Appendix

The Impact of Simpson and His Message on the Christian and Missionary Alliance Today

All organizations, whether secular or religious, go through changes when their founders die. Some groups keep the original vision of their leaders, while others tend to go off into other directions that their leaders never envisioned. In the life of denominations, it is often the case that after the founder dies, the church becomes a religious bureaucracy. It then becomes concerned only with keeping the organization going as it forgets the original guiding vision of the organization. Oswald Chambers comments:

Look at the history of every vigorous movement born spontaneously of the Holy Spirit: There comes a time when its true spiritual power dies, and it dies in correspondence to the success of the organization. Every denomination or missionary departs from its true spiritual power when it becomes a successful organization, because the advocates of the denomination or the missionary enterprise after a while have to see first of all to the establishment and success of their organization, while the thing that made them what they are has gone like a grain of wheat into the ground and died.

Although this pattern does not hold true in every church or denomination, it is true of a majority of cases. It takes real effort and focus to keep the original vision and passion alive in any denomination or church.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance has struggled with this very issue. There is a concerted effort to return to the original vision and burden that God gave Simpson and the early Christian and Missionary Alliance. Simpson was compelled to teach and preach the Fourfold Gospel and take the gospel to the unreached masses both at home and abroad. Simpson founded a movement, and those in the Christian and Missionary Alliance want to keep that movement’s vision alive within the context of the denomination.

Peter Nanfelt, former president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, feels that the denomination he leads is gradually becoming more movement-like. Nanfelt wrote to Alliance workers asking them to pray for a fresh infilling of God’s Spirit before the General Council convened in May of 2001. He urged prayer for the Christian and Missionary Alliance to again experience a moving of the Holy Spirit similar to what happened in Simpson’s day. The theme for that General Council and for the entire Christian and Missionary Alliance in the United States throughout 2001 was “The Wind of God-Empowering the Movement.” The leadership saw the necessity of getting back to the original vision and passion Simpson demonstrated.

Nanfelt reminded his constituents that the two distinctives of the Alliance today are the same as they were in Simpson’s day. The message is the sufficiency of Christ demonstrated in the Fourfold Gospel, and the mission is to finish the Great Commission. Donald Wiggins, former vice president for Church Ministries for the Christian and Missionary Alliance, comments that every generation of Alliance leaders has to be captivated by the original vision that God gave Simpson and the early Alliance. He says if there is any glue that binds the Alliance together, it is this vision.

How has Simpson and his message impacted the Alliance today? The Fourfold Gospel is still being preached in Alliance churches throughout the world. Everyone—from the president to local pastors—is still being impacted by the message and the mission. Of the eight leaders in the Alliance that were interviewed for this book, all were deeply and personally impacted by the Fourfold Gospel. The message had changed their lives. They had caught sight of this shared vision of worldwide outreach, and it had become a central focus in their lives. The Alliance has kept the original emphasis of evangelism that Simpson practiced and preached as a major focus in its work. Its churches still place a great emphasis on Christ as Savior. On any given Sunday in most Alliance churches, one will hear about the necessity of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Simpson put a great emphasis on the authority and inerrancy of the Scripture, which is also being stressed in Alliance churches today. The Christian and Missionary Alliance did not fall into the trap of the liberal view of higher criticism. Over the course of its history, the Christian and Missionary Alliance has remained true to the authority of the Scripture. Nanfelt writes, “The Christian and Missionary Alliance has done as well as any denomination in holding to the authority of the Scripture. This is a notable achievement.” A high view of Scripture is critical when preaching the Fourfold Gospel along with the missionary mandate found in the Great Commission.

Throughout the interviews conducted in the course of researching this book, five aspects of Simpson’s message that still impact the Christian and Missionary Alliance today were discovered. Though the impact on the modern-day Christian and Missionary Alliance may not be as it was in Simpson’s day, these aspects continue to influence the current Alliance even into the twenty-first century. The Alliance recognizes them and is trying to raise them up to the same level of emphasis Simpson placed on them.

