In This Issue: "Reclaiming the Power of Pentecost: Carlton Pearson, the Azusa Conference, and the Influence of Black Pentecostalism"
The issue of Liturgy entitled “Revival,” guest-edited by Melanie Ross, explores the meaning of Christian revival in the multiple forms that have used that term. Here is an excerpt from “Reclaiming the Power of Pentecost: Carlton Pearson, the Azusa Conference, and the Influence of Black Pentecostalism” by Donté A. Ford recounting the 1906 Azusa Street Revival and the influence of the ensuing Azusa Conferences on establishing Pentecostalism––and especially Black Pentecostalism––with its spirited worship experiences. –– Melinda Quivik
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Whether it was on WDAS or Gospel Highway 11, I can recall hearing the story of Mother Sherman, a church mother and District Missionary in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC),
broadcast on either of these Gospel radio stations during my childhood. This story was told by
Bishop Carlton Pearson in one of his religious monologues just before he sang a well-known
Charles Albert Tindley hymn, “We’ll Understand it Better By and By.” Pearson recounts that as
a result of being saved as a young boy, Mother Sherman would routinely ask him: “Son, you
yet holdin’ on?” Upon Pearson’s response in the affirmative, Mother Sherman would reply: “Well, you keep on keeping on then, baby.”
This story is one among many that Pearson frequently told to contextualize his aims for his then-popular Azusa conference and overall call to ministry. Bishop Carlton Pearson was a pioneering, charismatic leader and pastor of a thriving Black megachurch congregation, Higher Dimensions, though his ministry reached well beyond the walls of his local church. Operating out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pearson did not dismiss his classical Pentecostal upbringing—rather, he embraced it and the broader Pentecostal movement’s core principle of Holy Spirit transcendence (and the implications thereof) throughout his ministry. One of his most notable ministry endeavors was the Azusa Conference, a week-long revival that amassed thousands of attendees over its tenure, gathering Black, White, and international Christians alike. Pearson’s Azusa Conference began full throttle in the late 1980s, distinctively marked by its success in bringing people of all backgrounds together, both continuing and expanding the efforts of its earlier, twentieth-century namesake, The Azusa Street Revival. The Azusa Conference (along with Pearson’s church, Higher Dimensions) brought national visibility to Black Pentecostalism, carving out a place for the broader overarching Pentecostal movement and various derivative denominations within the evangelical Christian movement in the United States. Thus, among the notable achievements of Pearson’s Azusa conference were its role in front-lining Black Pentecostalism, and its place in both televangelism and the wider landscape of evangelicalism. Azusa was also the fertile ground on which many tread, some of whom went on to have successful ministry careers in preaching and music—especially Black Gospel music. Religious moguls such as T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyers, Rod Parsley, Myles Monroe, Juanita Bynum, Donnie McClurkin, Mark Filkey, and countless others all passed through the Azusa Conference.
The Azusa Conference was a worship gathering dominated by the Black worship esthetic as
expressed through Black Pentecostalism; this is a direct retention and influence of Pearson’s
time as a member of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the largest Black Pentecostal
denomination. And while the conference was steeped in and anchored by Black Pentecostal
worship expressions, its constituency was vast, reaching beyond Black Pentecostalism. In an
exhortation at the 1995 Azusa conference, Pearson proclaimed his belief that God called him
to bridge gaps between cultures, nations, denominations, people, and generations.
The Azusa conference truly embodied a multiethnic and multigenerational worshiping
community/experience, that was diverse on both domestic and international fronts. The music,
arts, and preaching included Whites and Blacks alike, along with those from the global com-
munity; it served as a space to bridge cultural and generational divides. Furthermore, many
musicians and preachers of present-day notoriety have passed through the Azusa Conference.
Appearing on that platform pulled their names from obscurity and thrust them into household
familiarity…
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Donté A. Ford is assistant professor of music and associate chaplain for worship arts at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. Best described as a musician, minister, and scholar, Ford’s research foci are in Black sacred music and the music and theology of Black Holiness and Holiness-Pentecostal traditions.