Evangelism Handbook

Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become domesticated—or, if you will, civilized. We have lost the simplicity of our early faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untamed, and primal faith.¹

As a university professor, I heard many stories about college students struggling with two major concerns: money and grades. That’s why I love this story of a college coed told by Chuck Swindoll. After a long struggle, she finally wrote an ingenious letter to break the news to her parents:

Just thought I’d drop you a note to clue you in on my plans. I’ve fallen in love with a guy named Jim. He quit high school after grade eleven to get married. About a year ago he got a divorce. We’ve been going steady for two months and plan to get married in the fall. Until then, I’ve decided to move into his apartment (I think I might be pregnant).

On the next page she continued:

Mom and Dad, I just want you to know that everything I’ve written so far in this letter is false. NONE of it is true. But Mom and Dad, it IS true that I got a C in French and flunked Math. It IS true that I’m going to need some more money for my tuition payments.²

Perspective is exactly why studying history is so important. History helps provide a foundation and a perspective for contemporary ministry. Santayana’s well-known dictum that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” is sage advice. But the reverse should be heeded as well, for we can learn much to instruct and inspire us from the movement of God in history.

That question recognizes the remarkable rise of Christianity in the face of virtually insurmountable odds. Indeed, Rodney Stark’s subtitle to his book The Rise of Christianity³ made the point well: “How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries.” While obtaining actual numbers of Christians in the Roman Empire in a time before computers and the modern obsession with numbers proves difficult, I think Alan Hirsch is close to the mark when he estimates the growth of the faith from around 25,000 in AD 100 to around 20,000,000 by AD 315.⁴ Stark assumed a population of the empire by AD 315 of around 60 million, noting that others including Harnack believed that by then Christians were actually the majority, perhaps as many as 33 million.⁵

Hirsch notes a similar time of remarkable growth closer to our time—the rise of the church in China. Estimates before the religious purge of Mao Tse-tung hover around 2 million believers. After the lifting of the Bamboo Curtain in the 1980s, Westerners were amazed to discover at least 60 million believers in China, with some claiming as many as 80 to 100 million!⁶ While the percentage of Christians to the empire remained smaller when compared to the Roman Empire, in China with well over a billion citizens there, the remarkable growth at a time when the Communist government sought to obliterate such religious belief is nonetheless amazing.

The Western church today tends more toward stagnation than life, but this has not always been the case. It should not surprise us that in each of these cases Christianity’s growth came as a marginalized and often persecuted system.

Stark argued the early church grew not primarily via miraculous events or mass conversions but through social networks of many believers communicating the message, for movements that continue to grow “discover new techniques for remaining open networks, able to reach out and into new adjacent social networks.”⁷ Movements that die become closed to outsiders, unwelcoming, and disconnected, forming their own subculture without need of others. Thus the institutional church, when it becomes inward focused, plants the seeds of its own destruction in its efforts to focus more on its subculture than those in need of Christ. More about that in pages to come.

Just how did the gospel spread in the centuries following Christ’s resurrection? Did the church expand mainly through evangelists who gave all their lives to spread the good news? Did the gospel simply spread naturally through culture by the witness of common folk whose lives were changed by its power? The answer would be both. And the answer would be more than that. There were “full-time wandering missionaries,” who, as Origen put it, “wander not only from city to city but from town to town and village to village in order to win fresh converts for the Lord.”⁸ The early historian Eusebius wrote of evangelists who went to places where the gospel had not been preached, preaching the gospel and appointing pastors as they went.⁹

At the same time, however, all believers seemed to carry the message as did believers in the Acts. Green observed how “Christianity was from its inception a lay movement, and so it continued for a remarkably long time.”¹⁰ He brilliantly summarized the expansion of the church via common believers:

But as early as Acts 8 we find that it is not the apostles but the “amateur” missionaries, the men, evicted from Jerusalem as a result of the persecution which followed Stephen’s martyrdom, who took the gospel with them wherever they went. It was they who travelled along the coastal plain to Phoenicia, over the sea to Cyprus, or struck up north to Antioch. They were evangelists, just as much as any apostle was. Indeed it was they who took the two revolutionary steps of preaching to Greeks who had no connection with Judaism, and then of launching the Gentile mission from Antioch. It was an unself-conscious effort.¹¹

They . . . went everywhere preaching the good news which had brought joy, release and a new life to themselves. This must often have been not formal preaching, but the informal chattering to friends and chance acquaintances, in homes and wine shops, on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing.¹²

A continuity is seen from Jesus calling Peter and Andrew and the unknown woman at the well, to Philip and the eunuch and Peter with Cornelius, to Pantaenus’s witness to Clement of Alexandria and Justin’s witness to Tatian.¹³ While the gospel spread so much by nameless believers who knew nothing more than to tell the good news, leaders were also needed to guide the church theologically and heroically into the future. Such were some of the early church fathers.

