The words behind the news

An awakening is a revival broad enough to change a whole society, not only individual churches.

Historians use the term for the First Great Awakening (1730s–40s) under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, and the Second Great Awakening (1790s–1830s), whose fruit included the modern missions movement and the abolition movement.

Baptism is the public act by which a person identifies with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, marking the beginning of a life of discipleship.

Christian traditions differ on whether infants are baptised and on the mode — immersion, pouring or sprinkling. Most of the large outdoor baptisms reported in 2026 are believer's baptisms by immersion.

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead … we too may live a new life.” — Romans 6:4 (NIV)

A camp meeting is an outdoor, multi-day religious gathering where people travel and stay on site for worship, preaching and communion.

The Cane Ridge camp meeting in Kentucky in 1801 became a defining moment of the Second Great Awakening. Today's tent revivals continue the format.

Communion is the shared meal of bread and cup by which Christians remember Jesus' death, as He commanded at the Last Supper.

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” — 1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV)

Discipleship is the ongoing process of learning to follow Jesus — being taught, shaped and accompanied by other believers over time.

It is the step every revival and baptism report ultimately depends on. Research such as Lifeway's State of Discipleship finds many young churchgoers attend more than they apply what they hear.

Evangelism is sharing the gospel — the good news of Jesus — with people who do not yet believe it.

It differs from revival, which is a work among people who already believe.

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ died for sins, was raised from the dead, and offers forgiveness and new life to everyone who trusts Him.

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, … he was buried, … he was raised on the third day.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NIV)

The Great Commission is Jesus' instruction to His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptising them and teaching them to obey Him.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them … and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV)

Hisbah is the Islamic principle of enforcing public morality; in parts of northern Nigeria it names state-backed religious police who enforce Sharia-based rules.

In September 2026, Plateau State's governor ordered security agencies to stop unauthorised activity by a group operating as Hisbah in his state.

Intercession is praying on behalf of other people, places or situations.

Almost every documented revival was preceded by persistent intercession — often by a small, unremarkable group over a long period.

The Kingdom of God is God's reign, announced and inaugurated by Jesus, present wherever God's will is done and to be fully realised when He returns.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

A mass baptism is a single event at which many people are baptised together, often outdoors at a beach, lake or campus.

Examples from our reporting include 2,552 at a Jacksonville beach, 882 at Lakepointe Church in Texas and 458 at Biltmore Church in North Carolina — the last two both beating their own records from the year before.

The Middle Belt is the band of central Nigeria, including Plateau State, where the largely Muslim north meets the largely Christian south — and where much of the violence against Christian farming communities occurs.

Missions is the work of taking the gospel across cultural or geographic boundaries — planting churches, translating Scripture and serving communities that have little access to it.

A near-death experience is an account, from someone who came close to dying, of what they perceived during that time.

We treat such accounts as testimony rather than doctrine. Scripture is the authority on what follows death; Paul's own account in 2 Corinthians 12 is notably careful about the mechanics.

An outpouring is a period of unusually intense spiritual response — extended worship, repentance and conversions — often spontaneous and local.

The word echoes Joel 2:28, quoted by Peter at Pentecost. The 2023 Asbury outpouring, which began in a chapel service that did not end, is a recent example.

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” — Joel 2:28 (NIV)

The persecuted church means Christians who face violence, imprisonment, discrimination or loss for their faith — roughly one in seven believers worldwide.

Open Doors estimates more than 388 million Christians live under high levels of persecution and discrimination; its 2026 World Watch List recorded 4,849 killed for their faith in the reporting year.

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.” — Hebrews 13:3 (NIV)

Revival is God restoring spiritual life to Christians who have grown cold — distinct from evangelism, which brings life to people who have none.

Historic revivals are marked by deep conviction of sin, repentance, restitution, renewed love for Christ, hunger for Scripture and prayer, and evangelism that overflows rather than being organised. They are usually named in retrospect.

“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” — Psalm 85:6 (NIV)

A testimony is a first-hand account of what someone says God has done in their life.

We report testimonies as the witness of the person who lived them — attributed and carefully handled — not as doctrine.

An underground or house church is a congregation that meets privately — in homes or other unofficial places — because public worship is restricted or dangerous.

Iran's church is largely underground; in China, unregistered congregations such as Beijing's Zion Church have seen leaders imprisoned; and in Algeria, where nearly all Protestant churches have been sealed, believers meet in homes, garages and outdoors.

An unreached people group is an ethnic group without enough local believers to evangelise the rest of their own people without outside help.

The Joshua Project, a widely used research database, classes a group as unreached when fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians and fewer than 5% are Christian adherents.

The World Watch List is Open Doors' annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.

It is the most widely cited reference on Christian persecution. The 2026 list recorded 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith in Nigeria.