G. Campbell Morgan—“A preacher come from God,” Part 1

^{Note: Dr. Sam Horn is host of The Word for Life radio program.}

by Dr. Sam Horn

But the point I want to make about him as a preacher is this … that we are all agreed that he was God’s gift to His Church. He surely was the supreme illustration of the fact that God always gives His gifts at the right time … When did he come upon the scene? It was immediately after those wonderful campaigns of D. L. Moody and Sankey in this country. There had been those great visitations of the Spirit. Men and women had been converted by the thousand. This great evangelistic movement had come into the whole life of the Church, and what was needed above everything else at that point was someone who could teach these converts. And “a man came from God” whose name was George Campbell Morgan; and he came at the critical moment, at the very right time when all those spiritual emotions and experiences needed to be harnessed and deepened and fostered. The evangelists had done their work; it was time for the teacher; and God sent him. —D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This tribute delivered by Lloyd-Jones at the memorial service for G. Campbell Morgan reveals the high esteem in which he held his predecessor. A review of the life and ministry of this servant of God quickly reveals the reason for the high esteem in which Morgan was held. For 67 years, he faithfully preached the Scriptures and served churches on both sides of the Atlantic. He was in much demand as a speaker and crossed the Atlantic 54 times to fulfill engagements in a long and fruitful conference ministry. He pastored eight different churches in England and America, but is best remembered as pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, a position he occupied on two different occasions. During his time at Westminster, Morgan taught a weekly Bible class on Friday evenings with an average attendance of 1,400. Although Morgan never received a college or seminary degree, he served as the president of Cheshunt College from 1911-14 and was on the faculties of BIOLA in Los Angeles in 1927-28 and Gordon College in Boston in 1930-32. Over the years of his ministry, Morgan preached more than 23,390 times and wrote more than 70 books.

The Man

George Campbell Morgan was born in the small village of Tetbury, England, in 1863 to godly Christian parents. His father was a Baptist pastor who resigned his pulpit after coming under the influence of George Mueller and the Plymouth Brethren movement. Although his father continued to preach, young George attended a Methodist congregation in the area. Often, he went with his father to hear well-known preachers who arrived in the area, and on one of those occasions in 1873, Morgan heard D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey for the first time. His childhood companion, his sister Lizzie, died at 12 years of age when Morgan was eight. He was a born preacher, and one of his favorite childhood activities was preaching to Lizzie and her dolls. He preached his first official sermon on Sunday, August 27, 1876, to the small congregation at Monmouth Methodist Church. He was 13 years old. He preached on salvation from a variety of texts. Morgan returned to this congregation 60 years later for a jubilee service held in his honor and preached from the same pulpit out of the same text.

Morgan attended school and was taught by a firm but capable instructor under whose tutelage he gained a passion for teaching. By 15, he regularly preached in nearby churches and chapels and gained quite a reputation as a “boy preacher.” After finishing his studies, he found work as a teacher at the Jewish Collegiate School for Boys, where E. Lawrence Levy was principal. Levy recognized Morgan’s teaching gift and hired him in the post of Assistant Master. During those years, two important things developed in Morgan’s heart. First was the conviction that God had called him to serve in ministry full-time. The second was a crisis of faith that resulted in his lifelong conviction that the Bible was reliable and authoritative. Morgan’s own words, as cited by Larsen, demonstrate the severity of this crisis and its resolution.

For two years my Bible was shut; two years of sadness and sorrow. Strange, alluring materialistic theories were in the air, and to these I turned … I became well-versed in the philosophies that were the vogue in England at that time, but from them I got no relief. In my despair I took all the books that I had, placed them in a cupboard, turned the key, and there they remained for seven years. I bought a new Bible, and began to read it with an open mind and a determined will. That Bible found me. The Book gave forth a glow which warmed my heart, and the Word of God which I read to therein gave to my troubled soul the relief and satisfaction that I had sought for elsewhere. Since that time I have lived for one end—to preach the teachings of the Book that found me.

Although his first love was preaching, due to the financial pressure his parents were under, Morgan felt compelled to continue teaching. He struggled mightily with the call to leave teaching and to devote himself completely to preaching. So great was the unrest of soul that he finally conceded that he would go if God forced him. The next day Levy reluctantly told him that the school would be closing and that he would have to find work elsewhere. This development settled the matter for Morgan; from here on out, he would preach.

After considering joining the Salvation Army, a movement he always highly regarded, Morgan sought ordination by the Methodist denomination. After two months of intense study, he successfully passed the required doctrinal examination. However, after preaching his trial sermon on May 22, 1888, his examiners rejected his application. His daughter-in-law later observed that though this rejection was part of God’s providential plan, it stung young Morgan deeply.