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, is best remembered for his courageous martyrdom. This second-century church father found himself before the proconsul, standing in the arena. The proconsul ordered the elderly saint to recant his faith in Christ. Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”¹⁴ When threatened with wild beasts, Polycarp remained undaunted. When threatened with fire, he answered: “Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment.”¹⁵

Polycarp was sentenced to be burned at the stake. But the fire didn’t burn him. Finally, he was pierced with a dagger. He was praised not primarily for his courage but because his death was “altogether consistent with the Gospel of Christ.”¹⁶ Polycarp also led in the advancement of the gospel to new lands. Irenaeus recorded Polycarp’s role in sending Pothinus to Celtic Gaul as an evangelist.

Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, wrote an epistle to Polycarp, identifying himself as a witness for Jesus Christ. These early church fathers saw evangelism as central to the Christian faith.

Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp. His work Against Heresies refuted the Gnostic heresy that threatened to sap the evangelistic fervor of the early church. The writings of many Christian thinkers served the gospel well in the formative years of the church, from Origen’s Against Celsus to Augustine’s City of God. While in Rome, Irenaeus heard of the horrible persecution in Lyons, in which the famous martyr Blandina was killed. Wild animals, beatings, molten copper, and other atrocities caused Blandina’s martyrdom. Many believers in Lyons were revealed as worthy of the martyr’s crown.

Irenaeus came to the city to be bishop, and eventually the city was declared to be Christian. Tertullian’s famous statement written a few years later that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed” of the Christians was apparent in Lyons. Irenaeus eventually dispatched missionaries to other areas in Gaul and beyond.

The apologist Justin Martyr, another second-century saint, stood fearlessly as a martyr. His writings defended Christianity. This Christian philosopher also saw evangelism as a priority:

At last [Justin] became acquainted with Christianity, being at once impressed with the extraordinary fearlessness which the Christians displayed in the presence of death, and with the grandeur, stability, and truth of the teachings of the Old Testament. From this time he acted as an evangelist, taking every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel as the only safe and certain philosophy, the only way to salvation.¹⁷

Born about 205, Gregory Thaumaturgos evangelized the city of Neo-Caesarea. The saying was that when Gregory came there, only 17 Christians could be found; when he died, there were only 17 pagans. His name means “miracle worker,” referring to the miracles attributed to his ministry.

As the years passed, the church followed the pattern of Old Testament Israel, gradually substituting passion for God with ritual. In the centuries after the New Testament era, the sacramental system developed. It focused more on the practice of certain forms in the church rather than a relationship with Christ lived in the world. Evangelism particularly suffered as the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist replaced the message of the gospel.

Montanism emerged in the late second century in response to the growing formalism in the church. The movement was named for Montanus of Asia Minor, who was characterized by a mystical demeanor and a focus on the Holy Spirit and the imminent return of Christ. The most notable adherent of Montanism was Tertullian. Montanists denounced the growing distinction between clergy and laity in the church.

Novatianism arose from the influence of Novatian, leader of a spiritual reform movement in Rome in the third century. Taylor declared, “His zeal for the gospel brought him many honors.”¹⁸ Novatianism was a reform movement against the growing worldliness in the church.

Donatists, named for Donatus, arose after the persecution by the Roman emperor Diocletian (284–305). Donatists opposed those who recanted the faith when faced with persecution. Donatists emphasized godly living and disciplined Christianity.