The first of these five aspects is Simpson’s passion and vision for not only preaching the Fourfold Gospel, but also to reach the world for Christ. This took on the label of Christ our Savior. This is the basis of all Christianity and the Fourfold Gospel. It is the basis of the Christian life. It has to be in the forefront of the message the Alliance preaches. All those interviewed agreed with this notion. The ministry of the Christian and Missionary Alliance is to complete the Great Commission both here and abroad. Nanfelt states the only way this can be done is for the Alliance to become a movement again. Nanfelt states that the Alliance has “to become a movement of churches and Great Commission Christians, who are vibrant, healthy, engaged in evangelism and missions and living the life of Christ.” This is not only true of Christ as Savior, but also of the rest of the Fourfold Gospel.

The second aspect of Simpson’s message dealing with individual holiness is Christ our Sanctifier, which Simpson stressed throughout his ministry. Next to salvation, he believed sanctification was the most important experience that could take place in any Christian’s life. Sanctification is the key to the individual growth of any Christian and also to reaching the world for Christ. This sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit needs to be demonstrated in the lives of all believers. The Christian and Missionary Alliance believes it cannot carry out God’s vision without Spirit-filled clergy and laity. This original vision, as laid out by Simpson, cannot be carried out without experiencing Christ as Sanctifier. This aspect of Simpson’s message was likewise understood by all who were interviewed. They all realized the importance of keeping sanctification at the forefront of the Christian and Missionary Alliance’s work. All had been changed by meeting Christ as Sanctifier. John Soper, vice president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, stated, “In the Alliance I found that [filling of the Holy Spirit and holiness of life] were both part of the message of Jesus Christ as my Sanctifier. He gives me power for life and holiness and also for service. It has revolutionized my ministry and my life.” The centrality of Christ as Sanctifier is being stressed by the leadership in the Alliance. Nanfelt states that next to his salvation, his experience of sanctification was the most significant event in his life. It was only after this surrender that he felt called into missions. In the January 2004 newsletter to official Alliance workers, Completing Christ’s Commission, Nanfelt titled his article “Preached a Sermon on Sanctification Lately?” Nanfelt stresses the importance of preaching on sanctification and its key in the believer’s life.

The third aspect of Simpson’s teaching that continues to impact the Alliance is Christ our Healer. Simpson stressed this aspect the least of any other aspect of his message, but it is healing for which he is best known. This aspect of the Fourfold Gospel is the least stressed in Alliance churches. This may be due to the unbiblical teaching on healing that is being taught in some Christian circles. Some Alliance pastors have shied away from this component of the Fourfold Gospel. There is a fear among some Alliance pastors of appearing to be too pentecostal or charismatic. It is important for all those in leadership to teach this third fold of the Fourfold Gospel. Simpson gave a biblical definition to “divine healing.” Because of that biblical definition and the reports of divine healing experienced throughout the world, Simpson’s message continues to be well received even today.

The fourth aspect of Simpson’s message that continues to influence the Alliance was his burden and vision for missions and his desire to “bring back the King.” He labeled this aspect Christ our King. Simpson wanted to see the Great Commission fulfilled in his lifetime. This is still the lifeblood of the Christian and Missionary Alliance today, and in many circles is what the Christian and Missionary Alliance is best known. Simpson taught that every Christian was responsible to preach the gospel and to help “bring back the King.” Reitz felt this was the least understood of the four folds—not that Christ is returning, which is understood by all Christians, but the fact that believers can hasten the return of Christ by preaching the good news to the ends of the earth. Many today in Alliance churches do not share the same level of passion, sacrifice, and commitment that Simpson and the early Alliance had to see the gospel preached. Nanfelt also sees a problem in that not all members of Alliance churches today are living with the imminent return of Christ in mind. He feels it is being preached and presented, but whether all Alliance Christians are living with this awareness may be a different question. Again, there is a need to share a vision of God and a commitment to preach the return of Christ. There is also a need to make the sacrifices necessary to complete this task.

