Smith Wigglesworth was a British evangelist and faith healer who was instrumental in the early Pentecostal movement. He was known as the “Apostle of Faith” and had a powerful healing ministry, seeing many people healed of serious illnesses and disabilities. Though he only had a basic formal education, Wigglesworth went on to become one of the pioneers of Pentecostal Christianity. He experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues in 1907, at the age of 48.
Wigglesworth was born on June 10, 1859 in Menston, Yorkshire, England. He came from a poor family and started working as a plumber’s apprentice when he was 13 years old. As a teenager, he worked at the Salvation Army and was impacted by their zeal and love for God. At age 16, he became a Christian after hearing the preaching of George Scott Jefferys. After his conversion, he had a deep passion for God and prayer.
In 1882, Wigglesworth married Polly Featherstone, a co-worker at the Salvation Army. They set up a plumbing business together in Bradford and continued their work with the Salvation Army. Polly helped resolve her husband’s struggle with faith healing by encouraging him to minister regardless of what happened to the sick person. Together they established evangelistic campaigns across England which continued after Polly’s death in 1913.
In 1907, leaders of the Pentecostal movement George and Stephen Jeffreys prayed for Wigglesworth to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He testified to speaking in tongues for the first time at age 48. This new experience became a turning point in his ministry and he began to see more healings take place. News spread quickly of miraculous healings through Wigglesworth’s ministry and he started traveling around the world holding healing crusades.
Wigglesworth believed that healing came from God and that sickness was of the devil. He emphasized righteousness, holiness and obedience to God’s Word as key to receiving healing. Wigglesworth would often quote Bible passages about faith and healing when praying for the sick, such as Mark 11:23-24, James 5:14-15, and Acts 3:6-8. He taught that faith would release God’s power, often saying “Only believe!” Some of his common practices included commanding sickness to leave in Jesus’ name, praying more than once for healing, and telling people to walk by faith even before they experienced any change in symptoms.
Throughout his ministry, there were reports of numerous healings of the blind, deaf, lame, and people with cancer, tumors and other illnesses. Wigglesworth shrugged off praise for the healings, saying he was just an ordinary man through whom Jesus worked. One notable healing was of a boy named Ernest Atkinson who was deaf, mute and terminally ill with meningitis. Ernest was completely healed through Wigglesworth’s prayers in 1922 and went on to become a pastor later in life.
Wigglesworth also ministered at the Bowland Street Mission in York, which Polly had pioneered. There were several testimonies of healing at these meetings, including Edwin Crossley, a grocer’s boy whose leg lengthened right before the eyes of the congregation. Wigglesworth eventually turned over the mission to friend Willie Burton after Polly passed away.
In 1913, Wigglesworth married his second wife Mary Jane Featherstone, Polly’s widowed sister. They began traveling together to hold revival meetings and serve in the Bowland Street Mission. Mary supported Wigglesworth’s healing ministry behind the scenes by documenting testimonies, handling correspondence, and arranging his meetings.
During World War I, the Wigglesworths spent a couple years ministering in the United States. They visited healing evangelists like F.F. Bosworth to learn from their experiences. Once back in England, Wigglesworth was a part of the Assemblies of God and Elim Pentecostal groups, which helped lay the foundations for the Pentecostal movement.
In 1924 at the invitation of pastor Alexander Boddy, Wigglesworth visited the All Saints parish in Sunderland, England which was a center of the Pentecostal movement. Many young ministers like Aimee Semple McPherson, Smith Wigglesworth and John G. Lake were impacted by their time at Sunderland. There were amazing displays of healing, deliverance and miracles during Wigglesworth’s visit.
Wigglesworth held campaigns across Britain that frequently saw remarkable healings. In London in 1925, a woman with advanced breast cancer was healed to the amazement of her doctor. That same year in Scotland, Mary Nightingale was healed of terminal stomach cancer. In Leeds, a man with no hip sockets was able to walk after Wigglesworth prayed over him. Despite stiff opposition from traditional churches, Wigglesworth continued his healing ministry across Europe, Australia and North America during the 1920s and 1930s.
Smith Wigglesworth was associated with the early Pentecostal movement, but believed healing was for people of all Christian denominations. He ministered to thousands of Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians as well as Pentecostals. Though he personally experienced speaking in tongues, he did not insist others must speak in tongues to receive divine healing. He also maintained friendships with Christian and Missionary Alliance founders A.B. Simpson and Albert Benjamin Pritchard.
In May 1926, the Pentecostal missionary Alice Salter invited Wigglesworth to minister at Angelus Temple, the church home of Aimee Semple McPherson in Los Angeles, California. McPherson was one of the earliest Pentecostal megachurch pastors and known for her faith-healing ministry. Thousands came to hear Wigglesworth speak during his visit to Angelus Temple. Many remarkable healings were reported such as a woman with a cancerous tumor being visibly healed.
In 1927, Wigglesworth traveled to Switzerland where he prayed for healing at some meetings led by German Pentecostal pastor Jonathan Paul. Though skeptical doctors were present to document the meetings, several people were remarkably healed including Elsie Archer, an Englishwoman who testified her deaf ears were healed.
Wigglesworth visited New Zealand and Australia in 1927. Pastor W.G. Turnbull invited him to minister in Melbourne, Australia where thousands gathered at Richmond Temple and witnessed testimonies of healing. He returned a decade later for more healing crusades there and in New Zealand after seeing a vision of masses of lost souls. While ministering extensively overseas, Wigglesworth maintained connections to his hometown of Bradford, England.