He wired to his father the one word, “Rejected,” and sat down to write in his diary: “Very dark everything seems. Still, He knoweth best.” Quickly came the reply: “Rejected on earth. Accepted in heaven. Dad.” … “I thank God to-day,” he said many years later, as he looked back across the years, “for closing that door of hope, because, when He turned my feet in another direction I found the breadth of His commandments, and the glory of His service.”

There were happy times as well. In August of that year, Morgan married his cousin, Nancy, who stood with him through all the mountains and valleys of ministry. Together, they had seven children. The boys—Percy, John (Jack), Frank, and Howard—all followed their father into the ministry. Howard succeeded his father as pastor of Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, when Morgan returned for his second ministry at Westminster in 1932. The girls—Gwendoline (Gwennie), Kathleen, and Ruth—were devoted children. Ruth and Kathleen would marry fine Christian men, and their children were special sources of delight to Morgan. Gwendoline, his first child, died suddenly in infancy. Morgan never forgot the difficulty of that event.

I can hardly speak of this matter without becoming personal and reminiscent, remembering a time forty years ago, when my own first lassie lay at the point of death, dying. I called for Him them, and He came, and surely said to our troubled hearts, “Fear not, believe only.” He did not say, She shall be made whole. She was not made whole on the earthly plane. She passed away into the life beyond. He did say to her, “Talitha cumi,” “little lamb arise”; but, in her case, that did not mean, stay on the earth level. It meant that He needed her, and He took her to be with Himself. She has been with Him for all those years, as we measure time here, and I have missed her every day; but His word, “Believe only,” has been the strength of all the passing years.

G. Campbell Morgan was a preacher’s preacher. He not only preached well; he looked the part. Tall and thin, his profile added to his persona in the pulpit. When in public, he wore the clerical collar common among Congregational ministers and always preached in a robe on Sundays. His powerful voice could be easily heard by thousands even in the early days before sound equipment was installed at Westminster Chapel. He kept in good physical shape and was a fine tennis player. Friends were important to Morgan, and he cultivated many deep and loyal friendships over the years on both sides of the Atlantic. Surprisingly, he was not known as a warm and approachable person by visitors to his services or by those who knew him only casually. However, this perceived distance was more often than not a misperception due to his shy nature. When at home or on holiday, Morgan loved to dress in bright colors. More than one reference to his unusual ties is recorded by his biographer. He tended to be criticized by those who did not know him well as a man of extravagant tastes. While one might be critical of his policy to travel and stay in the best accommodations rather than in homes, this practice helped him maintain a rigid and disciplined study and writing schedule while away from home, and thus his writing ministry did not suffer in spite of his heavy travel schedule. In his latter years, Morgan had a large, regular income from his writing and was generous to a fault in using that income for others.

Morgan had a long and fruitful ministry as a preacher of the gospel. He preached several times a week for most of his life. During his later years, he still preached weekly but had to cut back on speaking other than Sunday and Friday evenings. Amazingly, he preached weekly up to the last month of his life. After a brief period of declining health, he died on May 16, 1945.

His Ministry

Morgan’s chief love was the pastorate. In 1889, he was ordained by the Congregational Church; and in August of 1889, he assumed his first pastorate in Stone, Staffordshire. The two years of ministry there were difficult for Morgan. His congregation loved his preaching but grew increasingly frustrated at the constant demand for their minister to speak in other places. In 1891, Morgan left Stone and accepted a call to come to Rugeley 15 miles away, where he enjoyed a profitable ministry for almost two years before accepting a call from Westminster Road Congregational Church in Birmingham, England, where he served until 1897. At Birmingham, he began his weekly Bible teaching ministry on Thursday evenings in order to teach through the Bible systematically. His famous “bird’s-eye view” outlines, later incorporated into the Analyzed Bible, were first delivered here.

In 1896, Morgan made his first visit to America and struck up a friendship with D. L. Moody. He preached for the first of many times at the famous Northfield Bible Conference in Massachusetts. In January of 1897, at age 34, Morgan assumed his fourth pastorate, this one at North Court Trollington Park, London, where he served until 1901. During that time, Morgan was in much demand as a speaker and maintained a heavy traveling ministry. It was not unusual for him to speak in four or five different places during the course of a week. At North Court, his lifelong interest in missions resulted in his involvement with the London Missionary Society. It was also at North Court that his writing ministry significantly expanded. It was clear that God was opening wider doors for this young expositor.

In 1901, he resigned from North Court and joined Moody as a speaker and itinerant expositor for the Northfield Bible Conference ministry. After each summer conference, Morgan returned to England for several months of itinerant ministry to the churches. Upon his return to America, he traveled from city to city, preaching to full churches from New York to Atlanta to Los Angeles. It seemed everyone wanted to hear the “prince of expositors,” and there was no want for meetings.

