19th Century
Cain Ridge Revival
The Nineteenth Century began with a significant revival beginning in Kentucky, USA. Thousands gathered in the surrounding countryside for what became known as “camp meetings.”
Camp Meetings - Caine Ridge, Kentucky 1800-
Charles Finney - the “song service” is born
One significant feature of the New England Finney revivals (1830’s) was the phenomenon of the “singing-preaching-altar call” format of evangelistic meetings. Finney believed he should use methods of evangelism that proved to be successful. The format of many of today’s church services and evangelistic meetings follow a similar pattern. If you watch Billy Graham meetings on YouTube you can see how this methodology persisted well past Finney’s time. What was previously called, the “song service,” would evolve into today’s “contemporary praise and worship.”
Charles Grandison Finney
The Anxious Bench
Charles Finney and the “New Measures”
Song service
Preaching
Altar call
“Anxious bench”
The Salvation Army - using “pop” music
Towards the end of the century William Booth employed outreach tactics recognizable today to reach out to the non-churched. He used the popular style of music to reach the common people, as the music in a lot of churches had become stale and unpopular. The churches in London had become more middle class and tended to use older traditional English hymns.
The Salvation Army
Used popular song style
Used bar song lyrics changed
Used brass bands
Ministered to poor