Leonard Ravenhill (June 18, 1907 – November 27, 1994) was an English evangelist, Methodist-influenced, and writer who focused on the subjects of prayer and revival. He is best known for his books and sermons oriented toward the early church as represented in the book of Acts1. He was a proponent of the atonement theory of moral government. His most popular book is Why Revival Tarries? [which has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, on June 18, 1907, Ravenhill studied theology at Cliff College in England and served under Samuel Chadwick (a Wesleyan Methodist). He was a student of church history, with a particular interest in Christian revival. His evangelistic meetings during World War II drew large crowds. Many converts went into Christian ministry and foreign missions1.

In 1939, he married an Irish nurse, Martha (1912-2001). The Ravenhills had three sons: Paul, David and Philip. Paul and David chose pastoral careers. Philip was also a pastoralist for some time before specializing in African art history. He died of a heart attack in 1997.

In 1950, Ravenhill and his family moved from Britain to the United States. In the 1960s, they traveled to the United States to organize revival tents and evangelistic meetings.4 In the 1980s, Ravenhill and his family moved to the United States.

In the 1980s, Ravenhill moved to a house near Lindale, Texas, near the Last Days Ministries ranch. He regularly taught classes at Last Days Ministries and was a mentor to the late Keith Green. He also taught at Bethany College of Missions in Minnesota and in Seguin, Texas.

Among those influenced by Ravenhill were Keith Green, Ravi Zacharias, Tommy Tenney, Steve Hill, Michael L. Brown, Charles Stanley, Bill Gothard, Paul Washer and David Wilkerson.

He was a close friend of pastor and writer A. W. Tozer and singer Keith Green.

In his teaching and books, Ravenhill addressed the disparities he perceived between the New Testament church and the church of his day and called for adherence to the principles of biblical revival.1

Tozer said of Ravenhill:

“For such men, the church has too great a debt to pay. The curious thing is that it seldom tries to pay him back while he lives. Instead, the next generation builds its tomb and writes its biography; as if it instinctively and awkwardly wanted to fulfill an obligation largely ignored by the previous generation. “6

Garden Valley Cemetery in Garden Valley, Texas

Ravenhill died on November 27, 1994 and is buried at Garden Valley Cemetery in Garden Valley, Texas near the grave of contemporary Christian music artist Keith Green.

In 2011, Free Grace Press published a comprehensive biography of Leonard Ravenhill, written by Mack Tomlinson, entitled In Light of Eternity.