In 1904, Morgan returned to his beloved London and assumed the pastorate of Westminster Chapel, where he served for the next 13 years. When he arrived at Westminster Chapel, the once stately church was in disrepair. The large edifice had been built too large, and the upper gallery had sat unused for more than 15 years. It was known by Congregational leaders as their “white elephant.” His lifelong friend, Albert Swift, came as his assistant. Under Morgan’s preaching and Swift’s unusual administrative ability, the church was soon filled. Within the first year, a major renovation of the building was undertaken, and many new programs were initiated to strengthen and deepen the spiritual lives of the membership. During the early years of his tenure, the famous Friday evening Bible classes were initiated, and soon more than 1,000 were attending regularly. This number would eventually grow to 2,000. In 1911, he accepted the presidency of Cheshunt College and immediately set about to raise funds for the renovation and enlargement of the facilities. His ministry to the students was well-received, and those who took his courses on preaching were impacted for life. During those years at Westminster Chapel, Morgan made yearly pilgrimages to America each summer. Additionally, he was a regular speaker in five other major preaching centers throughout England. In 1904, he determined that England needed a conference similar to Moody’s Northfield Bible Conference. He purchased property at Mundesley, a village by the coast of Norfolk for this purpose. From 1906 to 1914, great 10-day conferences were held each year with speakers such as F. B. Meyer, R. B. Girdlestone, John Hutton, James Orr, W. H. Griffith Thomas, J. H. Jowett, A. T. Pierson, Charles R. Eerdman, and Gipsy Smith preaching to more than 1,000 conference attenders.

In January 1917, Morgan resigned his ministry at Westminster. Intending to take a yearlong opportunity to preach in Melbourne, Australia, his plans changed with the outbreak of World War I. Instead, he ministered with the Y.M.C.A. for a year and filled the pulpit at Westminster when opportunity arose. You can be sure many opportunities were created to bring their beloved pastor to his old pulpit. In 1918, Jowett was called by Westminster Chapel, and Morgan began a year -long pulpit ministry with Highbury Quadrant Church in North London. In 1919, he moved again to America, where he would enjoy 14 years of extraordinarily profitable ministry as a traveling Bible expositor. He preached in thousands of churches and held meetings in almost every state of the Union. He also held many meetings in Canada and encouraged pastors there to consider expository preaching. He purchased a home in Athens, Georgia, which served as a “home base” until 1926 when he again became a pastor, this time in America. After a short and surprisingly disappointing experience as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, he joined the faculty of BIOLA in 1927. However, he took issue with the administration’s treatment of a fellow professor and resigned the following November. His loyalty to friends was always his strong point and at times caused him to overlook serious flaws and potential doctrinal differences. While he was always firm in his beliefs about the origins and character of Scripture, in this case his loyalty may have been misplaced. Soon after, in 1929, he accepted the pastorate of Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he served until 1932. During this time, he served on the faculty of Gordon College of Theology. Upon his resignation and return to London, Tabernacle Presbyterian called his youngest son, Howard, to take his father’s place.

In 1933, at 69 years of age, Morgan returned to pastor Westminster Chapel, where he served until his retirement in 1943. He continued to preach with great power, but the glory of the old days never quite returned. His attempt to resurrect the Mundesley conference failed, and the last conference was held in 1935. The one bright spot where the old Morgan still could be seen was the Friday evening Bible studies. More than 2,000 gathered to hear Morgan give his weekly lessons. In this arena, the teacher had not lost any of his power. In 1936, Morgan celebrated 60 years of ministry. The members of Westminster spared no expense in honoring their beloved pastor on this occasion and inaugurated a year of Jubilee in which was raised a large sum of money for the complete renovation of the church. He continued to minister during the war years, but clearly his health was declining. He suffered slight memory loss and privately admitted to battling a strange fear of mounting the stairs to his pulpit each week. More than once, he offered his resignation, and finally in 1943, he became Minister Emeritus at Westminster Chapel. His faithful assistant, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, became pastor in his stead. On May 16th, 1945, after 67 years of ministry, G. Campbell Morgan died peacefully at his home.

Editor’s Note: In part 2, Dr. Horn will address G. Campbell Morgan’s messages, mindset, method, and lessons from his legacy.

Dr. Sam Horn is pastor/teacher at Brookside Baptist Church (Brookfield, WI). He received a B.A. in Bible, M.A. in Bible, and Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC). In 1996, Dr. Horn joined the administration of Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI) and serves as vice president for ministerial training. While at BJU, he served as faculty member and director of extended education. He is an experienced pastor, conference speaker, and board member of several Christian organizations. He and his wife, Beth, have two children. This article is reprinted by permission of Brookside Baptist Church.