What do you think?
Rate this book
50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know
Throughout history, inspiring leaders have stepped out in faith, stirring many to renewed strength and purpose. With sparkling writing and fascinating detail, Dean Merrill captures the bold, often surprising stories of notable Pentecostal, charismatic, and Spirit-empowered leaders.
As Dean trains his journalist's eye on the lives of Smith Wigglesworth, David du Plessis, William J. Seymour, Aimee Semple McPherson, and many more, these engaging narratives challenge readers to follow in the footsteps of these extraordinary individuals and obey the Holy Spirit.
As Dean trains his journalist's eye on the lives of Smith Wigglesworth, David du Plessis, William J. Seymour, Aimee Semple McPherson, and many more, these engaging narratives challenge readers to follow in the footsteps of these extraordinary individuals and obey the Holy Spirit.
- GenresAudiobook
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2021
11 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Dean Merrill
82 books10 followersDean Merrill is a former magazine editor (Campus Life, Leadership Journal, Christian Herald) and editorial director (David C. Cook, Focus on the Family) who has written 10 books and coauthored 35 others with such voices as
• Philippine missionary survivor Gracia Burnham
• Compassion International president Wess Stafford
• Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green
• Brooklyn Tabernacle pastor Jim Cymbala.
Several have won Gold Medallion Awards as well as been ranked on the New York Times bestseller lists.
His most recent titles have been "Miracle Invasion" (BroadStreet, 2018) and "50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know" (Chosen, 2021).
Merrill and his wife have lived in Colorado Springs since 1991. They are the parents of three married children and have welcomed a full dozen grandchildren (ten biological, two adopted).
• Philippine missionary survivor Gracia Burnham
• Compassion International president Wess Stafford
• Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green
• Brooklyn Tabernacle pastor Jim Cymbala.
Several have won Gold Medallion Awards as well as been ranked on the New York Times bestseller lists.
His most recent titles have been "Miracle Invasion" (BroadStreet, 2018) and "50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know" (Chosen, 2021).
Merrill and his wife have lived in Colorado Springs since 1991. They are the parents of three married children and have welcomed a full dozen grandchildren (ten biological, two adopted).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 18, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know by Dean Merrill. Although I grew up in a conservative, Pentecostal church, I knew very little about any of the men and women featured in this collection. Each mini-biography devotes four to six pages to providing condensed background information of the individual, an overview of the person’s spiritual journey and undertakings, and a perspective on how the man or woman impacted the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Although the biographies are kept short, many people reappear throughout the book and I thought the author did well tying it all together. I also appreciated that the author did not attempt to hide the short-comings of some individuals.
Reading 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know opened my mind to the diversity of Spirit-filled life. I was raised a certain way, I attend a church that operates differently than I was raised, and this book shines the light on how the Holy Spirit does not fit into a particular box. He ministers through diverse methods, peoples, and belief systems.
As I read the stories of healing and spiritual gifts, my own faith was strengthened and my desire for the fullness of the Holy Spirit grew. I recommend 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know by Dean Merrill to any Christian who enjoys biographies or is curious about the Holy Spirit.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
Reading 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know opened my mind to the diversity of Spirit-filled life. I was raised a certain way, I attend a church that operates differently than I was raised, and this book shines the light on how the Holy Spirit does not fit into a particular box. He ministers through diverse methods, peoples, and belief systems.
As I read the stories of healing and spiritual gifts, my own faith was strengthened and my desire for the fullness of the Holy Spirit grew. I recommend 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know by Dean Merrill to any Christian who enjoys biographies or is curious about the Holy Spirit.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
March 30, 2021
Dean Merrill is the author, co-author, or editor of more than 30 books. His newest is 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know (Chosen Books), forthcoming in March. Merrill recently talked with Influence Executive Editor George P. Wood about the lessons learned from these Spirit-filled trailblazers.
GEORGE P. WOOD: Why should pastors read biographies?
DEAN MERRILL: Don’t think only of big, thick, 350-page biographies. For many people in my book, those full-scale treatments haven’t been written yet, and may never be. But I did a page count of how much of the Book that God wrote (the Bible) is narrative/biographical, and it came to 41%. God apparently thought such material was worthwhile to teach us about courage, priorities, sin, the value of wise counsel, what prayer actually accomplishes, and other topics.
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). The same can be said about our more recent spiritual trailblazers.
The past year was difficult. What do your sketches teach about suffering and hope?