The fight to keep evangelism as a priority in the face of ritualism is with us still. Green wrote:

Unless there is a transformation of contemporary church life so that once again the task of evangelism is something which is seen as incumbent on every baptized Christian, and is backed up by a quality of living which outshines the best that unbelief can muster, we are unlikely to make much headway through techniques of evangelism. Men will not believe that Christians have good news to share until they find that bishops and bakers, university professors and housewives, bus drivers and street corner preachers are all alike keen to pass along, however different their methods may be. And they will continue to believe that the church is an introverted society composed of “respectable” people and bent on its own preservation until they see in church groupings and individual Christians the caring, the joy, the fellowship, the self sacrifice, and the openness which mark the early church at its best.¹⁹

One should not underestimate the impact of the changed lives of unbelievers to impact a pagan culture. One of the underestimated facets of early church history concerns the massive plagues that hit the empire. During the reign of Marcus Aurelius beginning about AD 165, a plague devastated the empire, taking the emperor as well. Another came around AD 251 with similar effects. About 260, in his Easter letter, Dionysius wrote a tribute to the believers whose heroic efforts cost many of them their lives. Pagans tended to flee the cities during plagues, but Christians were more likely to stay and minister to the suffering: “Most of our brother Christians showed unbonded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another,” Dionysius observed, adding, “Needless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy.”²⁰

Reading this from a comfortable home in the West, I wonder if we can share in the difficulty of the persecuted church by our willingness in the West to forsake comfort in order to minister to those in dire need, whether it be AIDS patients or giving ourselves more to those who suffer in our culture, whether by illness or poverty. Dyonisius would agree: “The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom.”²¹

I fear that sometimes we in the West can feel a bit of self-pity that we do not suffer as believers do in places like Saudi Arabia and China. Of course, some relish our ease of life and pursue a prosperity gospel long on narcissism and short on sacrifice. But if Dionysius is right, there is yet a way to be valiant for Christ in any culture: seek the marginalized, the disenfranchised, those no one cares about, and love them and be Christ to them. Consider the example of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. Each Christmas, there was a tradition in London: the churches would send out representatives to the streets to invite the poor to the celebration, and thousands thronged there. Anglicans would begin by announcing: “All of you who are Anglicans come with us.” Catholics would join in: “All who are Catholics come with us.” The Methodist, the Lutherans, and others would follow suit. When all the invitations were made, many more people milled about. At that point, William Booth would shout to the people: “All of you who belong to no one come with me.”²²

At the same time seasons of persecution, as mentioned above in the lives of Polycarp and others, galvanized the church, causing her to focus on essentials. I have spoken to those from the persecuted church in our day from other lands. They never seem to quibble over the color of carpet in a building or argue much about musical styles. Sadly, as the church came to power in the Roman Empire, it also seemed to lose its passion for sacrifice, and the impact of the gospel suffered as well.

Some have seen the rise of Christendom as a reality from Constantine’s time (285–337) onward as ushering in the triumph of Christianity. Actually, it began an era of institutionalism and doctrinal deviation unprecedented before that time. Constantine “destroyed [Christianity’s] most attractive and dynamic aspects, turning a high-intensity, grassroots movement into an arrogant institution controlled by an elite who often managed to be both brutal and lax.”²³

From about Augustine’s time (354–430) until the Reformation, evangelism suffered. However, there were faint stars that lit the distant skyline of the West. The Reformation paved the way for the remarkable evangelistic expansion across the globe. In the modern era, several great awakenings and global missions expansion ushered untold multitudes into the kingdom of God.

One can trace the health of the church throughout history by its commitment to evangelism. One can also trace the lack of health of the church by observing its decline into institutionalism. The Dark Ages were so named for many reasons. But from a spiritual vantage point, one can see the twilight of evangelistic conviction and work throughout much of the established church during this era. The rising dominance of the Roman Catholic Church brought a theological shift from biblical authority alone along with a rise in ritualism.

The shift in focus from the New Testament gospel to the sacraments in the church blunted the spread of the true message of salvation. Still, God always has a people, a righteous remnant of the faithful. Certain individuals prove worthy of mention.

Ulfilas (318–88) reached his own people the Goths in the fourth century AD. Barbarians along the Roman Empire’s northern border captured many Romans and enslaved them. Ulfilas was won to Christ by the witness of Roman Christians who had become slaves. He won many of his own people to Christ, translating much of the New Testament into the Gothic language.

Patrick evangelized parts of Britain in the fifth century. He was kidnapped from his native Scotland and taken to Northern Ireland by marauding pirates. After his capture, he recalled the teachings and prayers of his godly mother and was converted at age 16. His six years in prison bred a desire to see his captors converted, along with all the Irish. Patrick established over 365 churches and reached well over 120,000 people for Christ.²⁴ He is now honored as the patron saint of Ireland.

