They Called Him Brother Masters: John Wesley Masters, Mountain Pioneer Evangelist

The story of J.W. Masters is a story worth telling. His life spanned seventy-four years during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. He organized or started nineteen congregations in small communities in the hills of southeastern Kentucky. Through trial and error, early speech problems were subsequently turned into the preaching style of a veteran orator. His keen sense of humor, a perception of plain logic, and a command of language enabled him to draw audiences from far and near. The times did not afford many with opportunities of advanced education. Consequently he battled with choosing the right course until he finally ruled out both medicine and law and settled into the vocation of simply becoming a minister of the Gospel. Even in the toughest times, his commitment to his calling was exemplary. Whether his audiences were large or small, in church houses or public buildings, in winter or summer, in a formal appearance or personal roadside conversation, he never regarded any opportunity as second rate and considered any occasion worthy of a full tilt approach in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although his story concluded nearly one hundred years ago, he was truly a legend among mountain communities in southeastern Kentucky.

David N. Blondell is a retired minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). During forty years of ministry, he focused on church growth through preaching and evangelism. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Lexington Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Julia, live in Lexington, Kentucky.