Read about John G. Lake’s wife collapsing (probably of malnutrition) within 10 months of arriving on the mission field; Dennis Bennett getting railroaded out of his elite Episcopal church soon after he told of his Spirit baptism; Jack Hayford wishing he could leave his tiny, struggling Foursquare congregation in Van Nuys, California, but hearing the Spirit say, “Stay”; and Reinhard Bonnke having to shut down a campaign in northern Nigeria when hostile Muslims started burning Christian churches. The point: Spirit-commissioned work has never been a cakewalk.
Racial justice is an important topic. What light does Pentecostal history shed on this?
We got off to a terrific start at the Azusa Street Mission, notwithstanding the Jim Crow laws of that era. At the mission, all races sought the Spirit’s empowerment shoulder to shoulder. Visitors from the South and elsewhere were amazed. To quote eyewitness Frank Bartleman’s famous line, “The color line was washed away in the Blood.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t last. By the 1920s, the heirs of Azusa Street were gradually segregating into separate fellowships. Some tried to excuse this on doctrinal grounds, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. The chasm persisted all the way until the “Memphis Miracle” of 1994, which spawned the new multiracial Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. That’s a great story in my book, too.
What role have women played in Pentecostalism? What challenges did they face?
My very first profile is on Maria Woodworth-Etter. God used her mightily in healing campaigns. She was present at the historic 1914 organizing council (Hot Springs, Arkansas) of the Assemblies of God — although she wrote that some of the men in charge were careful not to give her “too much authority.” Nevertheless, a later AG historian (Carl Brumback) honored [Etter] by writing, “She looked just like your grandmother, but ... exercised tremendous spiritual authority over sin, disease, and demons.”
My book of 50 profiles highlights 13 women — some for their solo ministries (Aimee Semple McPherson, Agnes Sanford, Kathryn Kuhlman), and others for what they did — or are still doing — alongside their husbands (Freda Lindsay, Judith MacNutt, Julie Ma, etc.).
Some say Pentecostalism came from “the wrong side of the tracks.” How has that shaped Pentecostalism?
It’s true. First Corinthians 1 says not many converts in Corinth were influential, not many of noble birth. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (verse 27).
I remember as a teenager growing up in an AG church how on Sunday nights we’d sometimes add a verse to the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” grinning as we belted out, “Though they call me a ‘holy roller,’ I won’t turn back, I won’t turn back.”
But in these more recent years, many of us have gotten more upscale, more polished, more “respectable.” The danger now for us Pentecostals is sacrificing our distinctives in order to keep membership in what I call “the evangelical club.”
How should we assess the flaws of our spiritual heroes?
Jamie Buckingham had a great line on this. (His moral failure early in his pastoral ministry just about torpedoed him, leading only later to his “second career” in Christian writing.) He wrote in a 1980 book, “Perfection still eludes me. I am still vulnerable. But most important, I am no longer satisfied with my imperfection. Nor, thank God, am I intimidated by it. I have reached the point of recognizing that God uses imperfect, immoral, dishonest people. In fact, that’s all there are these days. All the holy men seem to have gone off and died. There’s no one left but us sinners to carry on the ministry.”
P.S. This article appears in the January–March 2021 edition of Influence magazine and is posted here by permission.
P.P.S. I posted this interview as a review on Amazon. If you like the interview, please click "Helpful" on my Amazon review page.
GEORGE P. WOOD: Why should pastors read biographies?
DEAN MERRILL: Don’t think only of big, thick, 350-page biographies. For many people in my book, those full-scale treatments haven’t been written yet, and may never be. But I did a page count of how much of the Book that God wrote (the Bible) is narrative/biographical, and it came to 41%. God apparently thought such material was worthwhile to teach us about courage, priorities, sin, the value of wise counsel, what prayer actually accomplishes, and other topics.
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). The same can be said about our more recent spiritual trailblazers.
The past year was difficult. What do your sketches teach about suffering and hope?
Read about John G. Lake’s wife collapsing (probably of malnutrition) within 10 months of arriving on the mission field; Dennis Bennett getting railroaded out of his elite Episcopal church soon after he told of his Spirit baptism; Jack Hayford wishing he could leave his tiny, struggling Foursquare congregation in Van Nuys, California, but hearing the Spirit say, “Stay”; and Reinhard Bonnke having to shut down a campaign in northern Nigeria when hostile Muslims started burning Christian churches. The point: Spirit-commissioned work has never been a cakewalk.
Racial justice is an important topic. What light does Pentecostal history shed on this?
