By Mary Faulds, AFA Journal staff writer

January 2011 – Byron Paulus, executive director of Life Action Ministries and an organizer of Heart-Cry for Revival, offers a specific, yet comprehensive definition of “revival:” a movement of God’s Spirit, through the power of His Word, to the hearts of His people, that resurrects to new life areas that lie stagnant, dormant or out of balance and that results in a fresh new love and obedience to Jesus Christ.

Several revival leaders, including Paulus, gathered in 1998 to talk about revival. “Our hearts began to connect and we shared our passion and burden to speak out and move,” Paulus recalled. “We felt there was a great need to infuse pastors and Christian leaders with that vision for revival, so we had our first Heart-Cry conference.”

Heart-Cry for Revival isn’t simply a conference on revival, but rather a revival conference. Paulus said Christians can go to a conference on revival and never be moved, but Heart-Cry is a conference where people go to find revival for themselves and, in turn, bring that to their ministries and churches.

The conference is strategically targeted toward pastors and those in Christian leadership, including college group leaders and evangelists. “Revival spreads best through those who experience it,” said Paulus. “What better people to experience it in fresh ways in a periodic, or an ongoing basis, than the leaders of our land? If God ignited a flame of revival in our hearts, it will automatically spread to those with whom we have influence.”

A key component of the Heart-Cry conference is the igniting. Paulus said, “[It is] the experience, that we are not going to just talk about [revival], but we’re going to seek God for it.” The secondary goal of the conference gives those leaders guidance on “how to set the sails,” as Paulus put it, for what they experienced, to bring it back to their churches or their circles of influence.

The Billy Graham Training Center (The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina) will host the April 4-11 Heart-Cry gathering. “It is an unusual place,” Paulus said, “an atmosphere, where people can get alone with God, away from distractions and secluded with Him, to meet with Him.”

AFA founder Don Wildmon, himself a pastor for many years, said, “It is encouraging to see ministries reaching out to encourage and support pastors.” AFA is a co-sponsor of the event.

Paulus said the main criteria for selecting speakers boil down to finding speakers who could well address any spiritual topic, but who always go back to calling the nation back to God and true revival. One indicator of the speakers’ commitment to revival is that they attend at their own expense (though a love offering may defray some expenses).

The mix of speakers crosses ethnic, generational and denominational lines. Sammy Tippit, an evangelist from San Antonio, Texas, is a main speaker at the Heart-Cry conferences. Paulus said Tippit realizes that revival precedes evangelism and the need for revival in order to reach the nation. Tippit himself said, “Revival has always descended on the wings of a small band of men and women whose hearts cried out for God’s intervention. My prayer is that this conference will deepen and broaden our cry for a move of God in America.”

Richard Owen Roberts, from International Awakening Ministries in Wheaton, Illinois, is one of the “patriarchs on the topic of revival,” according to Paulus. Roberts communicates his burden to see our nation reached in revival in such a way that all generations are reached with that passion.

David Butts, president of Harvest Prayer Ministries in Terre Haute, Indiana, is also chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, as well as being part of the steering committee for the Heart-Cry conference along with Paulus and Tippit. Paulus said, “Butts knows prayer precedes revival and helps pastors incorporate prayer for revival in our churches.”

Pastor Crawford Loritts and his wife, Karen, of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, will speak on how they are spreading revival in their local area. Also attending will be Kyle Martin, a radio host from Richardson, Texas. He also heads up a ministry called Time to Revive, a younger generational approach to communicate the gospel with passion and without compromise.

Christian leaders who want to attend the April conference can find more information at www.heart-cryforrevival.com. There is an early-bird discount for those who register to attend before January 31.

“There are many conferences, but only one solution for the nation,” said Paulus. This conference isn’t the solution, but the mission and message of revival highlighted in this conference is the one solution.”