{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}} '''The Smithton Revival''' (also known as the '''Smithton Outpouring''' or '''the Cornfield Revival''') was a Pentecostal Christian<ref name="Lattin">{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Revival-Fever-Rising-Apocalyptic-notions-fuel-2908550.php |title=Revival Fever Rising / Apocalyptic notions fuel Pentecostal movement |last=Lattin |first=Don |date=September 18, 1999 |work=SFGate |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref> revival meeting that occurred in the small town (population 532 at the time) of Smithton, Missouri, from March 24, 1996, to April 2000.<ref name="Bruce">{{Cite web |url=https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/71-smithon-revival-moves-to-kansas-city |title='Smithon Revival' moves to Kansas City |last=Bruce |first=Billy |website=Charisma Magazine |language=en |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref> A small congregation of about 180 people,<ref name="McGatlin">{{Cite web |url=https://openheaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ISawTheSmithtonOutpouring.pdf |title=I Saw The Smithton Outpouring |last=McGatlin |first=Ron |website=Open Heaven |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref> Smithton Community Church, hosted steady crowds for three years resulting in over 250,000 visitors.<ref name="Absurd">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nd77jWWSRZcC&pg=PT6 |title=My Absurd Religion |publisher=SGM Publishing |isbn=978-1-58047-044-5 |pages=170–171}}</ref>

==History==

The revival began in March 1996 when Pastor Steve Gray, the pastor of Smithton Community Church, was experiencing a personal crisis. Having pastored for 13 years in this small town, Gray was ready to quit due to discouragement over some aggressive, and possibly undeserved, criticism. The church was relatively successful for the town size, but Gray believed he had reached his limit of talent and emotional strength.

The revival began during a Sunday night church service after Gray had spent two weeks away, mostly in solitude, but also attending some services at the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida, where he received some inspiration and hope. Upon entering the front door to the sanctuary, Gray felt electrified by the "lightnings of God" and began jumping up and down. The congregation reacted to the moment by taking off their shoes and going to the front of the church in celebration, seeing that their pastor was touched somehow.

After the revival began, visitors began to attend the church from the local region, then people came from all 50 states, and eventually 50 other countries including Singapore, Australia, France, Germany, Israel, and Japan.<ref name="McGatlin" /><ref name="Absurd" /> The church ran six services per week and often had 600–1000 visitors.<ref name="Kilpatrick">{{Cite journal |last=Kilpatrick |first=Joel |date=August 13, 2011 |title=Smithton Revival |url=http://renewaljournal.com/2011/08/13/smithton-revival-byjoel-kilpatrick/ |journal=Renewal Journal |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>

In 2000, the congregation moved to Kansas City. It is reported that the church size was about 300 at that time and it is said 85&nbsp;percent of the families made the move. Commenting on the reasons for the move, Pastors Steve and Kathy Gray felt "the town's 532 residents had grown weary of revival crowds that outnumbered the town's population and where recharged Christians and new believers found few ministry opportunities." A Christianity Today article "Smithton Revival: Revival's Relocation Pits Pastor Against Alienated Followers" reported..."Five and a half years after revival marked by twirling and jumping broke out in rural Missouri at the Smithton Community Church (SCC), its pastor and two-thirds of the congregation have relaunched their revival at the new World Revival Church (WRC) in the more populous Kansas City. But some members who stayed behind in Smithton feel disillusioned and are disturbed because they have lost their church. 'We wanted more of God, says Jerry Spencer, 56, a former lay leader of the defunct SCC. Unfortunately, we surrendered our lives to a movement and a man's revival.'" (OCTOBER 1, 2001) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/october1/14.18.html|title = Smithton Revival: Revival's Relocation Pits Pastor Against Alienated Followers}}</ref> "{{quote without source|date=January 2020}} Kansas City provided an opportunity for people who wanted to join the congregation to find jobs and housing. Edith Blumhofer, director of Wheaton College's Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, says the revival's relocation is surprising in its scale. "People who jump at a religious movement with enthusiasm do what it takes to be fully immersed in it," she says, "but for a whole church body to move is unusual, especially from a rural to urban setting."<ref name="Kennedy">{{Cite news |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/october1/14.18.html |title=Smithton Revival: Revival's Relocation Pits Pastor Against Alienated Followers |last=Kennedy |first=John W. |work=Christianity Today |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref>

The congregation in Kansas City was called World Revival Church until a name change to Revive KC in 2022.<ref name="Vaughan2018">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nNFTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA118 |title=The Influence of Music on the Development of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) |last=Benson Vaughan |date=March 23, 2018 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-3334-8 |page=118}}</ref> Pastors Steve and Kathy Gray lead the church.<ref name="CBN">{{Cite news |url=https://www1.cbn.com/spirituallife/america%27s-growing-revival-movement |title=America's Growing Revival Movement |work=Christian Broadcasting Network |access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref> The congregation is about 700–1000 members.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

==Music==

In addition to other CDs, an original music CD of the Smithton Outpouring was recorded by Integrity Hosanna and released in August 1999, called, “The Smithton Outpouring - Revival From the Heartland”.<ref name="McGatlin" />

==Further reading== *Willems, Nick. ''History of the Mustard Seed''. Bloomington: iUniverse (2008). pp. 115. {{ISBN|1440110344}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://worldrevivalchurch.com World Revival Church official website] * [https://jdkinginsights.blogspot.com/2016/03/one-of-greatest-moments-from-smithton.html?fbclid=IwAR0a8onkw2fDTMs2Dgl35S9xIsi45UdhfOXsPkfUdOVwDpSjcQzHN_p2a7Y "One of the Greatest Moments from the Smithton Outpouring I Personally Witnessed"] &mdash; J.D. King

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Category:1996 establishments in Missouri Category:Evangelical Christian missions Category:Christian fundamentalism Category:Pentecostalism in Missouri Category:Pettis County, Missouri Category:2000 disestablishments in Missouri