CTS Evangelistic Preaching · Unit 9

Learning Goal

After studying this unit you will be familiar with the lives and ministries of seven great evangelistic preachers from church history. You will identify key characteristics that made their evangelistic preaching effective and be able to apply practical lessons to your own preaching and ministry.

Introduction

Throughout the history of the church God has raised up powerful evangelistic preachers who called people to repentance and faith in Christ. Their ministries often shook cities and nations. In this chapter we will briefly examine the backgrounds of seven outstanding evangelistic preachers — Girolamo Savonarola, John Knox, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, Dwight L. Moody, and Billy Graham — and discover the characteristics that made their preaching so effective. We will draw practical lessons we can apply today as we seek to proclaim the gospel with power.

Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498)

Girolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar and preacher who became the spiritual leader of Florence during the Renaissance. Born in Ferrara, he entered the Dominican order and gained a reputation for bold, prophetic preaching against moral corruption in the church and society. He called for repentance and a return to biblical purity, predicting judgment on a sinful city. His sermons in the cathedral drew huge crowds and led to sweeping moral reforms in Florence. He clashed with corrupt rulers and Pope Alexander VI, ultimately being excommunicated and executed.

John Knox (c. 1514–1572)

John Knox was a Scottish Reformer and the leading figure in the Scottish Reformation. Originally a Catholic priest, he converted to Protestantism and became a bold preacher and writer. He served as chaplain to Edward VI in England, was imprisoned in France, and later studied with John Calvin in Geneva. Upon returning to Scotland he led the nation into Reformed faith and helped shape the Presbyterian Church. He preached long, passionate sermons emphasizing Scripture as the sole authority.

John Wesley (1703–1791)

John Wesley was an Anglican clergyman and the founder of the Methodist movement. After a dramatic conversion experience he became an itinerant evangelist who preached in fields, streets, and open air to the working classes. He organized converts into small groups (societies and bands) for discipleship and holy living. He traveled over 250,000 miles and preached more than 40,000 sermons, emphasizing salvation by faith and the call to Christian perfection.

George Whitefield (1714–1770)

George Whitefield was an Anglican priest and one of the greatest open-air preachers of the Great Awakening. A friend of the Wesleys, he preached to massive crowds in Britain and America (often 20,000–30,000 people). He was known for his dramatic oratory, powerful voice, and emotional yet biblically grounded appeals. He helped spark revival on both sides of the Atlantic and influenced early American evangelicalism.

Charles Finney (1792–1875)

Charles Grandison Finney was an American lawyer-turned-evangelist known as the "father of modern revivalism." Converted after intense study of the Bible, he began holding revivals in upstate New York. He introduced "new measures" such as the anxious bench and public prayer by name. His logical, direct preaching style led to thousands of conversions and social reforms.

Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899)

Dwight Lyman Moody was a former shoe salesman who became one of the most influential evangelists of the nineteenth century. He conducted large urban campaigns in America and Britain, often working with singer Ira Sankey. Moody founded churches, schools, and Moody Bible Institute. His simple, heartfelt preaching emphasized the love of God and the need for personal decision.

Billy Graham (1918–2018)

Billy Graham was the most widely heard evangelist in history. Through crusades, radio, television, and global missions he preached to more than 200 million people in over 185 countries. His simple message — "the Bible says" — called people to repent and trust Christ. He maintained personal integrity and worked across denominational lines.

Common Threads Across the Centuries

Five hundred years separate Savonarola's cathedral in Florence from Billy Graham's stadium crusades, yet several threads run through every one of these ministries. Each man preached a biblical gospel centered on the cross and the resurrection. Each called for personal repentance and immediate decision. Each spoke the language of ordinary people rather than the language of the academy. Each was willing to pay a price — some with their lives, others with their reputations — for the privilege of proclaiming Christ. And each was concerned not only that people decide, but that converts be followed up and matured in the faith. The styles differed; the methods adapted to each century; but the heart was the same. That heart is the lasting model for any preacher who wants to see lost men and women come home to God.