The final aspect of Simpson’s teaching, which has not been emphasized as much as the first two aspects, is his burden for urban outreach. Although this burden was an important part of his original missionary zeal, Simpson himself ended up putting less stress on this area toward the end of his ministry. Urban outreach is now being rediscovered by those in the Alliance as an aspect that needs to be stressed again as it was in the early days of the Alliance. This burden and vision for urban outreach needs to be rekindled. Even those who have been involved in it get discouraged at times. It has been especially difficult to spread this vision nationally to reach the urban centers. It is often easier to do it locally. The Metropolitan District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance has emphasized urban outreach and has seen much success in the New York City metropolitan area. Reitz, the director of urban outreach, often feels like a “voice crying in the wilderness” when trying to generate interest and passion for urban outreach. Yet he continues. Hopefully, the passion and vision Simpson had will once again burn in the souls of the Alliance constituency.

Simpson was one of those set apart as a leader of the Third Great Awakening in the nineteenth and early twentieth century by his exceptional passion and vision for the world. Simpson not only believed in the Fourfold Gospel, he also believed it should be preached to the entire world. He believed that the world could be reached for Christ in his generation. He was convinced that it could be done, and he was going to do it. Simpson attracted like-minded men and women, and soon they were caught up in his burden to reach the world. His fellow early leaders shared this same devotion and goal. It is of key importance that the leadership in the Christian and Missionary Alliance today continue to share this same vision and passion.

Barry Jordan, an Alliance missionary to Indonesia, sees this as one of the greatest problems facing the Alliance church in Indonesia. He feels that too many people do not have the same goal Simpson had: they are too inward-looking and need to concentrate on reaching beyond Indonesia. They need to see the lost the way Christ did. The Indonesian church is surrounded by Muslims, but members have not seen the need to reach them. Jordan felt that translating Wingspread, the Simpson biography written by A. W. Tozer, into an Indonesian language might help Indonesian church leaders get an idea of the concern Simpson had for the lost. Simpson modeled this burden and vision in his own life. He was not only burdened for the lost in New York City, but also for the unreached people of the world. Those who worked with him caught this same desire and concern. Simpson’s message was a biblical one, and those in the Alliance and the church as a whole need to ask God for this same perspective today. This passion and vision have to be continually kindled; if not, both will be lost.

Walborn, the head of pastoral studies at Nyack College, says one of the goals in teaching students is that they come to have the same concern Simpson felt for the lost. He feels that many of his students are catching this vision and burden that Simpson had. These students will become pastors and missionaries who will continue preaching the Fourfold Gospel and reaching the lost for Christ with the same enthusiasm Simpson had.

Daniel Evearitt, professor of theology at Toccoa Falls College, agrees that it is the natural tendency of any movement or church to lose the original vision of its founder. Therefore, this guiding vision needs to be emphasized, taught, and caught by the members. Evearitt tries to do this with his students at Toccoa in a spiritual formation class in which they learn about Simpson’s concern and desire to preach the Fourfold Gospel to reach the world. This vision and passion must be instilled in the pastors and missionaries in the Alliance, and they in turn must implant it in their congregations and in the churches that are planted on the mission field. Alliance pastors and missionaries must model Simpson’s vision and passion for those who have never heard the name of Christ.

Simpson had a vision of those who had never heard of Christ perishing for eternity. This vision is what drove him. Simpson saw the need around him. Those who are leading congregations and planting churches on the mission field need the same vision and passion. If they have it, members of their congregations will catch it. Larry Zulauf states that Christians need to ask the Holy Spirit to ignite inside them the same burden and passion for the lost Simpson felt. It has to be a work of God in any Christian’s life.

Reitz feels the Alliance is still being impacted by that original vision and passion. Reitz reports that he sees this same burden and concern in some of the urban pastors that minister with the Alliance in the metropolitan New York City area. Simpson’s dream to reach the world for Christ and to finish the Great Commission was bigger than he was and larger even than the early Alliance. It is greater than the Christian and Missionary Alliance today. It is greater than the church as a whole. It can only be accomplished through the power of Christ. Simpson dreamt big, and the Alliance needs to continue to dream in the same manner. Rick Warren observes, “Some pastors are afraid to ask for big commitment, fearing that they will drive people away. But people do not resent being asked for a great commitment, if there is a great purpose behind it.”

