Circuit Riders

Definition

These were clergy in the Methodist Episcopal Church and related denominations who were assigned to travel around specific geographic territories to minister to settlers and organize congregations.

Analogy

Circuit riders are like food delivery drivers but instead of delivering food they delivered spiritual nourishment through sermons across different locations on their route or "circuit".

Related terms

Methodist Episcopal Church: The first Methodist denomination founded in America in 1784 after breaking away from Anglicanism following American Independence.

Evangelism: The act of spreading information about a particular set of beliefs to others with the intention of converting them to the same faith.

Great Awakening: A series of religious revivals in the North American British colonies during the 17th and 18th Centuries that led to the development of evangelical Protestantism.