Smith Wigglesworth notably took part in a healing commission of five Pentecostal evangelists that traveled and ministed together in the 1920s. The group included Wigglesworth, F.F. Bosworth, Aimee Semple McPherson, Raymond T. Richey and Charles S. Price. These prominent faith healers met annually after 1924 for fellowship, discussions and prayer. Their collective influence helped bring Pentecostalism into mainstream Christianity.
In May 1929, Smith Wigglesworth prophesied that more people would be healed around the world through his future ministry than when he was alive. Just weeks later, McPherson opened Angelus Temple for “Wigglesworth’s wake” where thousands gathered after his death was falsely reported by newspapers. When he walked in healthy and alive, it made headlines and was seen as a fulfilled prophecy.
Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, Wigglesworth continued to travel holding revival and healing meetings despite being in his 70s and 80s. He ministered in the United States, Europe, the UK and Caribbean. Some of his last campaigns took place in England in March 1947, just a few years before he passed away.
On March 12, 1947, Smith Wigglesworth suffered a stroke in London around 3:40 a.m. and passed away later that morning. At the time, he and some friends were praying for God to raise a dead man to life. Doctors confirmed that Wigglesworth was gone, but associates like George Stormont prayed over his body believing God would resurrect him. After praying hours into the next day, they buried Wigglesworth after realizing he would not be raised from the dead.
Smith Wigglesworth impacted many prominent ministers in the Pentecostal healing movement. F.F. Bosworth, John G. Lake, Howard Carter, Lester Sumrall and Maria Woodworth-Etter all reportedly received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after Wigglesworth prayed for them. He also influenced the formation of Assemblies of God, the Elim Fellowship and other Pentecostal groups.
Wigglesworth’s legacy continues through his sermons and books which have been widely published. His bold faith, devotion to God’s Word and passion to see people healed continue to inspire Christians today. He prayed to receive the “fullness of Pentecost” from the Holy Spirit and his ministry reflects the Bible’s teaching that those who believe will experience divine healing.
Smith Wigglesworth exemplified key characteristics of a faith healer:
- Absolute trust in the Bible’s promises of healing by faith in Jesus Christ
- Belief that sickness comes from Satan, not God’s will
- Commanding approach to prayer, taking authority in Jesus’ name
- Primary focus on stirring faith in others to receive healing
- Willingness to pray more than once for healing if necessary
- Tenacious attitude that refused to accept sickness as God’s will
Wigglesworth encountered opposition from denominations that challenged his methods and beliefs about healing. He remained controversial among Christians who rejected Pentecostal practices and did not believe healing was guaranteed in the atonement. Nonetheless, the strength of testimonies from Wigglesworth’s ministry convinced many that he operated in a genuine gift of healing from God.
Smith Wigglesworth provides an excellent case study regarding the Bible’s perspective on divine healing. Key themes from Scripture evident in his ministry include:
- Healing comes from God, not man (Psalm 103:2-3)
- Jesus Christ atoned for healing (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
- Faith in Christ releases healing power (Luke 8:48; Acts 3:16)
- Prayer of faith brings healing (James 5:14-15)
- Gifts of healings are from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9)
- Laying on of hands transmits healing power (Mark 16:18; Acts 28:8)
Smith Wigglesworth provides a biblical model of a faith healer who walked in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Like Jesus and the apostles, he operated in:
- Gifts of Healings
- Working of Miracles
- Discernment of Spirits
- Words of Knowledge
- Prophecy
Wigglesworth understood that cultivating intimacy with Jesus Christ and knowing the authority believers have through faith in His name were the keys to walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. He lived a consecrated life focused on Scripture, prayer and evangelism.
Smith Wigglesworth’s unorthodox methods caused disagreement about the source of his healing power. Unique practices like slapping or shaking people to “get their faith up” led some to believe he operated under demonic influence. However, his character, devotion to Jesus and belief in the Bible’s divine healing message indicate he moved in a legitimate gift of healing from the Holy Spirit.
In assessing Wigglesworth’s ministry, it is important to compare his teachings and practices against Scripture. Christians are called to test all things and hold fast to what is true according to the Bible (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). Any practice not supported by Scripture should be rejected. Within these boundaries, Wigglesworth’s healing ministry appears consistent with the Bible’s perspective and provides helpful insights regarding faith healing.
Smith Wigglesworth was not without flaws. However, God still accomplished great things through him. He exemplifies how God can use simple men and women who are fully surrendered to Christ and hungry to see His healing power on display. Wigglesworth’s legacy of healing and faith continues to inspire Christians contend for the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit today.
In his own words, Wigglesworth testified:
“Great grace was upon them all. Great grace will always break down barriers and get people saved and healed. I was called to a town in Lancashire. I sat on the platform and looked at the people, wondering how I would get at them. There were at least a thousand people there. As I sat on the platform, I put my head down, feeling so broken at the hopelessness of getting people saved and healed. A woman said, “What’s the matter with your father?” The boy said, “He is praying.” “Whatever is he praying about?” said the woman. The boy replied, “He’s praying about the meeting tonight He says it’s a hard place.” Then she said, “Tell your father he is wasting his time praying. They will never get saved here.” As soon as I got up from my knees, I said, “In the name of Jesus, I now rebuke the powers of hell and every evil spirit.” People began to run to the platform to get saved, and there was great grace upon all the people. God can change the whole situation the moment you are ready to abandon yourself for His glory.”
“Look at Stephen. Full of faith and power, he aroused such a storm that he was beaten to death. There you have a picture of the ultimate triumph of faith and power.”