The person responsible for evangelizing much of Scotland in the sixth century was Columba (521–97). Converted at age 21, he and twelve priests left Ireland for Scotland in 563. Columba ministered chiefly on the island of Iona, laboring there for the Lord for 34 years. Others would come to Iona to be equipped, then would go forth bearing the good news.

Near the end of the sixth century Augustine of Canterbury (545–605) evangelized Britain. Not to be confused with the more famous Augustine of Hippo, he nevertheless had a significant ministry. Traveling to the British Isles in 597, Augustine and his companions won the ruler Ethelbert to Christ. The king told Augustine his people would not “hinder your preaching and winning any you can as converts to your faith.”²⁵ The king gathered the people daily at one point to hear the gospel. Augustine established a ministry center named Canterbury where he eventually became the first archbishop. Many Angles and Saxons came to Christ through the outreach of Augustine.

Boniface preached the gospel first in Germany and Belgium. He earned the title “apostle of Germany” and became the first archbishop of Mainz. So successful were his efforts that he was questioned by the Pope in Rome. His ministry experienced what modern missiologists call “people movements”—a movement of entire communities to Christ at once. He chopped down a sacred tree devoted to the pagan god Thor. When nothing happened to him, he reached many people with the gospel. Boniface died as a martyr at the hands of pagans in 754. Historian Latourette said of him, “Humble, a man of prayer, self-sacrificing, courageous, steeped in Scriptures . . . he was at once a great Christian, a great missionary, and a great bishop.”²⁶

In the face of the ritualism and worldliness so common in the Catholic Church at this time, several movements that emphasized biblical evangelism emerged before the Reformation.

Peter Waldo ministered in the twelfth century. A wealthy merchant in the city of Lyons, France, Waldo became disheartened with money, and experienced renewal and conversion. He took a vow of poverty and eventually begged alms for the necessities of life. His followers were called the “Poor Men of Lyons,” and eventually “the Waldenses.” His movement challenged the formalism and authoritarianism of the established church. His followers were looking for a return of the vibrancy of the apostolic era.

Many Waldenses were martyred at the hands of the Catholic church, often because of their conviction concerning the believer’s baptism following conversion. They promoted an aggressive evangelism, and their goal was to recapture the dynamic, Bible-centered program of the first-century church. The Waldenses proclaimed the gospel and opposed the established church, as did other groups such as the Henricians, the Arnoldists, the Cathari, the Lollards, and the Petrobrusians. Such groups were the forerunners of the Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) ministered in thirteenth-century Italy. His early days of licentiousness and folly ended when he came to Christ. He went from riches to rags to Christ, rejecting any inheritance from his family and devoting his life to the preaching of Christ. Francis’s abounding love and joy had a great influence on the people. He organized followers into twos and sent them out to evangelize the multitudes. These followers eventually were called “Franciscans.” The Franciscans were particularly effective in preaching to the common people.

Jerome Savonarola (1452–98), a giant of prayer and preaching, sought to propagate the gospel in fifteenth-century Italy. His mental capabilities were great even in his early years, and he faced a promising career in academia. But God had other plans for this brilliant young Italian. In 1475 he enrolled in a monastery in Bologna, where he offered himself as a living sacrifice of service. For the next seven years, he devoted himself to Bible study and prayer.

Savonarola soon was transferred to St. Mark’s monastery in Florence, where he failed at first in his preaching. He spent much time praying and fasting over the Scriptures. The Lord eventually led him to Revelation and the message of the apocalypse. This proved to be God’s message for the people of that day. Savonarola’s preaching from the Revelation brought a powerful awakening and reformation to Florence.

Biographer Misciattelli quoted a contemporary of Savonarola who described his preaching: “Savonarola introduced what might be called a new way of preaching the Word of God; an apostolic way; not dividing his sermons into parts, or embellishing them with high sounding words of elegance, but having as his sole aim the explaining of Scripture, and the return to the simplicity of the primitive church.”²⁷

Savonarola was eventually promoted to spiritual and political leader in Florence. He declared Florence a theocracy and led a city-wide revival. This lasted for about two years until the corrupt leaders began to get a following. Savonarola was eventually martyred for his stand against the immoral practices of the papacy.

Other notable Christian leaders during the years leading up to the Reformation could be cited: Bernard of Clairvaux (1091–1153); John Tauler (1290–1361), the mystic of Germany; John Wycliffe; and Jan Hus—to name only a few. Others who will never be known except in eternity also contributed to the spread of the gospel over these centuries. Still, the ominous influence of the established Catholic church, along with its political might, hindered the followers of Christ from spreading the good news. But a light was dawning on the horizon—the light of the Protestant Reformation.

