Part 1 of this series, besides challenging elders to start preaching whenever possible, gave the biblical background for preaching and the factors which affect the preacher’s credibility with the congregation. In Part 2, we will look at the great Protestant preachers and evangelists—from George Whitefield, who began his ministry in the early 1700s, to Billy Graham, who turned the world upside down in the twentieth century. Theirs and the other ministers discussed in this section will inspire the aspiring elder.
GREAT PREACHERS OF THE PAST
Once you have decided to start preaching, you will be encouraged to know something about some of the great preachers of the past and present. A number of them were unprepared to preach, just as you may be, but once they made their decision, God took possession of their lives and led them to become mighty preachers of the Gospel.
John Stott, a renowned British Christian leader and Anglican clergyman of the twentieth century, was noted as a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement, and he wrote 50 books on religious matters. He said, “Scripture comes alive in the congregation only if it has come alive in the preacher first.” All preachers, be they formal ordained pastors or ordained elders, should always bear this in mind.
During the Dark Ages, there was no public preaching by non-Catholic Christians, since these groups—Huguenots, Albajenses, Waldenses, and others—were either underground or hiding in the mountains. Evangelism, however, was being carried out, but on a personal, one-on-one level and in secret cottage meetings.
However, by the early 1700s, when the 1,260 years of papal persecution were drawing to an end, the way was opened for public evangelism and formal preaching to take place in the cathedrals and other places of worship in Europe. In Europe, the way had been opened by John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Huss, Jerome, and others. Because of their courage, their keen sense of freedom of religion, and their holy inspiration, they paved the way for other great preachers to follow. The following is a brief survey of several of the most successful preachers, Adventist and non-Adventist, who were used mightily by God.
George Whitefield (1714–1770) was a Church of England (Anglican in the USA) preacher and evangelist and later the cofounder (along with John and Charles Wesley) of the Methodist movement. He preached his first open-air sermon in England in 1738, and then he began a series of open-air revivals in the USA in 1740 that ushered in The Great Awakening. He was a powerful preacher. As he traveled through the colonies, he preached nearly every day for months. He drew crowds of 20,000-30,000 people and was called the Trumpet of God. The Lord used him mightily.
John Wesley (1703–1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the principal founder of the Methodist Church. At a place called Aldersgate, he felt his heart “strangely warmed,” and that’s when he began his serious ministry and later began to take over the open-air preaching started by George Whitefield. Wesley was a brilliant organizer and formed religious societies throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. He divided his societies further into classes and bands for intensive accountability and religious instruction. His great contribution was to appoint itinerate (unordained) preachers who traveled widely to evangelize and care for those societies.
Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) was a British Baptist preacher who is still known as the “Prince of Preachers.” In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to a total of around 10 million people, and once he preached to 23,654 people; he often preached up to 10 times a week in different places. His sermons have been translated into many languages. Today, there are more writings and books by Spurgeon than by any other Christian writer. He was plain-spoken, usually with poor grammar, and used direct appeals to the people, using the Bible to provoke them to consider the claims of Jesus Christ.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813–1843) was a Scottish poet, writer, preacher, pastor, and great man of prayer. Although he died young, he had a powerful influence on Christianity in his own country and in England. A deeply spiritual man who never married, he is remembered for his statement “My people’s greatest need is my personal holiness.”
Billy Sunday (1862–1935) was an American athlete and religious figure who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball’s National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the twentieth century. With his colloquial sermons and frenetic delivery, he became the nation’s most famous evangelist. He would swing his arms, jump up and down, and run around the platform. He was said to sometimes jump up on the pulpit and shout his sermons from there. Sunday was welcomed into the homes of the wealthy and influential. Perhaps more than one million people came forward at his invitations, and he may have personally preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to more people than any other person in history up to that time.
Billy Sunday (1862–1935) was an American athlete and religious figure who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball’s National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the twentieth century. With his colloquial sermons and frenetic delivery, he became the nation’s most famous evangelist. He would swing his arms, jump up and down, and run around the platform. He was said to sometimes jump up on the pulpit and shout his sermons from there. Sunday was welcomed into the homes of the wealthy and influential. Perhaps more than one million people came forward at his invitations, and he may have personally preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to more people than any other person in history up to that time.
(To be continued).
Lamar Phillips is a retired minister and church administrator who served for 39 years in six world divisions.