Understanding the Fourfold Gospel

Simpson emphasized Christ as Savior as the most important point of the gospel. He stressed Christ as Sanctifier as the second most important part of the Fourfold Gospel. Simpson wrote that “the coming of the Holy Spirit to a human heart is the second great epoch of our spiritual life and marks a crisis just as distinct as conversion itself.” Christ as Sanctifier impacts Christ as Healer and Christ as Coming King. One cannot expect to go to God for healing if there is unconfessed sin in one’s life. According to James 5:17, to be in that condition, one needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is also necessary to know Christ as Sanctifier if one is going to fulfill the Great Commission. The only way the gospel is going to be taken to the entire world is through Spirit-filled Christians. The gospel cannot be preached to the entire world without the sanctified Christian church. The only way Christians can live a holy life and carry out the service that God has called them to is to know Christ as their Sanctifier. Simpson wrote, “When the Holy Spirit comes, he lifts our minds to new ideals and gives us concepts of things so much in advance of our present experience that we long for higher ground; the saved become sanctified and the sanctified rise to a life of sacrifice and unselfish service.” Simpson saw Christ as Sanctifier as the key to Christian life and service. This understanding is still seen as integral among leaders in the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Although Christ as Sanctifier is central to living a spiritual life, Christ as Sanctifier is not readily understood by all in the Alliance. Of the eight Alliance leaders interviewed, five said it was the least understood aspect of Simpson’s folds, and two others also thought it was not readily understood. Walborn states the reason this fold is not understood is because it has been neglected in the teaching of Alliance churches. The Alliance has shied away from it because of the extreme positions of some in the deeper life movement. Walborn continues by saying, “We have raised up a generation of Christians who would feel just at home in a Baptist church as they would be in a Christian and Missionary Alliance church. We have forgotten the deeper life.” Nanfelt believes it is not understood because Alliance pastors have been frightened away from preaching this fold due to unbiblical teaching on this topic. They have stayed away from preaching on it in the past. He also believes that sanctification is the least understood part of the Fourfold Gospel, and yet, next to salvation, it is the most important.

Evearitt, who served on a committee studying sanctification, found that many pastors who come into the Alliance from non-Alliance schools did not understand the doctrine of sanctification and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Almost 52 percent of these pastors did not understand this aspect of Simpson’s vision. This seemed to be confirmed by Mark Haynes, an Alliance pastor on the District Executive Committee in the Northeast District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He agreed that sanctification seemed to be the least understood fold of the Fourfold Gospel. John Soper, District Superintendent of the Metropolitan District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, also found that sanctification was the least understood doctrine among those new pastors.

Soper states there are two main reasons why sanctification is not easily understood. The first is that, in the past, Alliance people did not want to be perceived as pentecostal or charismatic, so they shied away from certain terms that were distinct to pentecostal circles. Secondly, according to Soper, we live in a modern-day Christian culture that does not like to experience sacrifice. In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the believer will have to live a sacrificial life. Most people are not willing to make the sacrifice Paul calls for in Rom 12:1 by offering themselves as “living sacrifices.”

Jordan, speaking from his experience in the Indonesian Alliance Church, also agrees that the least understood and emphasized aspect of the Fourfold Gospel is Christ our Sanctifier. The deeper Christian life, as the doctrine of sanctification is also known, is poorly understood by the Indonesian church. Jordan continues to preach on Christ as Sanctifier—as well as on the importance of all aspects of the Fourfold Gospel—whenever he gets the opportunity. He feels teaching the centrality of Christ helps to spread Christ as Sanctifier as well as the other folds of the Fourfold Gospel. Although translating Simpson’s works into an Indonesia language would be helpful, it would be even better if the Indonesian church would write on the Fourfold Gospel in its own cultural context and setting.