The sixteenth century stands as a watershed in human history. The influence of the Renaissance, with the rebirth of classical learning, and the Reformation, which paved the way for later spiritual awakenings, can still be felt today. While the Reformation was not primarily an evangelistic movement, it provided the theological basis for the spread of the gospel.

Martin Luther (1486–1546) became convinced of the doctrine of justification by faith. Called the “Apostle of Faith,” his emphasis on salvation by faith pointed people to the error of the Catholic Church’s salvation-by-works system of merit. His contributions to the field of evangelism and church growth are fourfold. First, Luther helped to bring about a clear and concise gospel. He clarified for the church the message of salvation—salvation by faith, not by works. Second, he emphasized the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Preaching was central to the public worship service, and the Word of God was to be central to preaching. The Reformation was a call back to the Word of God. Third, Luther emphasized the priesthood of believers, which helped to abolish the spiritual caste system. This also led to an emphasis on personal responsibility for believers to be servants of Christ. Fourth, Luther considered himself an evangelist and preached evangelistically.²⁸

John Calvin (1509–64) also made a fourfold contribution to the Reformation and the discipline of evangelism. First, he highlighted the work of God’s grace in a person’s salvation. Out of this came a focus on the doctrine of salvation based on the principle of divine grace as the only factor in salvation. With his basic premises (sovereignty of God, hopelessness of man, adequacy of Christ, salvation through grace, and grace bestowed through divine election), Calvin renounced salvation by works. Second, he emphasized hymn-singing, insisting on Bible-centered songs. Thus, he linked truths of God to worship. Third, Calvin practiced extemporaneous preaching, emphasizing eloquent speech coupled with an evangelistic accent. Fourth, he practiced personal evangelism through personal appeal and correspondence. He desired that all classes come to Christ.

The most effective group in emphasizing biblical revival during the Reformation was the Anabaptists. This group desired to bring the church back to its New Testament roots. Following the baptism of a group at Felix Manz’s home on January 21, 1525, the Anabaptists (rebaptizers) grew. They emphasized the New Testament concept of believer’s baptism following conversion. Balthasar Hubmaier (1481–1528) was an Anabaptist theologian and evangelist. He baptized 6,000 people in one year and was burned at the stake in 1528 for his beliefs.²⁹

In the modern era in the West, effective evangelism was almost always related to spiritual awakening. The greatest evangelistic results, methods, and leaders were born out of revival. In fact, much modern church history in the West may be traced along two central themes: the impact of the Enlightenment and a succession of mighty spiritual awakenings.

In recent centuries, spiritual awakenings have birthed most of the effective advances in evangelism, both in the numbers of converts and in new methods. They have often led to church-planting movements as well. Evangelism does not always lead to revival, but revival always brings the church back to a renewed evangelistic passion. A general overview of evangelism in modern history must emphasize a survey of historical revival movements.

Spiritual awakening or revival is a divine intervention into the church that causes a serious reflection on personal sin and open confession of sin. This results in a renewed awareness of God’s presence and fresh power for ministry.³⁰

There is much confusion in our day over the terms “revival,” “awakening,” and “spiritual awakening.” Some people use “revival” to refer to the work of God among believers and “awakening” to speak of the conversion of masses to Christ. This is a valid use, seen in the writings of Jonathan Edwards in the eighteenth century. However, I choose to use these terms as synonyms for the following reasons.

First, too many evangelicals think “revival” refers to a four-day meeting with an evangelist, aimed at reaching the lost. This is actually mass evangelism. Such attractional meetings can be useful, but they are not revival. Today, many churches hold such meetings aimed at revival of the saints and conversion of the lost, but it is still a meeting unless God moves in a mighty way. Such protracted services might be called “revival meetings” but not “revival.” Occasionally, God does send revival in the midst of a meeting! So I use “awakening” and “revival” as synonyms because the word revival has lost its true meaning for many people.

A second reason I use these two terms as synonyms is the biblical terminology associated with them. Several terms in Scripture relate to spiritual awakening. In the Old Testament, key terms include chayah, “to live or make alive again,” found in Ps 85:6: “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (NIV). The term is also seen in Hab 3:2 and Hos 6:2. Chadash means “to repair or make new,” as seen in Ps 51:10: “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.” David’s prayer of repentance following his sin with Bathsheba demonstrates the cry of a saint seeking personal revival. Chalaph, “to alter or change,” is found in Isa 40:31.

