50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know

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Empowering Stories from Spirit-Filled Leaders Who Blazed the Trail

Throughout history, countless believers have gained renewed strength and purpose by following in the footsteps of faithful servants of God who showed them the way. In sparkling prose and fascinating detail, Dean Merrill captures the bold, often surprising stories of fifty such leaders--notable Pentecostal, charismatic and Spirit-empowered trailblazers, including

Smith Wigglesworth, bold as a lion
William J. Seymour, igniting Azusa Street
John G. Lake, making room for the Healer
Aimee Semple McPherson, everybody's sister
David du Plessis, bridge-builder
Leonard Ravenhill, sounding the alarm
John and Elizabeth Sherrill, scribes of the renewal
Jesse Miranda, up from the barrio
David Wilkerson, straight shooter
Cindy Jacobs, the "general"

By taking you into the private worlds of these men and women of God, Merrill helps you feel the quickening pulse of fearless obedience to the Holy Spirit. Let their stories fill your own heart with courage for the road ahead.


Endorsements

"This book is like opening a front door and being invited into the living room of a significant person. As you read these chapters, you will feel like the main characters are speaking directly to you, as you sit spellbound at their Spirit-inspired stories."

Bishop Doug Beacham, International Pentecostal Holiness Church

"I am so encouraged and humbled by the stories of these remarkable men and women who responded in faith to the Holy Spirit's call on their lives and changed the world. Their lives are a testimony of what God can do with us if we step forward in faith and say yes to Him."

Samuel Rodriguez, president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

"Church history is filled with the amazing narrative of God's grace and power working in and through human jars of clay. Dean Merrill has captured fifty of these incredible stories to remind us all of the potential within us when given to the Potter."

Tammy Dunahoo, vice-president, The Foursquare Church

"Pentecostals and charismatics are a younger Christian family that has grown rapidly and been all too often misunderstood and stereotyped. Dean Merrill offers fifty windows into this movement that increasingly represents what global Christianity is becoming in the twenty-first century: ordinary people hungry for God and empowered by His Spirit."

Byron D. Klaus, former president, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

"I was thrilled when I heard about Dean Merrill's book, 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know. This book creates a vital bridge to our past. I plan to share it with the young leaders I am discipling. My prayer is that the same fire of the Spirit that burned in the hearts of these legendary heroes of the faith will be rekindled in these challenging days."

J. Lee Grady, former editor, Charisma; author, Set My Heart on Fire

"Through diligent research and gifted writing, Dean Merrill invites us on a journey alongside a diverse group of Spirit-empowered leaders who are amazingly gifted and humanly flawed yet tremendously inspiring. You'll want to move beyond the bus station's ticket counter for further exploration with intense longing for the Spirit's miraculous demonstration in our generation."

Kay Horner, executive director, Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA)

"Dean Merrill reminds us how our Lord uses women and men from various ethnicities, personalities and backgrounds to have Kingdom impact in their time through the Spirit's empowerment. This book stirred up my calling as a Pentecostal leader and motivated me to trust the Lord for gifts of faith in my own life."

David R. Wells, president, PCCNA; vice chair, Pentecostal World Fellowship;
general superintendent, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada

"The vast number of Pentecostal and charismatic leaders who have played a role in the spread of these movements is often confusing. We are indebted to Dean Merrill for his judicious selection of key players. His short biographical sketches are clearly written and to the point. This volume should be a primer for anyone who wishes to learn about those who have contributed so much to the spread of the Pentecostal message. God is very much alive and acting through His Spirit throughout the world in ways fully consistent with the experience of the earliest Christians."

Cecil M. Robeck Jr., senior professor of Church history and ecumenics, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Dean Merrill captures with exquisite clarity the diverse lives and multiple perspectives that shaped the Pentecostal and charismatic streams. Merrill reveals how encounters of the Spirit of God impacted imperfect people wrestling with racism, sexism, regionalism and differing viewpoints on war. A must read for students and scholars alike."

Daniel McNaughton, Ph.D., professor of practical theology, Southeastern University


The Author

  1. Dean Merrill

    Dean Merrill

    Dean Merrill is a former magazine editor (Campus Life, Leadership Journal) and editorial director (David C. Cook, Focus on the Family) who has written 10 books and co-authored 39 others, several of which have been ranked on New York Times...

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