We got off to a terrific start at the Azusa Street Mission, notwithstanding the Jim Crow laws of that era. At the mission, all races sought the Spirit’s empowerment shoulder to shoulder. Visitors from the South and elsewhere were amazed. To quote eyewitness Frank Bartleman’s famous line, “The color line was washed away in the Blood.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t last. By the 1920s, the heirs of Azusa Street were gradually segregating into separate fellowships. Some tried to excuse this on doctrinal grounds, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. The chasm persisted all the way until the “Memphis Miracle” of 1994, which spawned the new multiracial Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. That’s a great story in my book, too.
What role have women played in Pentecostalism? What challenges did they face?
My very first profile is on Maria Woodworth-Etter. God used her mightily in healing campaigns. She was present at the historic 1914 organizing council (Hot Springs, Arkansas) of the Assemblies of God — although she wrote that some of the men in charge were careful not to give her “too much authority.” Nevertheless, a later AG historian (Carl Brumback) honored [Etter] by writing, “She looked just like your grandmother, but ... exercised tremendous spiritual authority over sin, disease, and demons.”
My book of 50 profiles highlights 13 women — some for their solo ministries (Aimee Semple McPherson, Agnes Sanford, Kathryn Kuhlman), and others for what they did — or are still doing — alongside their husbands (Freda Lindsay, Judith MacNutt, Julie Ma, etc.).
Some say Pentecostalism came from “the wrong side of the tracks.” How has that shaped Pentecostalism?
It’s true. First Corinthians 1 says not many converts in Corinth were influential, not many of noble birth. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (verse 27).
I remember as a teenager growing up in an AG church how on Sunday nights we’d sometimes add a verse to the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” grinning as we belted out, “Though they call me a ‘holy roller,’ I won’t turn back, I won’t turn back.”
But in these more recent years, many of us have gotten more upscale, more polished, more “respectable.” The danger now for us Pentecostals is sacrificing our distinctives in order to keep membership in what I call “the evangelical club.”
How should we assess the flaws of our spiritual heroes?
Jamie Buckingham had a great line on this. (His moral failure early in his pastoral ministry just about torpedoed him, leading only later to his “second career” in Christian writing.) He wrote in a 1980 book, “Perfection still eludes me. I am still vulnerable. But most important, I am no longer satisfied with my imperfection. Nor, thank God, am I intimidated by it. I have reached the point of recognizing that God uses imperfect, immoral, dishonest people. In fact, that’s all there are these days. All the holy men seem to have gone off and died. There’s no one left but us sinners to carry on the ministry.”
P.S. This article appears in the January–March 2021 edition of Influence magazine and is posted here by permission.
P.P.S. I posted this interview as a review on Amazon. If you like the interview, please click "Helpful" on my Amazon review page.
July 21, 2021
Great Moves of God
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2021/07/21/... THANK YOU!
This is a great book that tells you the true stories of Christian people you may, or may not, have heard of. The information is very interesting about people I was already aware of, but I really loved hearing about the lives of those I had never heard of.
For instance, Marie Woodworth-Etter felt the call of God on her life as a child, but she didn’t know how to do anything about it since she was a woman. After many years of heartache, at the age of thirty-five, she was finally allowed to speak.
Eventually, she did end up telling people about The Lord at many places, but even then she faced the possibility of being arrested, or being hurt by vicious mobs. There was also a group that wanted to declare her insane. Despite all these trials and more, she continued speaking the word of God.
Many of these accounts include miracles these people saw. In Smith Wigglesworth’s ministry, he told a man who was wheelchair bound because of amputations in both legs, to purchase a new pair of shoes. Although others who heard it thought he was cruel, the man did go to a store the next day and purchase shoes. When he put each stump into a shoe, a new foot and leg was instantly formed, and the man was able to walk out of the shop!
Stories of the extraordinary await you in this book. People included represent many denominations and walks of life. For instance, there is Larry Christenson, a Lutheran pastor; Francis MacNutt, a Catholic Dominican Friar; and Pat Robertson, a television host and business magnet. Having their lives changed by the Holy Spirit is the common connection they all share.
Read of the powers and wonders our Lord released in these people. It will build you up, and give you a new outlook. I recommend this five-star book to everyone.
Chosen Books has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders, for the purpose of review.
PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2021/07/21/... THANK YOU!
This is a great book that tells you the true stories of Christian people you may, or may not, have heard of. The information is very interesting about people I was already aware of, but I really loved hearing about the lives of those I had never heard of.
