“He . . . gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11

In the early 1800s, there were many influences on the churches in the United States, including the westward movement, the new immigration, and the Civil War. Many divisions occurred as people left established churches and started new ones. Missionary societies were formed and were often interdenominational. In 1816 the American Bible Society was founded and began to distribute Bibles to even the remotest areas.

In 1786 the Methodists brought to the United States the idea of religious instruction for children. By 1816, only thirty years later, Sunday Schools could be found in every section of the country.

As the American West was being settled, there was growing need for religious leaders. Many denominations founded schools for religious education where future priests and ministers were trained.

Evangelists and missionaries became part of this move to the West. Evangelists are those who preach the gospel. They are Protestant ministers or ordinary people who speak at special services, often moving about to different places. Missionaries also preach the gospel, often in newly settled regions or in foreign countries. As a rule, they also do educational and hospital work.

The early nineteenth century also saw the beginning of camp meetings. These became a common practice in American evangelism and were held in every section of the West.

Immigrants from Europe as well as the large number of people moving westward caused the rapid growth of many new religious groups. Some of these were Mormons (known as Latter Day Saints), Adventists, and Christian Scientists. Evangelist Dwight Moody carried on Christian work among the Civil War soldiers.

Many churches, in the South as well as the North, felt an obligation to the black people who had been freed from slavery, so they set up schools to provide their religious instruction. Eventually, American people of African ancestry organized their own unique churches.

These fulfill the words of the text at the start of this lesson and are examples of how God’s word was brought to the people.

Missionaries preached the gospel in newly settled areas and in foreign countries.