After Asbury Revival Leaves Campus for Non-Existent ‘New Location’, Attendance and Interest Collapses
For twelve days, tens of thousands of revival chasers from around the world descended on the small city of Wilmore, KY, to experience firsthand the so-called ‘Asbury Revival.’ Supporters called this the next big thing, claiming it would sweep across America like other historical revivals and set the world on fire as they scrambled to occupy the now iconic Hughes Auditorium.
Things got so frenetic that as the city’s population swelled five times its normal size with visitors, the university imposed a time limit for attendees to be in the hall. Visitors gathered in multiple outbuildings and lined up for blocks to enter. Some reports detailed cars backed up for miles seeking to enter the town, bursting the city at the seams.
Then on February 21, the university announced that the revival would be moving to a new location in the “central Kentucky area,” according to a message posted to the university website, to reduce disruptions to the school and city.
No official location was ever revealed.
Three days later, the university announced that they would no longer be involved in any further outpouring services, with Asbury President Dr. Kevin Brown writing that their involvement had come to an end.
“Thursday, February 23, marked the end of this historic multi-week gathering at Asbury University…. I have been asked if Asbury is “stopping” this outpouring of God’s Spirit and the stirring of human hearts. I have responded by pointing out that we cannot stop something we did not start…. The effort by committed men and women on our campus to redirect energy, forsake other obligations, work tirelessly around the clock, and provide single-minded labor to accommodate our students and incoming visitors has been the high point in my career.”
With no new location announced, and being unable to touch the hem of the university, the well dried up. All the visitors have left, and the city has shrunk to its regular size.
One Christian group, The Pulse, wanting to capitalize on the spirit of Asbury, rented out Rupp Arena on Sunday, advertising a revival from 2p-11 pm to have a time of “repentance, testimonies, scripture, and worship” that was not in any way officially associated with the university.
It was sparsely attended.
Though Asbury University’s president said, “we cannot stop something we did not start,” the fact that the Asbury Revival died the minute they chose to discontinue it says a lot about whether or not it was a true revival, or merely just a marathon praise and prayer worship service.
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