The Texas Evangelist
by Thomas Ray
W. E. Penn was described as the Texas evangelist but his ministry extended far beyond the Texas border. For over 20 years he conducted revival meetings throughout the South, Midwest, and California. His ministry also included preaching tours in Scotland and England. J. M. Carroll, author of The Trail of Blood and The History of Texas Baptists, wrote that Major Penn was Texas’s greatest evangelist and one of the greatest in the world’s history.
W. E. Penn was born August 11, 1832, in Rutherford County, Tennessee. He was converted at the age of 15. A few years after his conversion, he began studying the law, and in 1852, at the age of 20, he opened a law office in Lexington, Tennessee. His youth made his first few years difficult, but his talent and perseverance eventually produced a thriving law practice.
In 1860, the Civil War tore the country apart, and although he had been opposed to secession, he raised a cavalry company and was elected their captain. His exploits as a cavalry officer won him a promotion to major. At the conclusion of hostilities, he returned to Lexington only to find his law office had been vandalized and all his law books destroyed or stolen.
Having friends in Texas, he gathered what few resources he possessed, and he and his wife headed for Jefferson, Texas, a thriving city located on the Texas and Louisiana border. Penn arrived in Texas without adequate funds, but he was able to rent a house and a law office with a promise to pay. His ability as a lawyer soon solved his financial problems.
The Baptist church in Jefferson had only eleven members and met just once a month for preaching. Penn and his wife became the 12th and 13th members. After a few years, the church began to prosper and they were able to build a large house of worship. In 1872, the church elected Penn as superintendent of the Sunday school. The school had only 35 members including teachers and officers, but Penn began implementing innovative methods and within a year the Sunday school had a regular attendance of 400.
In 1875, J. H. Stribling, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, hosted a Sunday school convention and invited Major Penn to be one of the speakers. This event would prove to be a turning point in Penn’s life. Stribling was so impressed with Penn’s ability as a speaker and singer that he asked him to remain in Tyler and conduct a revival meeting. Penn was honored, but he refused, stating he had legal responsibilities that demanded his attention. However, Stribling would not take no for an answer and eventually Major Penn yielded to the pastor’s pleas.
The reluctant lawyer remained in Tyler for five weeks and a genuine spirit of revival spread throughout the church and city. Penn was transformed. Even though he was 42 years old, he believed God was leading him to dedicate the remainder of his life to the work of evangelism. He immediately returned to Jefferson and closed his law office, and for the next 20 plus years he devoted his time and energy to preaching and singing the gospel. Limited space prevents me from revealing the impact of this great but forgotten evangelist, but I believe the following example will enable you to get a glimpse of the influence and impact Penn had upon the growth of Baptist churches.
In 1894, Penn, in failing health, preached a revival meeting at First Baptist Church in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The meeting lasted three months and 13 days. There were 346 converts and 336 united with First Baptist Church. Although Penn continued to attempt to preach, his health finally forced him to abandon the work he loved. He entered into his rest in April 1895.