The answer to this extremely important question has come to me as a slow, slow burn. Like a firework wick that’s a couple hundred feet long, a firework which is so long that it would take decades to end, and adding to that, rain and water snuffing out the burn so that it has to be restarted.

If we’re to define just what a classical Pentecostal evangelist should look like, then we’d be referring to Wesleyan preachers of justification and sanctification, Bible holiness, and hellfire preaching in the tradition of Wesley and Finney. But also such an evangelist has a post-gospel sermon time of prayer for the sick with the laying on of hands. Smith Wigglesworth has often been regarded as the model of this. As time went on, Oral Roberts took the place of Wigglesworth as the model Pentecostal evangelist. But Roberts shifted his focus in the 1960s towards the new message called the prosperity gospel. Justification and Sanctification were tossed aside as the Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham was seen to bear the burden of the salvation message alone. But not all Pentecostal preachers agreed with the prosperity gospel, Word of Faith, positive confession direction that Roberts took the Pentecostal churches. David Wilkerson and Steve Hill represented the old guard of Pentecostal evangelists who understood the “full gospel” to include a sermon outlined by repentance, faith in the blood, justification, sanctification, baptism in the Holy Spirit with tongues, and divine healing. As of the writing of this article, the Assemblies of God no longer provides licenses to itinerant evangelists! I have this on the word of an AG credentials employee by email. Apparently the church growth movement has made AG leaders feel like the church has no need for licensed and credentialed evangelists anymore.

Church of God (Cleveland) seems to license evangelists though, after a 6 month membership and tithing period under a Church of God pastor, but even then the preference seems to be to use the license to be a pastor. Which is concerning, because the role of an evangelist is strictly gospel centered, whereas the traditional role of a pastor is more about spiritual formation, expository preaching, visitation, catechism, and biblical counseling. In other words, today’s vague “call to preach” is reinterpreted by most to be a call to pastoral ministry, where practically every chapter of the Bible is meant to be explained and taught. The history of Israel and the authorship of Bible books. The role of the gospel preaching evangelist who travels around from church to church…there’s no direction for this guy. He’ll just be directed to go into youth ministry, get frustrated, and quit the ministry.

It seems that Bill Wiese is the closest to a traditional Pentecostal evangelist today, and I think he does a great job. And what do we have in this case? A non-denominational evangelistic ministry, with book publishing, bookings, a website, and last but not least a YouTube subscriber following. And maybe Rumble for the really gritty stuff. I look at Joe Schimmel (Good Fight Ministries) as another example. I think Michael Miller, especially (Remnant Radio); and Shane Winnings (Promise Keepers) would also fall into this category. Going through the AG or COG and waiting for some pastor to approve of you, give you an opportunity to preach, commission you, and send you out…if you think all that’s gonna happen right there at your home church, you’re just setting yourself up for what Ray Comfort has called evangelical frustration. The Pentecostal evangelistic ministry has by and large become a do-it-yourself (DIY) activity, or a sort of entrepreneurial ministry endeavor, in my point of view.

Dr. John R. Rice, The Evangelist (Sword of the Lord, 1968).

Gary Wilkerson, David Wilkerson (Zondervan, 2014).

Mack Tomlinson, In Light of Eternity (Granted Ministries Press, 2019).

Stanley Frodsham, Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith (GPH, 1948).