For instance, Marie Woodworth-Etter felt the call of God on her life as a child, but she didn’t know how to do anything about it since she was a woman. After many years of heartache, at the age of thirty-five, she was finally allowed to speak.
Eventually, she did end up telling people about The Lord at many places, but even then she faced the possibility of being arrested, or being hurt by vicious mobs. There was also a group that wanted to declare her insane. Despite all these trials and more, she continued speaking the word of God.
Many of these accounts include miracles these people saw. In Smith Wigglesworth’s ministry, he told a man who was wheelchair bound because of amputations in both legs, to purchase a new pair of shoes. Although others who heard it thought he was cruel, the man did go to a store the next day and purchase shoes. When he put each stump into a shoe, a new foot and leg was instantly formed, and the man was able to walk out of the shop!
Stories of the extraordinary await you in this book. People included represent many denominations and walks of life. For instance, there is Larry Christenson, a Lutheran pastor; Francis MacNutt, a Catholic Dominican Friar; and Pat Robertson, a television host and business magnet. Having their lives changed by the Holy Spirit is the common connection they all share.
Read of the powers and wonders our Lord released in these people. It will build you up, and give you a new outlook. I recommend this five-star book to everyone.
Chosen Books has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders, for the purpose of review.
March 6, 2022
Dean Merrill’s 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know is a pretty good introductory work to Pentecostal and charismatic history. Each of these Wikipedia-like biographical sketches are short; in fact, I wish they were a bit longer and more detailed, but the benefit of their short length is that they work well for someone to read once a day as part of their daily devotional time.
What sets Merrill’s contribution apart from previous works and makes it worthwhile is its inclusion of more recent and more diverse Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders. I was unfamiliar with some of them and glad to get to know them. I love that Wonsuk and Julie Ma are included. I also love that Francisco Olazábal is included. I’m surprised that Dr. Yonggi Cho is absent and share Dr. Craig S. Keener’s vote that Pandita Ramabai could have been included. Ultimately, however, I recognize that, unfortunately, as the work of an American author, it’s to be expected that the choices would largely be from the American or Western church. I’m also overjoyed to see one of my personal heroes, Mike Bickle, included and would have loved to see Loren Cunningham, briefly mentioned, included.
The one thing lacking in this book that would have been a significant benefit is a recommended resource list for each of the leaders. As an introductory work, the biographies, though short, are suitable, but the lack of a list of recommended resources is a missed opportunity for those who would love to learn more. A bibliography of resources is included, but it is sparse and doesn’t even include every leader included in the book. Ultimately, as an introductory work or a daily devotional text, Dean Merrill’s 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know is great, and, as far as I’m aware, there isn’t anything else like it available at the moment. Still, there were a few missed opportunities here.
This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. Thanks go to NetGalley and Chosen Books for providing the ARC.
What sets Merrill’s contribution apart from previous works and makes it worthwhile is its inclusion of more recent and more diverse Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders. I was unfamiliar with some of them and glad to get to know them. I love that Wonsuk and Julie Ma are included. I also love that Francisco Olazábal is included. I’m surprised that Dr. Yonggi Cho is absent and share Dr. Craig S. Keener’s vote that Pandita Ramabai could have been included. Ultimately, however, I recognize that, unfortunately, as the work of an American author, it’s to be expected that the choices would largely be from the American or Western church. I’m also overjoyed to see one of my personal heroes, Mike Bickle, included and would have loved to see Loren Cunningham, briefly mentioned, included.
The one thing lacking in this book that would have been a significant benefit is a recommended resource list for each of the leaders. As an introductory work, the biographies, though short, are suitable, but the lack of a list of recommended resources is a missed opportunity for those who would love to learn more. A bibliography of resources is included, but it is sparse and doesn’t even include every leader included in the book. Ultimately, as an introductory work or a daily devotional text, Dean Merrill’s 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know is great, and, as far as I’m aware, there isn’t anything else like it available at the moment. Still, there were a few missed opportunities here.
This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. Thanks go to NetGalley and Chosen Books for providing the ARC.
