revivalists

Revivalists are individuals or leaders who advocate for revival, understood as renewed interest, renewed spiritual life, or renewed cultural engagement, and who organize efforts to inspire such renewal. The term is most often used in religious contexts, where revivalism seeks to awaken faith, deepen personal commitment, and expand church membership through targeted preaching, prayer, and public gatherings.

In Protestant history, revivalists played a central role in movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Great Awakening in the American colonies and Britain, and the Second Great Awakening in the United States. These efforts emphasized personal conversion, experiential faith, moral reform, and evangelistic outreach. Techniques associated with revivalism commonly included itinerant preaching, camp meetings, revivals, and sermon-centered campaigns designed to mobilize converts and volunteers.

Notable religious revivalists and movements span different traditions and eras. Early figures such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards helped shape 18th-century revivalism, while 19th-century reformers like Charles Finney further developed revivalist methods. In the 20th century, evangelists such as D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham carried revivalist approaches into mass campaigns, and Pentecostal revivalists, including leaders of the Azusa Street Revival, emphasized charismatic experiences of faith.

Beyond religion, revivalists can also refer to proponents of reviving interest in historical styles, languages, or cultural practices, such as Gothic Revival architecture or neoclassical art. In any context, revivalists aim to reinvigorate enthusiasm and participation, though revivalist movements are often accompanied by debates over methods, theology, and social impact.