Both Walborn and Evearitt emphasize the importance of sanctification in their pastoral training classes. In his “Alliance Distinctives” class, Evearitt spends a majority of the course teaching about sanctification and healing. He feels these are the least understood topics among his students. Between sanctification and healing, he puts the most emphasis on sanctification. Walborn makes an important observation in noting that after the student understands the theology behind sanctification, it is important that they experience Christ as Sanctifier in their own lives. Whereas Walborn highlights the individual’s experience, Evearitt stresses the importance of preaching Christ our Sanctifier in a way that the common layperson can understand. This is a challenging idea that should involve all leaders, pastors, missionaries, and others who are serving in the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Another important distinctive that Simpson taught was Christ as our Healer. Of the four roles of Christ presented in the Fourfold Gospel, Christ as our Healer is probably emphasized the least. Simpson presented divine healing in a simple, biblical way that made it acceptable in many evangelical circles. At the Gospel Tabernacle, Simpson led a healing service every Friday afternoon. Although he may have emphasized divine healing the least among all the aspects of his Fourfold Gospel, Simpson, nonetheless, had strong views on the importance of the message of divine healing. He wrote:

The true doctrine of healing through the Lord Jesus Christ is most humbling, holy and practical. It exalts no man, it spares no sin, it offers no promise to the disobedient, it gives no strength for selfish indulgence or worldly ends. Rather, it exalts the name of Jesus, glorifies God, inspires the soul with faith and power, summons to a life of self-denial and holy service. It awakens a slumbering church and unbelieving world with the solemn signals of a living God and a risen Christ.

Simpson believed that healing was given by Christ not only for the benefit of the one being healed, but for future service in his name. The sick person who was healed could take the gospel message to their neighbors and serve their needs. Simpson saw this in his own life. He believed that God had healed him so he could serve the unreached both in New York City and in the whole world. Like sanctification, healing’s greater purpose was to advance God’s kingdom.

Many Alliance leaders share the belief that healing is poorly understood within in the Alliance. In fact, two of those interviewed said that divine healing was the least understood of the four folds of the Fourfold Gospel. Evearitt stresses that the negative publicity from pentecostal and charismatic groups has caused many in the Alliance to shy away from divine healing. He goes on to say that among his students at Toccoa, many of Alliance members’ views on divine healing are not any different from those of non-Alliance students who do not practice divine healing in their churches.

Although divine healing is practiced in a number of Alliance churches in the United States, others know little of the practice. At the Phillipsburg Alliance Church where this author serves, the congregation holds a healing service once every twelve weeks. It is held on Sunday evening, typically with a good number of people in attendance. The author has seen a number of situations where God has touched and healed individuals. All districts have a divine healing service at their annual District Conference. There is also a healing service conducted at General Council, the denomination’s nationwide annual meeting.

Divine healing is practiced at every level in the Alliance, yet the number of congregants who have it preached and taught to them is diminishing. Zulauf, an Alliance pastor from the Midwest, believes that divine healing needs more explanation when it is preached and taught. Zulauf feels that many Christians do not understand divine healing, and pastors have to teach their people what Jesus Christ did on the cross for them as well as its effect on their health. It may be that pastors need to offer a series of messages on divine healing so their congregation understands it. Once this aspect of the message is understood, more people will come to God for healing. Evearitt states that at times, divine healing has received less emphasis than it should have. He shares that as a youth growing up at summer camp meetings, he began to see less emphasis on it in terms of where divine healing programs were placed in the services. He feels divine healing needs to begin with the pastor and his experience with God. If the pastor or Christian worker has had an experience with divine healing, he or she is more likely to have passion and enthusiasm for it. Such leaders are more likely to stress this fold because they have seen how important it is in their life. The author has seen this in the congregation he serves. Divine healing can be an excellent opportunity for Christians to witness to the unsaved. They can share their personal experiences with others and offer to pray for their healing.

