George Whitefield
Who was George Whitefield?
English minister and preacher
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on George Whitefield (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
George Whitefield (27 December 1714 – 30 September 1770) was an English Anglican priest and traveling preacher, recognized as one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, England, he rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most widely heard preachers in the English-speaking world, drawing huge crowds in both England and America over a career that lasted more than 30 years.
Whitefield attended Pembroke College, Oxford in 1732, where he joined the 'Holy Club,' a strict religious group that included John and Charles Wesley. This group deeply influenced his theology and dedication to a disciplined religious life. He was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England and quickly became known for his powerful preaching. Unlike the Wesleys, Whitefield leaned towards Calvinist beliefs, creating a lasting doctrinal divide between him and his former colleagues.
Instead of settling in one parish, Whitefield chose to travel as an evangelist, preaching outdoors in fields, public spaces, and anywhere that could hold a crowd. In 1738, he traveled to British North America, and in 1739 he arrived in Philadelphia, where he befriended Benjamin Franklin, who admired his speaking skills and later printed his sermons. Whitefield's tours in America were key events of the Great Awakening, a major religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s. His outdoor sermons drew tens of thousands, and his dramatic, emotionally direct style made religion accessible to ordinary people, shaping the character of Protestant evangelicalism.
His approach was not without criticism. He faced ongoing disputes with clergymen who objected to his traveling preaching, his enthusiasm, and his disregard for parish boundaries. Critics accused him of inciting too much emotion and challenging church authority. Despite the criticism, his popularity was extraordinary throughout his life. By conservative estimates, Whitefield preached at least 18,000 times, reaching audiences of up to ten million people across the British Empire. He crossed the Atlantic thirteen times and made seven preaching tours of North America.
Whitefield died on 30 September 1770 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, having preached the night before his death despite being very ill. He was buried beneath the pulpit of the Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport. His death was mourned in both England and America, with tributes from people like the poet Phillis Wheatley and the statesman Benjamin Franklin.
Before Fame
George Whitefield was born on December 27, 1714, at the Bell Inn in Gloucester, England, where his father was the innkeeper. His father passed away when Whitefield was only two, and his mother remarried later. He went to The Crypt School in Gloucester, where he showed a talent for performance and public speaking, even acting in school plays. Although financial difficulties initially seemed to prevent him from going to university, he got into Pembroke College, Oxford, as a servitor, meaning he did chores in exchange for reduced tuition.
At Oxford, Whitefield's religious beliefs grew stronger. His connection with the Wesley brothers and the Holy Club introduced him to organized spiritual practices and serious theological study. He went through a long period of religious struggle and self-examination before having what he called a new birth, a conversion experience that became central to his preaching. He was ordained a deacon in June 1736 and gave his first sermon in Gloucester, moving the congregation to tears. Even from this early stage, it was clear that Whitefield had a remarkable ability for public preaching.
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the Methodist movement alongside John and Charles Wesley and helped establish the broader evangelical revival in Britain and North America.
- Preached an estimated 18,000 sermons to audiences potentially totaling ten million people across the British Empire during his lifetime.
- Played a central role in the Great Awakening, the widespread religious revival that transformed Protestant Christianity in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s.
- Founded the Bethesda Orphan House near Savannah, Georgia in 1740, one of the earliest charitable institutions in colonial America.
- Pioneered the practice of large-scale outdoor preaching, breaking from the tradition of pulpit-bound parish ministry and establishing a model for mass evangelical outreach.
Did You Know?
- 01.Benjamin Franklin, though not a religious man, calculated by acoustics that Whitefield's unamplified voice could be heard by as many as 30,000 people at a single outdoor gathering.
- 02.Whitefield crossed the Atlantic Ocean thirteen times during his ministry, an extraordinary undertaking given the dangers of eighteenth-century sea travel.
- 03.The enslaved poet Phillis Wheatley wrote an elegy upon Whitefield's death in 1770, one of her most celebrated poems, reflecting the wide emotional impact of his passing.
- 04.Whitefield was a vocal supporter of introducing slavery into the colony of Georgia and owned enslaved people himself at the Bethesda Orphan House he founded near Savannah.
- 05.Despite his close early friendship with John Wesley, Whitefield and Wesley became theological opponents over Calvinist predestination versus Wesley's Arminian belief in free will, dividing early Methodism into distinct camps.
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