Evangelist
🇺🇸D.L. Moody
1837–1899 · American · Evangelist & Founder of Moody Bible Institute
“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to Him.”
Biography
Dwight Lyman Moody was born on February 5, 1837, in Northfield, Massachusetts, the sixth of nine children. His father died when he was four, leaving the family in poverty. Converted at age 18 through his Sunday school teacher Edward Kimball, Moody moved to Chicago where he became a successful shoe salesman before abandoning business entirely for ministry. He founded the Illinois Street Church (later Moody Church), established Sunday schools for underprivileged children, and partnered with musician Ira Sankey for sweeping evangelistic campaigns. His revivals in Great Britain from 1873 to 1875 drew hundreds of thousands, propelling him to international fame. Back in America he conducted mass meetings in major cities including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston. Moody founded the Northfield Schools in Massachusetts and the Chicago Evangelization Society, later renamed Moody Bible Institute, which continues to train Christian workers to this day. Theologically he was non-denominational, warm-hearted, and intensely practical. He believed the world could be reached for Christ in a single generation. He died on December 22, 1899, having preached to an estimated 100 million people in his lifetime, leaving a legacy of institutions and transformed lives that endure well into the twenty-first century.
Key Works
Moody founded the Moody Bible Institute (1886) in Chicago, which has trained thousands of Christian workers and missionaries. He established the Northfield Seminary for Young Women (1879) and the Mount Hermon School for Boys (1881) in Massachusetts. He co-led major evangelistic campaigns across Britain (1873–75, 1881–84) and throughout American cities in the 1870s–1890s. He co-founded the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions with other leaders, inspiring a generation of missionaries. His publishing work produced numerous collections of sermons, including 'Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study' and 'Secret Power,' making his teaching accessible worldwide. The Moody Church in Chicago remains an influential congregation to this day.
Legacy
Moody's legacy is immense. The Moody Bible Institute continues to train ministers, missionaries, and lay workers more than a century after his death. Moody Church in Chicago remains a vibrant congregation. His approach to non-denominational, practical evangelism became a template for twentieth-century revivalists. His emphasis on lay ministry, Sunday schools, and social outreach helped democratize Christian service. Billy Graham, Luis Palau, and countless other evangelists have cited Moody as a primary inspiration. The Student Volunteer Movement he helped birth sent thousands of missionaries worldwide, reshaping global Christianity.