While divine healing in the United States might not be emphasized as much as the other distinctives, Jordan writes that in Indonesia, Christ our Healer is greatly stressed. This is due to the fact that most of the members of the Indonesian church do not have access to medical care, so they have no choice but to go to God for healing. They believe in divine healing because for them, it is eminently practical. In turn, one of the reasons that divine healing is not emphasized in the Alliance in the United States is because of the effective medical care available in North America. This level of medical care was not available to many in Simpson’s day; hence, they had to rely on God for healing. If Christians would first consult God for healing, then consult their doctor, perhaps we would see divine healings today equal to those of the past.

Louise Rhoads, a ninety-seven-year-old member of the Phillipsburg Alliance Church, stated that when she was a young woman she saw many more healings than she does today. She states two reasons for the number of healings she witnessed when she was a young woman. The first was that people believed God would heal, and he did. They believed in divine healing like they believed in salvation. They had faith that God would save, and he did. They had faith that God would heal, and he did. Those in the past had more faith in Christ and his healing work. Secondly, she felt there was more emphasis on teaching divine healing in the past than there is today. Pastors taught more about divine healing and they also held more healing services—possibly one or two a week. There is not the same emphasis placed on divine healing as there was in the past. It may be helpful to place the same emphasis on divine healing that Simpson did.

When evangelicals think about Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the first thing that comes to their minds is missions. Soper states that it is part of our psyche—it is part of who we are. It is part of the “warp and woof” of the Alliance. Is the Alliance today as excited about missions as they were in Simpson’s day? The interviews this author conducted revealed mixed responses to this question. Some said that Alliance Christians remain as excited as any in Simpson’s day, while others stated that there is no longer the same sacrificial spirit there was at that time. Zulauf stated that the Alliance, as it goes into the twenty-first century, is getting back on the right track with its renewed emphasis on missions. He continued by adding that those in the Alliance are again seeing themselves as a movement instead of just a denomination. This vigor will help the mission emphasis. Haynes comments that the Alliance is trying again to put the same amount of emphasis on missions as it did in Simpson’s day. Reitz states he feels there is as much emphasis as in Simpson’s day, but there is less passion. Evearitt states that the Alliance is almost as excited about missions as in Simpson’s day, although maybe not quite on the same level. Walborn comments that the Alliance is not as excited as it was in Simpson’s day. He feels the Alliance became a denomination and ceased to be a movement. Soper feels the average person in the Alliance is not as excited about missions as in Simpson’s day, since most members do not have the vision that drove Simpson and the early Alliance. Most felt the Alliance emphasis on missions was just as great but that the commitment within the congregations has diminished over time.

Why has commitment lessened in Alliance congregations? Evearitt states the average member of the congregation does not realize the lostness of humankind or that without Christ they will go to a Christless eternity. Missions and evangelism must not be preached just once a year at the missions conference, but needs to be preached continually. Soper states that members of the Alliance churches must regain the passions their earlier counterparts had. Missions must again become the lifeblood of the Alliance churches. Zulauf states that the people in the congregation must once again put emphasis on the value of seeing people coming to Christ for salvation. Haynes comments that people must show that same willingness to sacrifice to see the gospel taken to the ends of the earth. It is something that both pastors and missionaries have to model and teach to their congregations. There is still excitement and enthusiasm among the leadership of the Alliance to be involved in “bringing back the King.” This passion must be passed on to the congregation. Preachers throughout the Alliance must continue to emphasize that when the gospel has been preached to all nations, then Christ will return.

The believer living a sanctified life should also have an attitude of sacrificial giving. This too may have changed since the early days of Simpson and the Alliance. This type of giving needs to be rekindled. During Simpson’s missionary conventions, women would often put jewelry and watches in the offering plate for worldwide mission work. Simpson would later discourage this activity because he did not want to get the reputation of being fanatical. Instead, he encouraged sacrificial giving through the “Faith Promise.” This was a mission pledge made by individuals who trusted God to help them supply more for their pledge than they could supply by themselves. This form of giving was much more effective, and it is still practiced in many Alliance churches today as part of their missions conventions.

