It seems to me that news of an outbreak of revival is best met with a guarded optimism. We don’t need to be naive but also don’t need to be incredulous. And if that revival begins in a tradition very different from our own (though of course one that acknowledges the gospel) we should perhaps be especially glad and hopeful, for it is good to be reminded that God is at work in many different places and through many different people. 

The revival at Asbury has already come to an end. What began as a brief and simple chapel service turned into a weeks-long worship event that drew tens of thousands of participants and elicited tens of millions of opinions. Only now have I gathered my thoughts and bundled them into this “cold take.” I trust you won’t mind that I’ve chosen to share it as a series of short thoughts rather than a single essay.
Some things may be wrong or misguided, but not particularly dangerous. A small revival (or purported revival if you prefer) at a small college far away does not necessarily demand a great deal of scrutiny by those who have no connection to it. While it is good to have “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14) there is usually little need to put the effort into what does not intersect your life and what is unlikely to cause anyone any great harm. Those biblical calls to discernment ought to be considered alongside the exhortations about meddling in affairs that are not your own.
Revival is not a clear biblical category like, for example, deacon or baptize. It’s not a word we find in the New Testament, and it does not tell us to try to generate revivals or be on watch for them. It doesn’t even instruct us to pray for them, though that may be a very good thing to do. It’s clear that God sometimes chooses to work in ways that we choose to label revival, but God’s greatest and most consistent work is through the ordinary means of grace within the local church. Because the Bible does not define revival, it may be difficult to know exactly what one is and exactly when one is happening. It may describe a range of circumstances and experiences.
The New Dictionary of Theology offers a helpful definition of revival: “God’s quickening visitation of his people, touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace in their lives. It is essentially a corporate occurrence, an enlivening of individuals not in isolation but together.” If this is an appropriate definition, then examples abound in Scripture and church history. And if this is an appropriate definition it does not set the bar all that high—where we see God quickening a number of people all at once, touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace, there we may have a revival. A revival does not need to sweep over the globe or impact millions to be genuine.
When revival breaks out, we need to guard against treating it as something that has an almost mystical or mythical quality to it. God’s plan for the world is centered around the church, so we should be careful not to inadvertently disparage his “Plan A” which is—and always will be—the church. Of course we should also hesitate to treat revival as if it is nothing or to speak ill of what God may be using for his glory.
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The same word is used in Titus 1:3, “And at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior.” Paul’s emphasis on this metaphor shows its importance for understanding the nature of ministry as a stewardship. Modern readers have a grasp on the meaning in the English, but to truly understand the text one must examine what it meant to Timothy. 

There are many metaphors for the pastor in the New Testament. He is compared to a shepherd, farmer, soldier, and a workmen to note a few. One often overlooked metaphor is the pastor as steward. The New Testament uses metaphors because they are a powerful communication tool that illicit a visual response in the readers mind and make a simple connection to clarify and sharpen the thing to which they are compared. The image not only invokes information but emotion.
Although, there are many metaphors in the pastoral epistles, I would argue the controlling or dominating picture is the estate stewardship metaphor. Paul states his purpose and his occasion in 1 Timothy 3:14, “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.” Paul’s reason for writing is that he is concerned he may be delayed in coming to see Timothy and needs to make Timothy aware of what the church should be doing at Ephesus. The purpose of the letter is to stand in place of Paul himself to provide instruction how people are to behave in God’s house.
It is the introduction of this metaphor, the church as God’s household, that would strike the original reader. Modern households are anything but structured or uniformed, but first-century households conformed to strict rules according to the household code. Specifically, Paul is communicating specific instructions as one in authority to a subordinate.
The Apostle Paul was writing to Timothy to entrust a deposit that Timothy was then to steward according to the instructions of the letter. This stewardship language of “entrust” is used multiple times in Pauls’ epistles.
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Doug began his pastoral ministry in Trenton, NJ at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) from 1971-1975 before becoming the pastor of New Life in Christ Church (NLICC) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1975, where he served faithfully until his death in 2024. Doug started NLICC as an unaffiliated church but steadily led the church into the Presbyterian Church in America in 1998.