August 10, 2021
Dean Merrill has provided a brief overview of the lives and ministries of some of the key figures of modern Pentecostal and Charismatic history. I enjoyed meeting a few Spirit-filled influencers that were unfamiliar to me. Yet, I would have liked the book to include some others Merrill excluded. It was frankly shocking that the "Father of Modern Pentecostalism", Charles F. Parham, was not included, and disappointing he didn't find room to include the extraordinary ministries of George and Stephen Jeffries. Another surprise was the exclusion of the highly influential founding pastor of the world's largest church, David Yonggi Cho. Of course, everyone's list will be a little different. Yet, the book has a good diversity of various personalities who have been some of the leaders of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement. I highly recommend this enjoyable and easy read.
July 21, 2023
This was a great read for me, and many of the leaders I did not recognize from the Charismatic side. As the author says at the beginning of the book, I had several Anacostia leaders I wondered would be on the list and did not see them there.
However, I learned about a lot of leaders I did not know of. Many of the more Charismatic We knew all yours. I learned a lot from the book about these leaders and they seemed to leave very interesting lives.
I highly recommend checking out this book if you are interested in Pentecostal and charismatic leaders. It's a quick Bio of each one. I would gladly read about more leaders in both of these streams of Christian leadership. You need to check out this book if you are empowered customer care is, because you will learn about people you should know about it may not. That's what happened to me.
However, I learned about a lot of leaders I did not know of. Many of the more Charismatic We knew all yours. I learned a lot from the book about these leaders and they seemed to leave very interesting lives.
I highly recommend checking out this book if you are interested in Pentecostal and charismatic leaders. It's a quick Bio of each one. I would gladly read about more leaders in both of these streams of Christian leadership. You need to check out this book if you are empowered customer care is, because you will learn about people you should know about it may not. That's what happened to me.
October 15, 2021
Really enjoyed these short easy-to-read vignettes about people I've heard about but didn't know who they were or why they were important.
Except for one.
Such a joy to read about our pastor from long ago--the one who married us--and what he did long before I arrived at his church as a lost teenager.
Excellent handbook.
Except for one.
Such a joy to read about our pastor from long ago--the one who married us--and what he did long before I arrived at his church as a lost teenager.
Excellent handbook.
July 27, 2025
Mike Bickle, Gordon Lindsay, Brabham, Hagin, Pat Robertson a book of embarrassments. then are some people i respect in here, but there are also a lot of frauds. reading Merrill without knowing their backstories and about the NAR will give a very different impression. this goes in the recycling bin.
June 17, 2021
Loved reading the history of the church!
Several names I have recognized, and reading their story of being used by the Holy Spirit is so wonderful - and it's all about Jesus. I had trouble putting the book down to go to bed cause I wanted to read how the next person was used.
Several names I have recognized, and reading their story of being used by the Holy Spirit is so wonderful - and it's all about Jesus. I had trouble putting the book down to go to bed cause I wanted to read how the next person was used.
May 11, 2021
Brief, interesting, informative, inspiring bios, an excellent resource
May 16, 2023
Refreshing.
August 23, 2022
50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders every Christian should know is a
collection of small biographies of men and women of God such as Maria Woodworth Etter, Smith Wigglesworth, William J. Seymour, Kathryn Kuhlman...
It was an interesting to learn about their ministries they were some people I did not know so it was good to find out more about them (like Demos Shakarian,one of my favorites).
This book shows you how an encounter with the Holy Spirit propelled them in their ministries, open door for them and allow them to grow in their relationship with God and serve the Church.
They were imperfect people. Some made mistakes,but they were all devoted to God and we can learn from them.
I received a copy of this book and this is an honest review.
collection of small biographies of men and women of God such as Maria Woodworth Etter, Smith Wigglesworth, William J. Seymour, Kathryn Kuhlman...
It was an interesting to learn about their ministries they were some people I did not know so it was good to find out more about them (like Demos Shakarian,one of my favorites).
This book shows you how an encounter with the Holy Spirit propelled them in their ministries, open door for them and allow them to grow in their relationship with God and serve the Church.
They were imperfect people. Some made mistakes,but they were all devoted to God and we can learn from them.
I received a copy of this book and this is an honest review.
December 3, 2023
An encouraging book on a denomination/movement in Christianity that I honestly know little about. I probably knew about 3-5 out of 50 of the leaders/pastors listed in here as Merrill did a great job covering a wide range of Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders across the world and across history. He doesn’t shy away from the shortcomings of some of the leaders but does a good job of giving a short but rich overview of each leader. This book challenged me and gave me many more interesting theological concepts/leaders to study after I finished it. All in all, Merrill’s book was just the right amount of introduction for the reader to get to know and better understand some of the major leaders in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement over the years. Really enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews