KEEPING THE FIRE OF REVIVAL BURNING:
IS INTENTIONAL AND INSTITUTIONALIZED DISCIPLE-MAKING A VIABLE MODEL FOR SUSTAINED REVIVAL GROWTH?

By Rumin Zhang

Spring 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Why This Thesis? ………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Research Method …………………………………………………………………………………… 1

ANALYSIS OF PAST REVIVALS/RENEWALS ……………………………………………………………… 2
Definition of Revivals/Renewals ……………………………………………………2
Four Landmark Examples …………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
First Great Awakening ………………………………………………………………………… 3
Second Great Awakening ……………………………………………………………………… 4
Keswick Revival ……………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Pentecostal Revival …………………………………………………………………………… 6
Why Revivals Wait and Stop ……………………………………………………………… 8

DISCIPLE-MAKING AS THE MISSING LINK …………………………………………………………… 10
Great Commission vs. Great Omission ………………………………………… 10
Mathematical Model of Disciple-Making ………………………………………11
Intentional and Institutionalized Disciple-Making …………………………… 12

CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14

REFERENCES CITED ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15

APPENDIX: SIMULATION OF CHURCH REVIVAL GROWTH ……………………………………… 16

INTRODUCTION

This section outlines the reason and research method for the proposed thesis.
Why This Thesis?
God’s church as a divine institution is like an enduring fire that has gradually spread all over the globe since the first Pentecost in early AD30’s, despite repeated human effort to put it out in perilous times of the history. Most of the time, the fire just keeps burning slowly but surely, interspersed by occasional bouts of breathtaking, wild fire of revival. Invariably, Christian revival movements (CRM) do not last long, generally from a few months to a few years, averaging three years (Petrie 2003, 42). In very rare cases, CRM lasted longer than a decade (e.g., Argentina Revival) to a century (e.g., Pentecostal/Charismatic movement). Why have CRM not lasted longer and what can be done to sustain it? This paper aims to address the transience of CRM and proposes from a biblical, sociological and mathematical perspective that a common denominator, the missing link of intentional and institutionalized disciple-making, has undermined the longevity of CRM. The ultimate purpose for an informed understanding about this important issue is to formulate an approach toward effective disciple-making in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Method of Research
Four of landmark revivals in the last three centuries are reviewed with respect to the origin, impact and implication. Next, a mathematical and dynamic system model is used to identify the common missing link of disciple-making in short-lived CRM. Finally, a strategy of intentional and institutionalized disciple-making is proposed to sustain CRM.

ANALYSIS OF PAST REVIVALS/RENEWALS

This section provides working definitions of revivals and renewals, surveys four landmark examples of past revivals/renewals with the origin, impact and implication to our thesis, and searches for reasons why revivals do not last.
Definitions of Revival and Renewal
Revivals and renewals are sometimes interchangeably used and other times clearly distinguished in the literature. Semantically and biblically they have overlapping but subtly different meanings (Petrie 2003). Renewal is “enrichment by the fruit of the Spirit and empowerment by the gifts of the Spirit” (ibid, 23). Revival is “the coming of the inexpressibly sweet and tender Spirit of God into the midst of His people with convicting and transforming power” (ibid, 25). “[W]hen the local church is revived, the harvest begins within the surrounding community of non-believers” (ibid, 26). “Every revival is a repetition of Pentecost”, per Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ibid, 27). Rev. Duncan Campbell sees revival when a community is saturated with God (ibid, 28). Revival in this paper narrowly refers to episodic events in which a larger than usual, often exponential, number of people is converted or rededicated to Christian faith. Renewal is defined as the continuing transformation process in which the converted undergo the remodeling of Christian worldview and character. In other words, revival is very much about coming to faith (justification) and thus numeric and quantitative growth, whereas renewal concerns with growing in faith (sanctification) or maturity and thus qualitative growth. It will become clear later that it is the neglect of continuous renewal (disciple-making) that contributes to the lackluster of revival fire.

