In the rise of evangelicalism on the North American shore, the Methodist Church exemplified a tireless pursuit of spreading the gospel. A noteworthy preacher by the name of Francis Asbury (displayed here) exemplified a deep passion for Christ in his circulation of the message of the gospel in the 18th and 19th century. Popularly known as a "circuit-rider" or "saddlebag preacher" Asbury (along with many other Methodists) took the gospel to people on horeback.
Asbury believed that people were lost without Jesus and displayed a genuine concern for the state of souls. It is said that Asbury covered 270,000 miles, crossed the Appalachian Mountains more than 60 times, and preached 16,000 sermons over the course of 45 years. The life of the itinerant preacher was rough, rugged, and relentless. His home was often the great outdoors, under a blanket of stars. Many circuit-riders died at a young age from long, hard miles and exposure to the elements. The persistance of circuit-riders led to a spoken proverb: "The weather is so bad today that nothing's out but crows and Methodist preachers."
In a day of urbanization, the rural church often feels neglected, unimportant, and unable to keep preachers for any length of time. Saddlebag preachers believed that no town or district was too small to have a gospel witness. Furthermore, these itinerant preachers believed the words of the Great Commision to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." These men were active gospel proclaimers that were motivated out of a genuine devotion to Christ to bring the message of Jesus to every person. Although the age of circuit-riding has been replaced by cars, and trucks, the principle of spreading the gospel far and wide with every means we have available should never be forgotten.
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