Welsh Revival of 1904-1905

Welsh Revival of 1904-1905: Wales is a country in the west of the United Kingdom with its own culture and language. Although small, it is known throughout the Christian world as the “Land of Revivals” due to a period in history when there were frequent outpourings of the Holy Spirit. It is also known as the “Land of Songs.” The two epitaphs are connected as revivals in Wales were often accompanied by fervent singing.

There were at least sixteen revivals in Wales between 1735 and 1905, with the last in 1904/5 being the most popular. Although it lasted a year, and was not the largest if measured by conversions per head of population, nevertheless the wealth of material written about this outpouring has made it the most famous. Many writers claim that this one revival alone influenced the rise of Pentecostalism and the spread of Christianity in Korea, China, South America and Africa.

Despite its significance, the start of the revival was very small and localised. Though there had been a longing for a new revival in Wales, the last national one had occurred in 1859, a clear sign of things to come happened on February 14, 1904 in a meeting in New Quay, Cardiganshire. 

The evening service at Tabernacle Calvinist Methodist Church had just ended, and the minister, Joseph Jenkins, was holding an “after meeting” to encourage the young people to share spiritual experiences. Such “experience meetings” had been the foundation of the Welsh Methodist Church since the early 1700s, but by the 20th century, they had fallen into disuse.

Jenkins put out the question, “What does Jesus Christ mean to you?” Someone answered, “He is the hope of the world.” Jenkins asked the question again, emphasising “to you.” A young girl, and recent convert, Florrie Evans, slowly replied, “I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.” The whole meeting was reduced to tears, and many came under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

In the weeks following this meeting, the young people took their testimonies to other churches in the area, and their church in New Quay became a centre for blessing and prayer for revival. Such was the spiritual impact that news of the events made it to the Western Mail, the national newspaper of Wales. At this stage, the revival was still local, confined to the West of Wales.

In September of 1904, the ministers of the area invited Seth Joshua, a popular evangelist from South Wales, to their meetings. These meetings attracted the attention of students who were preparing to enter ministry. One of those students was a young man called Evan Roberts from Loughor, just west of Swansea.

Roberts had a burden for revival in Wales but felt he had not submitted himself fully to God to receive the blessing needed to pursue it further. It was at a meeting in Blaenannerch where Joshua prayed, “Bend us” that Roberts took the prayer to heart, praying, “Bend me.” Later that morning, the fire fell on Roberts, and he became certain he must go to other churches and plead for souls to be saved and receive the blessing.

For some days, Robert visited churches with other young people, but all the time his vision was expanding until he was convinced he must take revival to all of Wales, starting with his home church. On October 31, 1904, he returned to Loughor to commence two weeks of meetings, armed with fresh vision of 100,000 coverts.

In the first couple of days, the congregations were small, and few people confessed Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. By the end of the fortnight, the churches were full, crowds were left outside the doors, there were too many converts to count, and the Western Mail was full of news of the revival.

 Evan Roberts was not alone in the revival work. Seth Joshua and his brother, Frank attended to increasing number of converts. The revival exploded in New Quay and the surrounding areas. Elsewhere, many other ministers found that their preaching yielded results. One of such was R. B. Jones, a Baptist minister from Porth in the Rhondda Valley.

On November 8, 1904, Jones started an evangelistic campaign in Rhosllanerchrugog, over a hundred miles north of Loughor. Not surprisingly, he knew nothing of the events at Loughor, yet within a day of starting his mission, he saw many coming under conviction and turning to Christ. God was moving independently across Wales, and many ministers who had longed to see revival and a deeper life were now experiencing the very events they had prayed for.

 For the next year, Roberts, and the other ministers involved, travelled around Wales, holding meetings for revival. Meetings were held down mines, in halls as well as churches and chapels. The Western Mail kept a monthly tally of converts, and many people from around the world travelled to Wales. By the end of 1905, 100,000 people had given their lives to Christ. This figure was eventually confirmed when the church membership figures for 1905 were published.

           Sadly, pressure and criticism from religious bigots affected Evan Roberts so much later that year that he was exhausted. He never ministered again, but remained a faithful and deeply spiritual Christian. In addition, the Welsh churches never grew again. Their membership numbers peaked in 1905, and they have declined ever since with most of the congregations now closed. This revival was the last in the “age of revivals.”

 It is important to note that Christians do not remember the revival for its long-term effect in Wales, but three notable features.  Firstly, it was an amazing sign of God’s grace with so many converts in a short period. Secondly, it was a huge blessing to believers at that time. God loves to reveal Himself to people, and in this revival, He did so in abundance.

Thirdly, the revival was the spark that lit the worldwide growth of the Christian church through many missions and movements. Although the last of the cycle of evangelical revivals that had started nearly two hundred years earlier, it was the first cycle of the Pentecostal revivals, which still continue across the world.

 Why do revivals end or rather, why do they not last long in most cases? The answer is simple. The Father does not accept the work of the flesh. Humans are a funny lot and they are fixated with control. Once humans start meddling with operations of the Holy Spirit by pushing their own agenda and programmes, He quietly withdraws.

*****Culled from Church Growth Modelling, https://www.churchmodel.org.uk