Four Landmark Examples: Origin, Impact, and Implication
The First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening (1730’s-1740’s) in New England colonial Protestants was started by the Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards and continued by English preacher George Whitefield and others (Tracy 1989). What precipitated this revival has been a subject of continuing discussion. According to Gerald Moran (Blumhofer and Balmer 1993, 42-59), the Great Awakening did not rise from the religious decline or try to break free of the standing order, but emerged from rapid church growth, clerical occupational stability, and pastoral experimentation to keep pace with the explosive wave of immigration to the new world. It is “less an act of cultural defiance than an adaptation of vital orthodoxy to changing cultural and demographic circumstances” (ibid, 42). The traditional Puritanism, when combined with the transatlantic evangelicalism characterized by empiricism, optimism, moderatism, moralism, utilitarianism, and Augustanism and spurred by Enlightenment (ibid, 17-41), gave birth to the Great Awakening on the heels of prior local and regional revivals (ibid, 49). Puritan tribalism played a key part in the revival, resulting in new membership predominantly from old family clans (ibid, 50, 51). Feminized church drew many apostate males into the membership during the Awakening (ibid, 52). The dwindling of unconverted members in the social and familial circles during the Great Awakening may have eventually exhausted the fuel for the fire of revival (more on this with the mathematical model). The First Great Awakening led to many church parishes built in new communities (ibid, 54, 55). Consequently it cultivated a fertile ground for future local and national revivals (ibid, 49, 53), even spilling over to the Old South in 1800-1805 revival (ibid, 60-83). Many historians believe that the Great Awakening also enhanced the independent, self-determined spirit of the colonist America, paving ways for ultimate Independence in 1776 (Wikipedia).
Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening in the first half of 19th century in New England and Appalachia grew out of a tumultuous social and ecclesiological climate. The notable movers and shakers were Charles Finney, Lyman Beecher, and Francis Asbury. The accelerating national market economy and geographical mobility, both of which were made possible by transportation networks and technology, broke down the traditional social relationship, per Richard Carwardine (Blumhofer and Balmer 1993, 84-100). A Revolutionary spirit of egalitarianism beckoned a democratic Arminianism that characterized the anti-Calvinistic evangelicalism as epitomized by John Wesley’s Methodism across and crossing the Atlantic in the last century. Abolition movement was gathering storm in the North. The time had come for the evangelical religion to suffuse the tank for revival fire and provide comfort and self-respect sought by struggling miners, colliers, laborers, and artisans in a challenging time of new social and economic order. The revivalist camp meetings in the Appalachia (southwestern frontier and growing towns and cities) not only offered much needed refuge and sense of community for the lonely explorers but helped expand Baptist and Methodist denominations along the trails. The revival of 1820’s-1840’s in the New England grew out of opposition to liberal Protestant movement led by the Unitarians, Emerson’s de-divination of Jesus, Paine’s Deism and Jefferson’s secularization of the Gospel (Fox 2004, chapter 4-6).
With the Second Great Awakening came the evangelical expansion (notably Baptism and Methodism), interdenominational missionary societies (such as American Bible Society), new brands of non-orthodoxy faith (Unitarianism, Mormon Church, the Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and Jehovah’s Witness), and social activisms (especially Abolition movement) which culminated in the Civil War, emancipation of Southern slaves, and assassination of President Lincoln. Theological squabbles presaging the revival among then already pluralistic American Christianity were resolved by creating new denominations of faith. The Church, one household of God, has diversified into numerous denominational shops wooing their own patrons of different tastes. While the institutionalized denomination of revival movements seems to be the inevitable outcome of most revivals, it begs the question: Can revivals be contained within a denominational institution? The most well known example of revival within a church institution is Catholicism’s revivals kindled by sodality Orders without leaving the Catholic institution (Finke and Wittberg 2000).
Keswick Revival
Keswick Revival by way of annual conferences since 1875 in England emphasizes the sanctification (or renewal) aspect of a “higher Christian life”, contrary to the personal conversion focus with the aforementioned Great Awakenings. David Bundy debunked the earlier view of Keswick “as a solitary unit evolving ex nihilo from the efforts of a group of American Wesylan/Holiness evangelists” (Blumhofer and Balmer 1993, 118-144). Instead, Mildway ministries and the Evangelical Alliance, along with pre- established networks in England, made possible the preaching of the message on “sanctification by faith –now” during 1873-75 by the American evangelists such as William Boardman, D. L. Moody, and Robert and Amanda Smith (sadly, Robert Smith’s personal indiscretion put a dent to the perfectionist message). Upon returning to Chicago, Moody modeled his Northfield Conference on Mildway, deemphasizing the perfectionist aspect of sanctification.
The impact of Keswick revival, due to its very nature, is harder to gauge than more easily measurable numerical growth seen in the Great Awakenings. Most significantly, Keswick revival or renewal movement represents a sort of renaissance of pietism, except it was in evangelicalism. However, the emphasis of “in-reaching” personal pietism (being a godly disciple of Christ) must be coupled with the “outreaching” Christian mission mandate (being a disciple-maker) to fan up revival in community and fulfill the Great Commission. As we shall see, it is the “enthusiasts” (or disciple-makers) among Christian believers that hold the key to sustained revivals. The Welsh revival in 1904-5 that resulted in some 100,000 conversions in 12 months can trace back its origin of influence to Keswick-revived enthusiasts (Hayward 2002).
Pentecostal Revival
Pentecostalism has just celebrated its centenary revival (McClung 2006). The firewood of American Pentecostalism can be dated to the fourfold gospel (Jesus our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King) championed by A. B. Simpson, the founder of C&MA. The initial spark of Pentecostalism was started when Agnes Ozman spoke in tongue in response to prayer and laying on of hands by Charles Parham on New Year’s Day of 1901 in Topeka, Kansas. The Pentecostal fire really got going with the Azusa Street worship and prayer meeting led by William J. Seymour, an African American, in Los Angeles after a severe earthquake struck San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Literally, that earthquake set in motion the eschatological urgency among the praying warriors. While speaking in tongue has been inseparably linked to Pentecostalism, the motto of Azusa Street mission was summed up by Seymour as this: Now do not go from this meeting and talk about tongues, but try to get people saved.
A century later, over 580 million Pentecostals (still growing by 19 million per year and 54,000 per day) comprise three major branches and 59 diverse categories of ecumenical Christianity, and can be found in 150 non-charismatic Christian traditions. Altogether, the tongue-speaking Pentecostals converse in 8,000 languages from 9,000 ethnolinguistic cultures. Edith Blumhofer observes that Pentecostals had a different take of revival than had most other Protestants from the beginning (Blumhofer and Balmer 1993, 145-160). They considered themselves a “sign people” ushering in the outpouring of the Spirit, and champions of “the restoration of the faith once delivered unto the saints” (ibid, 146). Pentecostals were more experiential than doctrinal and theological. They sought liberty or freedom in the Holy Spirit and showed aversion toward organized institution. Nevertheless, Pentecostalism grew into a denomination of its own kind such that as early as 1914 during the formative decade, Assembly of God was incorporated. Yet Pentecostalism has managed to transcend all traditional denominationalism (or more accurately, the latter embraces the former), most notably since 1960’s when Charismatic movement, the mid-life child and the second wave of Pentecostalism, came to the scene from within many mainline Protestant Christian denominations (e.g., McKinney and Finke 2002) and Roman Catholic Church (e.g., Johnson and Weigert 1978). Since 1980’s, the third wave of Pentecostalism (Peter Wagner ministry, Vineyard movement, and Toronto Blessing) emerged with greater attention to theology.
Pentecostalism probably represents the longest revival in Christian history. Granted that Pentecostalism has been much criticized in Evangelical circle, it is high time for evangelicals to recognize the validity and vitality of Pentecostal movement that is still going strong after a century. It seems that Evangelicals emphasize the Word of God in Christian witness, Pentecostals focus on the Gift of the Holy Spirit, while many socially active Liberals value the second half of the Great Commandment (love your neighbor as yourself). A proper combination and balance of a three-pronged approach holds the key to a holistic Christian witness, namely, by proclaiming the Word of God, by living out the life in Christ, and by demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. This trilogy is vital in our strategic thinking and practice of making disciples that are conversant with the Word of God, contagious with a life of Christlikeness, and conquering spiritual stronghold by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why Revivals Wait and Stop?
Christian revival movements do not come by frequently and do not last very long. On average, a revival comes once in a long while and last for only about three years (Petrie 2003, 42). Why do revivals wait for very long and stop after so short a time?
The single most recognized ????ural verse in relation to revivals is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Exposition of this verse (Hughes 2003) reveals three prerequisites for revivals: if we humble ourselves; if we pray and seek God’s face; and if we turn from our wicked ways. Clearly, these are necessary preconditions on the human side. The God factor remains the mystery as to the exact timing, magnitude, and duration of a revival.
Gerald Fry is quoted giving twelve revival-stopping factors and Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney twenty two most common hindrances to revivals (Petrie 2003, 46-51). Common among the two lists are the failures of disciple-making (educating the young) and church-planting (mission). Petrie identified ten principles of stewardship to sustain a genuine revival (Petrie 2003), including:
(1) be a persevering leader and do not give up;
(2) be a person of prevailing prayer;
(3) understand what it is to live in the fear of the Lord;
(4) resist sin at all levels and at all costs;
(5) choose to become stewards of the territory assigned to our care and custodianship;
(6) understand the power of unity;
(7) engage in acts of kindness;
(8) enlist the ongoing and ever-increasing role of watchmen;
(9) seek to restore the apostolic leadership;
(10) establish revival in society.

Margaret Poloma analyzed the dynamic interplay between charisma and institution in a 22-month study of “Toronto Blessing”. She outlined five institutional dilemmas that have the potential to silence any religious revival (Poloma 1997). They are (1) the dilemma of mixed motivation (deviation from the single mindedness on God to personal power and prestige), (2) the symbolic dilemma (transmission of charismatic moment through inauthentic and alienating rituals), (3) the dilemma of administrative order (overelaborated institution building), (4) the dilemma of delimitation (watering down the original message or erecting excessive normative regulations and rigid doctrines), and (5) the dilemma of power (inappropriate external alliance and the use of prophecy). It is refreshing to see a sociologist’s forewarning of potential dangers in an ongoing revival, which may suggest mid-course preventive or corrective measures to prolong the revival.
As we will see next from both biblical mandate and mathematical modeling, disciple-making stands out as the vital missing link for sustained revivals.

(to be continued in part 2)