplate and pray), and the " altar call" (invitation at the end of a church service for an attendee to come forward for prayer). Finney held that revivals were not necessarily sovereign acts of God, but could be initiated by believers following Biblical precedents and prescriptions. Finney exclaimed, "A revival is not a miracle, not dependent on a miracle, in any sense. It is purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means." Presbyterian minister

Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was an American Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Presbyterian minister and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Father of 13 children, many of them became writer ...

, another prominent Second Great Awakening preacher, was largely known for encouraging and expanding the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, which advocated for

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to b ...

Revival, 1900–1950s

At the beginning of the 20th century, several revivals began across the United States, Europe, and eventually affected many parts of the world. In the early 1900s,

Charles Parham Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

was leading a school called Bethel in

Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...

, Kansas. One of his students had an experience with

glossolalia Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is an activity or practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid voc ...

. He and his students became prominent proponents of the experience being indicative of the

baptism of 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 ...

. William Seymour, a student of Charles Parham, was instrumental in the

Azusa Street Revival The Azusa Street Revival was a historic series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 191 ...

in Los Angeles, California. The revival meetings held at Azusa Street were reported to include remarkable miracles, healings, and divine experiences. The Azusa Street revival spread overseas, and particularly impacted Wales through Evan Roberts. The outpouring was termed the Welsh Revival and lasted from 1904 through 1905. Around the same time, John G. Lake was reported to have held several healing crusades in Africa, and began a healing ministry in Spokane, Washington. Throughout the international community, several other revivals were reported to have occurred during the first decade of the 20th century. In the mid-20th century, several other revivalists became prominent in American culture.

William Branham William Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come ...

was the spearhead for several healing ministers emerging during the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. Branham supported faith healing, and had testified to seeing visions before praying for the healing of his meeting attendees. Jack Coe was another healing evangelist reported to have numerous healings during his meetings, and a passionate preaching style.

Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...

and

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

emerged during the late 1940s, and spread the revival influence and meetings further. Oral Roberts was considered a healing minister, whereas Billy Graham's crusades were characterized by large crowds and an emphasis on salvation.

Contemporary revivalists

churches hold revivals lasting once a week each year. In the Conservative Anabaptist tradition (

Beachy Amish The Beachy Amish Mennonites, also known as the Beachy Amish or Beachy Mennonites, are a Conservative Anabaptist tradition of Christianity. Commonalities held by Beachy Amish congregations include adhering to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith ...

, Conservative Mennonite, and Dunkard Brethren), revivals are aimed at preaching the

and calling backsliders to repentance. It is common for

churches aligned with the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

to hold a revival lasting approximately one week annually. Revivalists (evangelists) are called for this purpose by the local church. The

Book of Discipline A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concern ...

of the

Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC) is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement. It is primarily based in the United States, with missions in Peru, Ghana, and Haiti. The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Conne ...

provides the following definition: "An evangelist is an elder or conference preacher devoted to traveling and preaching the gospel without any specific pastoral charge, authorized by the Connection to promote revivals and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ abroad in the land." Along with this, Methodist churches are usually associated with a

camp meeting The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in England and Scotland as an evangelical event in association with the communion season. It was held for worship, preaching and communion on the American frontier ...

at which revivalists preach; these are held usually in the summertime. Methodist revivalists preach two works of grace, the (1)

and (2)

, along with encouraging backsliders to return to God. Several prominent "revivalist" organizations and ministries have gained prominence in the last several decades.

Reinhard Bonnke Reinhard Bonnke (19 April 1940 - 7 December 2019) was a German-American Pentecostal evangelist, principally known for his gospel missions throughout Africa. Bonnke had been an evangelist and missionary in Africa since 1967. In Nigeria’s city ...

was a German evangelist who had a ministry impacting millions of African citizens at "crusades". He is recognized for his impassioned messages, his focus on salvation through Christ, and the redeeming and healing blood of Jesus Christ.

Heidi Baker Heidi Gayle Baker (born August 29, 1959) is a Christian missionary, itinerant speaker, and the CEO of Iris Global, a Christian humanitarian organization. She is the author of several books on Christian spirituality. Early life Heidi Gayle Farr ...

and Rolland Baker have also gained international recognition for an exponentially expanding network of churches throughout the world. Their organization, Iris Ministries, has upwards of 10,000 connected churches partnered for revival. Iris Ministries is located in Mozambique, Africa. John and Carol Arnott are ministers from Toronto, Canada. They, along with Randy Clark, were the foremost ministers in a charismatic move of God referred to as the Toronto Blessing. The Toronto blessing was divisive in the fact that holy laughter, being intoxicated in the Holy Spirit, and other charismatic manifestations were highly visible. The Toronto Blessing was also reported to have a primary focus on emotional and spiritual healing of father "wounds" or issues. Bill Johnson is also a figurehead in the most recent wave of revival-focused activity within Christendom.Charismatica, Bill Johnson and Bethel Church: A Revival Culture, June 23, 2007 Bill Johnson is the senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California. He is an author, and his church has been highly influential in creating a theology that recognizes "God is good" and "God's healing is for today."

Notable revivalists

Albert Benjamin Simpson Albert Benjamin Simpson (December 15, 1843 – October 29, 1919), also known as A. B. Simpson, was a Canadian preacher, theologian, author, and founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), an evangelical denomination with an emphasis ...

David Brainerd David Brainerd (April 20, 1718October 9, 1747) was an American Presbyterian minister and missionary to the Native Americans among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. Missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot, and Brainerd's cousin, the ...

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...

Jonathan Goforth Jonathan Goforth (, February 10, 1859 – October 8, 1936) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, along with his wife, Florence Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth. Jonathan Goforth became the foremost ...

Kathryn Kuhlman Kathryn Kuhlman (May 9, 1907 – February 20, 1976) was an American Christian evangelist, preacher and minister who was referred to by the press as a faith healer. Early life Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was born in 1907 near Concordia, Missouri, w ...

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

* John G. Lake *

Aimee Semple McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

George Müller George Müller (born Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller, 27 September 1805 – 10 March 1898) was a Christianity, Christian Evangelism, evangelist and the director of the New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down, Bristol, Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol ...

Watchman Nee Watchman Nee, Ni Tuosheng, or Nee T'o-sheng ( zh, t=倪柝聲, p=Ní Tuòshēng; November 4, 1903 – May 30, 1972), was a Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the 20th century. His evangelism was influenced b ...

William J. Seymour William Joseph Seymour (May 2, 1870 – September 28, 1922) was a Holiness Pentecostal preacher who initiated the Azusa Street Revival, an influential event in the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, particularly Holiness Pentec ...

Sadhu Sundar Singh St. Sundar Singh (3 September 1889 – 1929, believed), who is commonly referred as Sadhu Sundar Sing, was an Indian Christian missionary and ''saint, sadhu''. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929. Life Earl ...

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31st January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers." ...

A.W. Tozer Aiden Wilson Tozer (April 21, 1897 – May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. For his accomplishments, he received honorary doctorates from Wheaton and Houghton colleges. Early life To ...

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

Smith Wigglesworth Smith Wigglesworth (10 June 1859 – 12 March 1947) was a British evangelist who was influential in the early history of Pentecostalism. Early life Smith Wigglesworth was born on 10 June 1859 in Menston, Yorkshire, England, to an impoverished ...

References

External links