The Alliance Today

In many ways, the Christian and Missionary Alliance is different today than it was at the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth. In the beginning, the Alliance was more of a missions-sending agency loosely affiliated with a group of Bible-believing churches. There was more of a focus on overseas missions and less of a focus on church work at home. What caused the transformation? It was the success and growth of the North American churches. It became necessary to expand the focus of the original vision to reach the unreached of the world to include a church organization or denomination. Today, the Christian and Missionary Alliance is a denomination that has churches both at home and abroad. The responsibility of the church has actively expanded since Simpson’s day and now has the responsibility of pastoral care as well as outreach. This ever-expanding ministry could be one explanation as to why sacrificial giving per capita has declined. The ministry of the Alliance has expanded, which is not always clear even to those in the Alliance. Most in the Alliance feel that missions is still an integral part of the denomination’s makeup, and most would see missions as its top priority. Nanfelt states the Alliance has gone from a missionary organization to a missionary church.

The Alliance needs to continue with its vision and passion for missions. This is vital. The Alliance needs to continue to preach Matt 24:14 as its motivation to “bring back the King.” Jesus will only return when the gospel has been preached to all people. This can only be done with Spirit-filled believers who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to see the task completed. Those in the Alliance recognize this truth, and they realize that this vision has to be passed on to every new generation of young believers as well. Walborn states that he sees a sacrificial attitude in some of his students at Nyack. They are ready to make the commitment to see the Great Commission completed. As this mentality continues to be modeled and taught in the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches throughout the United States, the task that Jesus set before his disciples two thousand years ago can be completed. Simpson wrote, “The great call of the Master today is to the evangelization of the nations and when this has been accomplished, there will be no barrier in the way of His immediate return.” This is the mandate not only of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but of all who call themselves Christ’s disciples.

A final aspect of Simpson’s message that has historically received less acknowledgement in the Alliance (although this trend has been changing recently) is Simpson’s urban outreach. Simpson himself decreased his outreach efforts in New York City later in his ministry. One of the reasons for this reduced emphasis was that his move to Nyack, New York, drew him away from the urban center. Another reason was the change in the area around the Gospel Tabernacle in New York City. The area immediately around the Tabernacle improved socio-economically, which lessened the need for social outreach near the church.

Another reason for a decrease in the Alliance’s “outreach to the masses” was the fundamental-modernist controversy in the 1920s that caused social outreach to become almost solely the domain of the more liberal denominations. Although the Alliance never totally abandoned social outreach and continued to emphasize it overseas, during this time of controversy there was less emphasis on social outreach.

In the early 1970s the Alliance began Christian and Missionary Alliance Services that became known as CAMA Services. It is the relief and social outreach arm of overseas ministries. The ministry of CAMA services expanded until it reached the present-day total of thirty-two full-time CAMA Services workers ministering in eight countries. The projects that CAMA Services are involved in include clean water projects in Asia, medical work in Cambodia, and famine work in Africa. This burden for social outreach and welfare is not only seen overseas—it is also being seen more and more in North America. This increase has been slow, but it is improving.

To this end, the Metropolitan District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which includes the New York City area, is concentrating on trying to reach the urban area through church planting. This is the same geographic and social landscape that Simpson tried to reach over one hundred years ago. In many respects, the area is similar to what it was in Simpson’s day, as it teems with immigrants from all over the world. The Metropolitan District has planted a host of churches in a number of ethnic and cultural settings throughout New York City. Reitz states that the Alliance needs to place an increased emphasis on cities, just as Simpson did. One of the roadblocks to accomplishing this goal is that many of the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in North America are located in suburbs and rural areas. This makes it difficult for those churches to partner with churches in the city and to stay involved in outreach together.

This, however, is changing too. Suburban and rural churches are beginning to try to reach out to the urban centers of United States cities as partners. This attempt is being made in the Metropolitan District, where urban church plants share their ministry with suburban churches to develop a partnership between churches.

Both Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary have branch campuses in New York City. One of the goals there is to train students to reach the city for Christ. As a result, a variety of students from different cultures and ethnic groups now attend these campuses, where they can pursue a master of divinity degrees in urban studies. This is one way to reach urban areas for Christ, as Simpson did. Urban areas are once again being seen as a mission field, and the Alliance is trying to reach them.

