William J. Seymour
Preacher who sparked the Azusa Street Revival.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
William Joseph Seymour (May 2, 1870 – September 28, 1922) was an American preacher in the Holiness Pentecostal tradition. Born in Centerville, Louisiana, he was the second of eight children to Simon and Phyllis Salabar Seymour, both freed from slavery. Baptized as a child in a Catholic parish, his family later attended a local Baptist church while remaining Catholic. After his father—a Union Army veteran who fell ill during the war—died in 1891, Seymour became the family’s main breadwinner, scraping by on subsistence farming at poverty level. Facing intense racism, he moved to Indianapolis in 1895, where he converted to Christianity at a Methodist church.
In Indianapolis, Seymour encountered the Holiness movement through the “Evening Light Saints,” a group that rejected sectarianism, practiced faith healing and foot washing, anticipated Christ’s imminent return, and urged separation from worldly habits like wearing jewelry or neckties. He returned to Louisiana briefly in 1900, then moved to Cincinnati in 1901, working as a waiter and likely attending a holiness Bible school where Black and white students studied together. There he contracted smallpox, losing sight in his left eye, which he saw as punishment for resisting a call to ministry. By 1903 he was in Houston, and in 1904–1905 he followed a “special revelation” to Mississippi to seek guidance from Black clergymen, possibly meeting Charles Price Jones and Charles Harrison Mason, founders of the Church of God in Christ. During this period, he also connected with other holiness leaders, including Charles Parham.
Parham’s Apostolic Faith Movement centered on speaking in tongues, which Parham believed was the definitive sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit—a practice he and his students had experienced since 1901. In 1905, Parham opened a Bible school in Houston. When Lucy F. Farrow, a Black holiness leader, joined Parham’s team as a nanny, she asked Seymour to pastor her church. With her encouragement, Seymour enrolled in Parham’s school in 1906. Because Texas Jim Crow laws barred him from the classroom, he sat just outside the door with Parham’s permission. Parham allowed Seymour to preach only to Black audiences, and the two shared pulpits and street corners. Though Seymour had not yet received the tongues experience himself, he embraced Parham’s core teaching but rejected Parham’s views on the annihilation of the wicked and the use of tongues for evangelism (which Parham saw as xenoglossy—unlearned human languages for missionary work).
In 1906, Seymour moved to Los Angeles, where his preaching ignited the Azusa Street Revival. The revival drew huge crowds and media attention, both for its controversial religious practices and for its racially integrated congregation—unusual in an era of strict segregation. Seymour’s writings in *The Apostolic Faith* newspaper boosted his profile in the fledgling Pentecostal movement. He broke with Parham later that year over theological disagreements. As the revival’s influence spread through evangelism and missions, Seymour worked to build a larger organization, the Apostolic Faith Movement. But power struggles with other ministers—including Florence Crawford and William Howard Durham—undermined unity, diminished Seymour’s influence, and stalled the movement’s growth. By 1914, the revival had peaked, yet Seymour continued pastoring the Apostolic Faith Mission until his death. The revival itself served as a catalyst for spreading Pentecostal practices worldwide.
- born
- May 2, 1870
- died
- September 28, 1922
- field
- Holiness Pentecostal preacher
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Sparking the Azusa Street Revival
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
William Joseph Seymour was the second of eight children born to emancipated slaves Simon and Phyllis Salabar Seymour in Centerville, Louisiana. He was baptized as a child at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin, a Catholic parish. After his father died in November 1891, the twenty-one-year-old William became the primary provider for his family, growing subsistence crops with very limited income. He moved to Indianapolis in 1895, where he attended the Simpson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church and became a born-again Christian. There he was introduced to the Holiness movement through Daniel S. Warner's 'Evening Light Saints.' In 1901 he moved to Cincinnati, worked as a waiter, and probably attended God's Bible School and Training Home founded by Martin Wells Knapp. While in Cincinnati, he contracted smallpox and was blinded in his left eye. In Houston in 1905, he studied under Charles Parham, adopting Parham's belief that speaking in tongues was the sign of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but he rejected Parham's belief in the annihilation of the wicked and in the use of tongues in evangelism.
Reader's Guide
Seymour's significance lies in his role as the catalyst for the Azusa Street Revival, which acted as a catalyst for the spread of Pentecostal practices throughout the world. The revival's racially integrated congregation was atypical for the United States at the time. Seymour's writings for The Apostolic Faith newspaper launched him into prominence within the young Pentecostal movement. However, his efforts to develop the revival into a larger organization called the Apostolic Faith Movement were ultimately defeated by power struggles with other ministers, such as Florence Crawford and William Howard Durham, which damaged the unity of the early Pentecostal movement and led to a decrease in Seymour's influence. By 1914, the revival was past its peak, but Seymour continued to pastor the Apostolic Faith Mission until his death on September 28, 1922.
Did You Know?
- Seymour was the second of eight children born to emancipated slaves Simon and Phyllis Salabar Seymour.
- He was blinded in his left eye after contracting smallpox while in Cincinnati.
- On April 9, 1906, Edward Lee spoke in tongues after Seymour and Lucy Farrow laid hands on him, marking the start of the Azusa Street Revival.
- Seymour rejected Charles Parham's belief in the annihilation of the wicked and in the use of tongues in evangelism.
