George “Missional” Whitfield

Long before it became popular to talk about being a “missional” church or a “missional” pastor, George Whitfield was practicing “missional” ministry.

In reading A. Dallimore’s, George Whitfield, I’ve been struck again and again by how radically “missional” Whitfield’s 18th century ministry was. Whitfield was about the business of consistently, creatively, and courageously seeking to bring the gospel to new contexts, cultures, and peoples.

He preached to blue collar crowds of 30,000, gave Bible talks to small groups of the wealthy and elite, and labored to provide housing and gospel-centered education for the poor. Central to Whitfield’s ministry was the task of preaching. Dallimore has this to say about Whitfield’s missional philosophy of preaching:

He likewise urged all ministers not to be satisfied with preaching on Sundays only, but to do so seven days a week; to preach in the open air and not to be limited to their own parishes, but to go forth wherever lost souls were found and proclaim the grace of God to them.

We do well to learn from Whitfield. You might not amass his crowds of thousands upon thousands, but you surely can pray for and seek new ways to articulate the gospel to a stranger in the coffee shop, a friend at the water cooler, or a next door neighbor.