Lay People in Revival: A Case Study of the ‘1859’ Revival

Abstract

This study examines the transatlantic spiritual revival that occurred in the period 1857 to 1859 especially, and had significant effects continuing into the 1860s and beyond. It is often known as the ‘1859 Revival’. The focus here is the role of lay people within the revival — men and women and young people. The features of this revival were not uniform, and contextualization is important, but within the different contexts of the revival I am arguing for the place of lay people as crucial — as a feature of the ‘rhythms’ of revival. I suggest that the 1859 Revival illustrates the way in which the dislocation that characterizes revival offers fresh opportunities for lay leadership.