Pearl Howard "P. H." Welshimer (April 6, 1873 – August 16, 1957) was an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

from

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

, and well-known leader in the Restoration Movement. Pearl Welshimer was born to Samuel and Louisa Jane Wilson Welshimer at Union Center, Union County, Ohio, on April 6, 1873. As a boy he selected for himself the middle name “Howard.” In his adult years he was most often known simply as “P.H.” Welshimer graduated from Ohio Northern University at

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in 1894. In his final year of school there, university president Henry Lehr pulled Welshimer aside and urged him to abandon the study of law for the ministry. As a result, Welshimer attended

Hiram College Hiram College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonsectarian and coe ...

to study preaching. After graduating from Hiram in 1897, Welshimer accepted a call to a church in Millersburg, Ohio. Welshimer met his wife, Clara Hornig, in Millersburg. The two were married in her parents’ home in Vermilion, Ohio, on May 15, 1900. They had three children: Helen, Mildred (Phillips), and Ralph. Welshimer resigned from the pulpit in Millersburg to accept a call from the First Christian Church of

, on January 1, 1902. He stayed at this church for the rest of his life. Under Welshimer's guidance, the Canton congregation became one of the largest

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congregations in the country, especially well known for the unusual methods Welshimer used to attract people to worship and the success of its

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program.Foster, Douglas A., ''Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement'', Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004. pp. 770 Welshimer himself published a number of books, sermons, articles, and tracts. He was also a highly sought-after speaker, a member of the Commission on Restudy, president of the short-lived Phillips Bible Institute,Arant, Francis M., ''"P.H." - the Welshimer story'', Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Foundation, 1958. pp. 63, 64 as well as an active member and thrice president of the

North American Christian Convention The North American Christian Convention (1927–2018) was an annual summer convention supported by churches, colleges, institutions, and missions programs associated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ, mainly across the United Stat ...

. P. H. Welshimer died August 16, 1957. In October 1957, Harold L. Davis was chosen as the successor to Dr. Welshimer. Mr. Davis served as P.H.’s assistant for four years and would serve for 12 years until 1969.

Bibliography

*Arant, Francis M., ''"P.H." – the Welshimer story'', Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Foundation, 1958 *Foster, Douglas A., ''Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement'', Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004 *P. H. Welshimer, ''Facts Concerning the New Testament Church'', Standard Publishing Company, 1996

Notes

References

*Browning, Don S., ''Christianity and the new psychologies: 1979 P.H. Welshimer- Alumni Lectures (P. H. Welshimer-Alumni Lectures)'' *W. R. Warren, ''The Pastor the Pivotal Man'', Centennial Convention Report, ed., Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Company, 1910. pp. 160–162 {{DEFAULTSORT:Welshimer, P. H. 1873 births 1957 deaths Hiram College alumni American Christian clergy History of Christianity in the United States Writers from Canton, Ohio