New Testament terms include anakaino, translated as “to make new again.” The word is found in Rom 12:2: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It can also be seen in 2 Cor 4:16; Col 3:10; and Titus 3:5. Eknepho, “To be sober, to come to one’s senses,” is seen in 1 Cor 15:34. Finally, the word egeiro, meaning “to awaken from sleep,” is the closest biblical expression for “spiritual awakening.” Romans 13:11–13, one of the most important texts in the New Testament on genuine revival, uses this term in v. 11: “It is high time to awake out of sleep” (NKJV).

So, while some people use “revival” to refer to God’s activity among His people and “awakening” to refer to the result of revival on culture, the terms will be used interchangeably in the following overview.

Spiritual awakening is the supernatural work of God. It is divinely initiated. It is the story of God’s involvement in history. It is not primarily for our benefit but for God’s glory. Spiritual awakening normally comes after a time of spiritual decline in the church and moral decay in the culture. Too many people seek revival simply to help their church grow or to solve problems or to curb a moral slide. These may result from revival, but we should seek revival simply because we want to know and honor God!

An awakening brings the church to a renewed sense of wonder toward God. We have lost the sense of wonder, of holy awe, in our churches. Awakenings renew a sense of amazement at the great God.

Historians are not in agreement as to the number of awakenings in recent centuries. Awakenings can be compared to wars, in that there have only been two world wars, but beyond those many other wars have been fought. The First and Second Great Awakenings were obvious movements of God’s Spirit; beyond that, anywhere from one to three more awakenings have been designated by historians. Awakenings differ in depth and extent as do wars, but like wars, when you are in the middle of it, it is quite great in its impact on you! I am convinced that in addition to the First and Second Great Awakenings, at least two more awakenings can be seen in the last four centuries. The Great Awakening in the eighteenth century occurred on three fronts: Pietism in Europe, the Evangelical Awakening in Britain, and the First Great Awakening in the American colonies.

In response to a cold formalism, the movement known as Pietism began in Europe in the late 1600s. One of the early leaders of this awakening was Philip Spener, who wrote the book Pia Desideria (Pious Desires), an appeal to spiritual reform in 1675.³¹ Spener, called the father of Pietism by many, emphasized the personal nature of the Christian experience. He secured the appointment of A. H. Francke at the University of Halle in 1692. Under Francke’s leadership, Halle became “a pietistic center of higher education and revivalism.”³²

Nicholaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf (1700–60) studied at Halle. Zinzendorf organized prayer groups among the students while at the university. Zinzendorf eventually went to the University of Wittenberg, where he formed the Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed in 1718. In 1722 he acquired an estate that became a safe haven for persecuted members of the Hussite Church. It was from this group that the “Unitas Fratrum” (Unity of the Brethren) or Moravians were born. A particularly powerful movement of the Spirit came at a communion service on August 12, 1727. Following this, a continuous prayer structure developed, and a missionary enterprise began, resulting in one missionary for every 60 Moravians.

Zinzendorf’s impact can be traced to his early years at Halle. Key emphases of this awakening included an obvious conversion experience, experimental faith, small-group discipleship, and foreign missions. Pietism ultimately emphasized experiences to the neglect of theology, however—a move that hindered its impact.

The First Great Awakening generally includes the period from the 1720s to the 1740s, although revival embers were lit in later years in the South. Revival fires blazed as early as 1726 through the ministry of Theodore Freylinghuysen in the Dutch Reformed Church in New Jersey. He emphasized four things:

The Tennent family witnessed awakening among their Presbyterian circles in Pennsylvania and the middle colonies. William, the father, began the “log college,” a place to train his sons and other young men. This was a prototype for seminaries. Many evangelists, church planters, and revival leaders came from William’s influence. Gilbert Tennent was an outspoken leader. He preached a famous sermon, “The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry,” denouncing the unregenerate clergy of his day.