Many Alliance churches are beginning to see the importance of reaching out in social ministries as well. Randall Corbin calls this type of ministry “transformational evangelism,” explaining that the idea is that we are to minister to the whole person. This is what Simpson did at the Gospel Tabernacle in New York City. Corbin writes, “The good news is that many of our Alliance ministries are beginning to see the importance of transformational evangelism as a wholistic approach.” This includes reaching the whole person, as Christ did. There are a number of Alliance churches that are doing just this. In York, Pennsylvania, the local Alliance church is trying to reach York’s African American population with an after-school mentoring and tutoring program. The Fairlawn Community Alliance Church in Cogan, Pennsylvania, has a community food outreach ministering to the needy. The Allegheny Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a medical clinic. The Alliance church in Salem, Oregon, has seen a number of people come to Christ through its numerous twelve-step programs. Here we find examples for other Alliance churches to follow in their communities as they preach the gospel. These types of outreaches could be used not only for salvation, but to reach the whole person. This is exactly what Simpson did, and it seems many in the Alliance are catching this vision.

Simpson and his message are still impacting the Alliance today. One cannot look at the Alliance without seeing the message of the Fourfold Gospel. The Alliance has not always stressed the different roles of Christ in the Fourfold Gospel equally, especially Christ as our Sanctifier and as Healer, but they have attempted to correct that emphasis. The burden for missions is still at the forefront, and it is a priority and that will continue as long as the Alliance keeps the original vision God gave Simpson. As we saw above, the burden for urban outreach seems to be rekindling. Simpson’s vision and passion has to be taught and caught by this generation of Alliance members and then passed on to the next generation of Alliance pastors, missionaries, and laity.

Albert Benjamin Simpson, although less written about than his contemporaries, played an important role in the Third Great Awakening. It is possible that as our present-day Alliance catches the heart of Simpson, they may play an important role in the Awakening yet to come.

. Chambers, God’s Workmanship and He Shall Glorify Me, 261.

. A movement is focused on outreach and is growing outward to the lost, while a denomination is more inwardly focused and often has a fortress mentality.

. Nanfelt, “Seeking the Wind of God,” 2.

. Ibid.

. Nanfelt, “Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity,” 7.

. Wiggins, “Captured by God’s Vision,” 2.

. Nanfelt, “Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity,” 6.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, February 12, 2003.

. Peter Nanfelt, interview with the author, December 10, 2002.

. Ibid.

. John Soper, interview with the author, September 11, 2002.

. Peter Nanfelt, interview with the author, December 10, 2002.

. Nanfelt, “Preached a Sermon on Sanctification Lately?” n.p.

. Peter Nanfelt, interview with the author, December 10, 2002.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, February 12, 2003.

. George W. Reitz, interview with the author, February 12, 2003.

. Peter Nanfelt, interview with the author, December 10, 2002.

. George W. Reitz, interview with the author, February 12, 2003.

. Ibid.

. Barry Jordan, interview with the author, November 11, 2002.

. Ibid.

. Ron C. Walborn, interview with the author, February 15, 2003.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, March 7, 2003.

. Larry Zulauf, interview with the author, February 28, 2003.

. George W. Reitz, interview with the author, February 12, 2003.

. Ibid.

. Warren, Purpose Driven Church, 345.

. Simpson, When the Comforter Came, 37.

. Ibid., 96.

. Ron C. Walborn, interview with the author, February 15, 2003.

. Ibid.

. Peter Nanfelt, interview with the author, December 10, 2002.

. Ibid.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, March 7, 2003.

. Mark Haynes Sr., interview with the author, February 17, 2003.

. John Soper, interview with the author, September 11, 2002.

. Ibid.

. Barry Jordan, interview with the author, November 11, 2003.

. Ibid.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, March 7, 2003.

. Ron C. Walborn, interview with the author, February 15, 2003.

. Daniel J. Evearitt, interview with the author, March 7, 2003.

. Simpson, Gospel of Healing, 56–57.