Here is a brief I response I wrote about George Whitefield, a minister in the 18th century...

During this reading, George Whitefield impressed me so much. His influence and sheer quantity of work is almost unbelievable, not to mention the impact it made in the 18^th century. Whitefield directed the message of salvation to common people neglected by the established churches. This description seems to picture him as a missionary to the unchurched in churched-America.

In the Fall of 1740, Whitefield addressed crowds of up to 8,000 people nearly every day for over a month. Even in today’s mega-rallies and uber-media opportunities, this would be unheard of. This might be able to be sustained for a couple days, maybe a week, but for over a month!

Whitefield was not a good organizer, as one might expect for a person that was the center of what we now call conferences. He is known as a person who how to address plain people in plain language. He did this by appealing to the heart. One way that he appealed to the heart was by not using notes. Many ministers of his century simply read their sermons. Not only did he refrain from reading, he refrained from referring to notes! Imagine the stark difference from listening to a long paper being read to a powerful plain-language revivalist looking into your eyes as he challenged you to submit to Christ. This delivery style is much more than a style. Whitefield must have had a passion and preparation that was vastly different from the traditional written style sermon writers.

The most overwhelming aspect of Whitefield’s ministry is the sheer quantity that he delivered. It is estimated that he preached 15,000 times during his 33 year career. This averages out to over 454 times per year, every year for 33 years! Certainly, this must have included instances where he preached the same message twice in a row, but the sheer number of sermons is still hard to imagine. In addition, like many ministers in the 18^th and 19^th century, he had a considerable amount of journals he left behind.

George Whitefield was known for his sermons. They were directed at the heart. They were in simple language. They were aimed at those who were neglected by the established church. They were extemporaneous, not from notes or a written sermon. Moreover, he did this often – very often. Could you preach 8 sermons this week? How about 40 this month? What about 400 this year? There must be something we can learn about communicating truth from George Whitefield. What kind of relationship with God would you need to have to be able to give a sermon today?