Jonathan Edwards was a catalyst in New England. Edwards was a brilliant student, graduating from Yale as valedictorian at age 16. He read Latin by age six. He pastored a significant Congregationalist church in Northampton, Massachusetts. He witnessed two primary revival movements during the First Great Awakening, including the valley revival of 1734–35. Edwards recorded this revival in his Narrative of Surprising Conversions. Keys to the outpouring of God’s Spirit, which caught Edwards and his church by surprise, included:

Edwards, one of the greatest theologians, practitioners, and writers in the history of spiritual awakening, wrote his Narrative to give an account of the powerful revival that began in 1734–35 in and around Northampton, Massachusetts, where he was pastor. He prefaced this account by noting five powerful revivals during the long tenure of his predecessor and grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. The revival surfaced following a series of messages on justification by faith, and it spread quickly to neighboring towns. Edwards describes the effects of the revival:

Presently upon this, a great and earnest concern about the great things of religion, and the eternal world, became universal in all parts of the town, and among persons of all degrees, and all ages . . . all other talk but about spiritual and eternal things, was soon thrown by; all the conversation, in all companies and upon all occasions, was upon these things only, unless so much as was necessary for people carrying on their ordinary secular business.³³

In 1740–42 came the most powerful season of revival during the First Great Awakening. During this time, Edwards preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In the same period, Edwards wrote a treatise entitled Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion in New England.

In 1741 Edwards published The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, a collection of sermons that included five “marks” that illustrated the Spirit’s true activity in revival (see “The Five Marks”). Edwards contributed greatly to the field of spiritual awakening with his writings.

The Five Marks

1. When the operation is such to raise their esteem of Jesus.

2. When the spirit that is at work operates against the interests of Satan’s kingdom, which lies in encouraging and establishing sin, and cherishing men’s worldly lusts; this is a sure sign that it is a true, and not a false spirit.

3. Men show a greater regard to the Holy Scriptures.

4. If it leads persons to truth, convincing them of those things that are true, we may safely determine that it is a right and true spirit.

5. If the spirit that is at work among a people operates as a spirit of love to God and man, it is a sure sign that is the Spirit of God.

George Whitefield, also involved in the Evangelical Awakening in England with John and Charles Wesley, came to the colonies several times. He preached from north to south, uniting the various movements.

In the southern colonies, revival spread mainly through Methodists and Baptists. The leaders among Baptists were Shubal Stearns and Daniel Marshall. Most Southern Baptist historians trace their roots to this movement, particularly the ministry of Stearns and the Sandy Creek Church in North Carolina. In 17 years the Sandy Creek Church birthed 42 churches, which in turn produced 125 ministers.³⁴ In the late 1700s Methodism spread rapidly in the South.

Several truths can be gleaned from the First Great Awakening. God used different types of people and different denominational perspectives—Gilbert Tennent, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Theodore Freylinghuysen, and many others. Effective ministry training developed from the awakening as many came to Christ and large numbers entered vocational ministry. The log college and the birth of many universities are examples. Laity were involved in ministry. Biblical theology was emphasized. Genuine revival is more than an experience; it includes a deepened understanding of the truths of God’s Word.

John Wesley (1703–91) and George Whitefield (1714–70) were two key leaders of the Evangelical Awakening in England during the eighteenth century. Some historians have stated that this awakening prevented England from going through an ordeal like the French Revolution. Wesley’s experience as a college student at Oxford is probably best remembered by the “Holy Club” that involved both John and his brother Charles, George Whitefield, and a handful of others. Whitefield was converted during those days.³⁵

The fact that Wesley was not actually converted until years after his Oxford days does not minimize the impact made on his subsequent ministry by the Holy Club.³⁶ The Holy Club at Oxford forged relationships between the men who figured prominently in the awakening in England and the American colonies.

Wesley’s oft-noted conversion came in 1738. On May 24, 1738, John Wesley attended a society meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. While someone read the prologue to Martin Luther’s commentary on Romans, Wesley was converted. Here is the account from his Journal: “About a quarter to nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt that I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation.”³⁷ His was a remarkable ministry that, along with Whitefield’s influence and Charles Wesley’s hymn-writing, affected the spiritual life of the entire nation. Wesley never desired to sever ties with the Church of England, but the Evangelical Awakening resulted in the formation of the Methodist Church.

Under the influence of the Wesleys, the Methodist Church was born. By John Wesley’s death in 1791, there were 79,000 Methodists in England and 119,000 around the world.

The “methods” (hence the name “Methodist”) that the Wesleys and Whitefield developed included

Howell Harris, Daniel Rowland, and others were instrumental in the revival in Wales. Beyond his impact in England, Whitefield made seven trips to the New World. His itinerant ministry spread the gospel across the colonies. What makes this more impressive is that Whitefield was only 26 years old in 1741 when the First Great Awakening was at its peak!