Frank Bartleman

Frank Bartleman was born on December 2, 1871, in Carversville, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a Quaker family in a farming community. His father died when he was young, and he knew hardship. As a young man he went through a time of wandering and of deep unrest. He came to Christ at about the age of eighteen and was drawn to the life of prayer. He spent some time in Philadelphia, where he was moved by the work of the Baptist churches, and he trained at a Bible school. He then moved to California and became involved in the mission work in Los Angeles.

He was a man of intense prayer. In the early 1900s he read about the Welsh Revival and wrote to Evan Roberts, asking for his prayers. He received a reply and was stirred to pray for revival in Los Angeles. He spent long hours in prayer, often alone, and he wrote tracts and articles about the need for revival. He organized prayer meetings in the city and was at the center of a small group of believers who were praying for an outpouring of the Spirit.

In 1906 the revival that he and others had prayed for began on Azusa Street in Los Angeles. A small group of Black believers, led by William Seymour, held meetings in a rundown building, and many were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. The meetings drew people from around the world. Bartleman was there from the beginning and wrote reports of the meetings for the Christian press. His articles were carried across the country and helped to spread the news.

His account of the revival was later published in a book, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, in 1925, which was reissued as Azusa Street. The book is one of the primary sources for the story of the revival. It contains his honest observations of what he saw, including the power and the spiritual excitement. He also wrote about the problems that arose, such as the pride of some leaders and the divisions that followed. He believed that the revival began to decline when people began to seek attention for themselves. He urged believers to stay humble.

He continued to travel and write, and he preached in churches and missions across the nation. He was an outspoken critic of the organization of Pentecostal groups into denominations and warned that it might quench the Spirit. He also wrote against the war in 1914 and was critical of the nationalism that gripped the churches. His views on these subjects made him unpopular with some.

He was poor all his life. He and his wife, Susan, lived on little, and they often relied on the generosity of others. He did not have a regular salary and spent much of his time on the road. His health was often poor, and he struggled with depression. He was also known for his strong opinions and sometimes sharp words.

He died on August 23, 1935, in Los Angeles, at the age of sixty-three. His writings have been a source for historians and for those who seek revival. His life shows the work of a man who prayed for revival and then wrote the record. He was among those who saw the beginning of a movement that has changed the face of Christianity.