The Incubator for Revival
There is this common myth that any great revival begins in the church. Bring in a famous evangelist, fire up the band, provide free food, and poof! You have revival. It may surprise you to know that some of the great awakenings in American history had their birthplace, not in a place of worship, but a place of business. Let me give you three examples.
- The Layman's Prayer Revival (1857-1859)
At noon, September 27, 1857, a New York businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier invited five other men he knew from business for a prayer gathering. They agreed to continue their prayer meetings every week during their lunch breaks. By October 7, their numbers had swelled to 40. Within two years, the movement spread to major cities across America. By 1859, one million converts were added to American churches. Charles Finney wrote that "no less than 50,000 conversions occurred weekly." - The Brownwood Revival (1995)
It started on January 22, 1995. Two college students from Howard Payne University made commitments to Christ and to their fellow students. It was their passion to bring revival to colleges across the country. First, they spread the message to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth. The movement captured the hearts of thousands of students on campuses from coast to coast. The theme of the revival, according to Dr. Kenneth Hemphill, president of Southwestern, was that "if God's children expect to see real revival, they must first suspend their daily routines." - Promise Keepers Revival (1990-1998)
The head football coach at the University of Colorado was Bill McCartney. He came to Christ, then felt God calling him to launch a movement on May 20, 1990. That July, he gathered 72 men to organize his first event, which would be held at the university. In 1991, over 4,000 men attended the conference. They began filling football stadiums across America with 50,000 men every few weeks. In 1997, one million men gathered at the National Mall, marking the largest crowd in PK history. The movement was founded on seven promises men make to God and their wives. This was the most dramatic revival among men in the last hundred years. And as with the Layman's Prayer Revival and the Brownwood Revival, this all came about because of sincere Christ-followers (not church leaders) who sought the face of God with all of their hearts.