- By 1914 the revival was past its peak, but Seymour continued to pastor the Apostolic Faith Mission until his death.
Roots in Poverty and Faith
William Joseph Seymour entered the world on May 2, 1870, in Centerville, Louisiana, as the second of eight children born to Simon and Phyllis Salabar Seymour, both emancipated slaves. His earliest spiritual imprint came from a childhood baptism at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin, a Catholic parish, even as his family likely also attended the nearby New Providence Baptist Church. Tragedy struck when his father, who had contracted an illness while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, finally died in November 1891. At just twenty-one, William became the primary provider for his family, growing subsistence crops with very limited income from other sources. The family kept their property but lived at the poverty level. The era's deepening racial hostility likely pushed Seymour northward in 1895 to Indianapolis, where he attended the Simpson Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church and became a born-again Christian.
Formation Under Parham and the Tongues Doctrine
In Indianapolis, Seymour encountered the Holiness movement through Daniel S. Warner's 'Evening Light Saints,' a group whose distinctive beliefs included non-sectarianism, faith healing, foot washing, the imminent Second Coming of Christ, and separation from 'the world' in actions, beliefs, and lifestyle, including not wearing jewelry or neckties. His theological education deepened in Cincinnati, where he worked as a waiter and probably attended God's Bible School and Training Home under Martin Wells Knapp, a setting where blacks and whites studied side by side. It was there that smallpox robbed him of sight in his left eye, a loss he blamed on his reluctance to answer God's call to the ministry. By 1903 he had settled in Houston, where he came under the influence of Charles Parham, whose theology placed speaking in tongues at the center of the Holy Spirit's baptism. Parham had witnessed this phenomenon on January 1, 1901, when Agnes Ozman began to speak in what was interpreted to be Chinese during prayer. In 1906, encouraged by Lucy F. Farrow, Seymour joined Parham's newly founded Bible school, an act that violated Texas Jim Crow laws, with Parham allowing him to sit just outside the classroom door. They shared pulpits and street corners on several occasions during the early weeks of 1906, with Parham only permitting Seymour to preach to blacks. Seymour embraced the tongues doctrine but rejected Parham's belief in the annihilation of the wicked and in the use of tongues in evangelism.
The Azusa Street Fire and a New Movement
Seymour arrived in Los Angeles on February 22, 1906, to pastor a holiness mission founded by Julia Hutchins, who intended to become a missionary to Liberia. After being locked out of Hutchins's church for teaching that speaking in tongues was the evidence of having received the Holy Spirit, Seymour started a prayer meeting at the home of a friend, Edward Lee. When it grew too large, it moved to the home of Richard Asberry. On Friday, April 6, 1906, the group decided to add fasting to their regular prayer, planning a ten-day fast studying Acts 2:1–4. On April 9, Edward Lee spoke in tongues after Seymour and Lucy Farrow laid hands on him. Before the evening was over, several others, including Jennie Evans Moore, had spoken in tongues. Three days later, on April 12, Seymour himself received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. The revival drew large crowds of believers as well as media coverage that focused on controversial religious practices and the racially integrated congregation. Through his columns in The Apostolic Faith newspaper, Seymour gave the young Pentecostal movement a public voice and propelled himself into its leadership. He broke with Parham in 1906 over theological differences.
Power Struggles and a Fading Flame
As the Azusa Street Revival's influence radiated outward through evangelism and missionary work, Seymour labored to build it into a structured organization called the Apostolic Faith Movement. Yet power struggles with figures such as Florence Crawford and William Howard Durham fractured the fragile unity of the early Pentecostal movement and steadily eroded Seymour's standing within it. By 1914 the revival had passed its peak, and the institutional project Seymour had envisioned was effectively defeated by internal conflict. Nevertheless, he never abandoned his pastoral charge, continuing to shepherd the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles until his death on September 28, 1922. Though his personal influence waned in the years after the revival's peak, the movement he kindled acted as a catalyst for the spread of Pentecostal practices throughout the world.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is William J. Seymour?
William Joseph Seymour (1870–1922) was an American Holiness Pentecostal preacher who became a central figure in the early Pentecostal movement. He is best remembered for igniting the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906 and for his editorial work with The Apostolic Faith newspaper.
What is William J. Seymour known for?
Seymour is credited with sparking the Azusa Street Revival, a multi-year outpouring of worship that drew enormous crowds and attracted national media attention. The revival was especially notable for its racially integrated congregation, a striking departure from the deeply segregated norms of early-1900s America.
How did William J. Seymour's story end?
Seymour died on September 28, 1922, in Los Angeles, roughly sixteen years after the Azusa Street Revival he had set in motion. He is remembered as the man who launched the Pentecostal wave, even though the original revival had long since lost its momentum by the time of his passing.
Why is William J. Seymour important in Christian history?
Seymour's leadership at Azusa Street is widely regarded as the catalyst that launched the global Pentecostal movement, which has since grown into one of the fastest-spreading expressions of Christianity. His racially integrated congregation also challenged the deeply segregated norms of early-20th-century American religious life.
What was William J. Seymour's theological break with Charles Parham?
In 1906, Seymour parted ways with Charles Parham over differences in their Pentecostal theology. That split ultimately led Seymour to establish his own ministry in Los Angeles, where the Azusa Street Revival took place.
More in Christian Reformers And Mystics 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record