Rev. Dr. Douglas Warren Kittredge was called into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on February 10, 2024. His earthly journey was distinguished by a deep commitment to his God, his family, his church, and the global mission of the church, leaving an unmistakable impact on all who knew him.
Douglas is survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Mary Jane, their four children: Douglas Charles, Rachel Marie Whitman (James), Andrew Mark (Sarah), Naomi Elizabeth Wilson (Chad); and 13 grandchildren: Juliet (Ryan), Tyler, Isabel, Lincoln, Elijah, Esther, Abigail, Jordan, Judah, Wren, Sybil, Margaret, and Faye. His legacy also lives on through his sister, Jeanette Stadick of Roselle, Illinois.
His academic journey laid the foundation for his ministry, beginning with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in 1968, followed by a Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1971, and culminating in a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1988.
Doug began his pastoral ministry in Trenton, NJ at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) from 1971-1975 before becoming the pastor of New Life in Christ Church (NLICC) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1975, where he served faithfully until his death in 2024. Doug started NLICC as an unaffiliated church but steadily led the church into the Presbyterian Church in America in 1998. As such, he transferred from the OPC to the “Delmarva” (Delaware, Maryland & Virginia) Presbytery (of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod) in 1975 and was received into the James River Presbytery (of the Presbyterian Church in America) in 1982.
Doug had the perseverance and the kind blessing of God to pastor NLICC for nearly 49 years. During his tenure in Fredericksburg, Doug and Mary Jane pioneered much of the community’s spiritual and educational development. They demonstrated a strong commitment to Christian education, helping to inspire the vision behind Fredericksburg Christian School, contributing to its early success, and serving on its board. Recognizing the needs of homeschooling families, in 2004 they led in organizing Christ Covenant School, a homeschool cooperative in Fredericksburg.
Doug’s commitment to the dignity of God-given life led him to support the establishment of pro-life ministries in Fredericksburg. His early support and vision were instrumental in bringing Bethany Christian Services and a crisis pregnancy center to the area.
His passion for equipping future church leaders motivated and supported the launching of the Fredericksburg branch of New Geneva Theological Seminary in 2002. Here he taught and mentored many men to licensure and ordination within the James River Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America.
Under Doug’s visionary leadership, several new churches were started, and he helped organize three city-wide evangelistic campaigns in collaboration with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization. He was pivotal in advancing the work of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Mary Washington by supporting the first full-time worker on campus.
Doug had a strong conviction of the church’s responsibility to reach the Jewish people with the gospel. He made numerous trips to the nation, fostering friendships with local churches and leading many groups on tours of the land to connect with Christian workers. In 2012, he helped start the Jerusalem Gateway Partnership, a missionary partnership aimed at establishing and supporting churches in Israel and surrounding areas. His written works, “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” and “God’s Plan for Peace in the Middle East,” underscore his commitment to building the church in the Middle East.
However, the crown jewel of his ministry was undoubtedly New Life in Christ Church, which he began in 1975 with just 10 organizing families. The church has since grown significantly, impacting thousands worldwide through its ministry and missions’ arm. Doug was a torchbearer of historic evangelicalism, influenced by his childhood church (Park Street in Boston), his childhood pastor (Harold J. Ockenga), the martyrdom of the “Auca missionaries”, and his time at Wheaton. His evangelical commitments shone through in his conviction on the truthfulness of the Bible, his faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and his efforts in evangelism and worldwide missions. Doug was certain that the local church of Jesus Christ would make a significant difference for the kingdom of God and was the driving force behind his lifelong ministry. He was a pastor at heart, caring to know and be involved in the lives of each person at the church. Countless people have testified of his caring pursuit like a shepherd to the sheep.
When Doug was young, still a young man, he had a chance to join his pastor and Billy Graham as Graham spoke at the Harvard Law Forum. It was a significant day in Doug’s life as Billy Graham challenged these law students to consider the claims of Christ even as they prepared for their career in law.
Doug remembers traveling with his pastor Harold John Ockenga and Billy Graham in a car. Ockenga introduced young Doug to Billy Graham and said, “This young man wants to be a pastor”. Graham looked squarely at him and said, “Is that right, you want to be a pastor?”  Young Doug answered, “Yes, sir.” Graham’s response is something that Doug would remember all his life, “You’ll do well.”
On February 10, 2024, Rev. Dr. Douglas Warren Kittredge heard those words again, but this time, not from Billy Graham, he heard them from His Savior, “You have done well. Well done, good and faithful servant, enter in the joy of your master. He has received the crown laid up for him in heaven, a crown of God’s grace that he will place down in worship at his Savior. Doug Kittredge, a sinner saved by grace, now lives in the abundant love and grace of God in glory.
Sean Whitenack is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is the Pastor of New Life in Christ PCA in Fredericksburg, Va.
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