Reuben Archer Torrey was born in Hoboken, NewJersey on January 28, 1856 to Reuben and Elizabeth Torrey. Reuben was a lawyer and banker in New York City. Even though they were cultured and successful, they were very faithful Christians. His mother spent many evenings praying for her son.
His family moved a lot and faced their share of heartaches and triumphs. The Torrey's lost their fortune, and young Rueben had only a matchbox and sleeve buttons to look forward to.
As a young man, Reuben decided that he wanted to become a lawyer. When he read a book that explained what being a Christian meant, he ran from the thought because he was afraid that God would make him a preacher.
When he was 15 years old, he went to Yale University. He was something akin to the youngsters on college campuses in our day, he was a good dancer and he loved the social experiences that were all around him. Though worldly joys were all around him, he was depressed and suicidal.
One night, during a very dark episode, Reuben went to his bathroom to find a razor to commit suicide with. Little did he know that his mother was praying for his salvation at that very moment. As he stood there on the precipice of death, he felt a longing to pray. He went back to his bed and knelt and asked the Lord to save him. He promised to preach if God would deliver him from his burdens. He went to sleep very peacefully that night in 1875. The upcoming semester, he entered into the Yale Divinity School at 18 years of age.
The desire to see souls saved took the place of the desire for worldly pleasures. He became known as a great soul winner. He found the young lady that he use to take dancing and witnessed to her. He preached the gospel for 2 hours, and she accepted Christ as her Savior.
He lost both of his parents in the year 1877. This didn't faze him from his calling to win souls. The next year he had the pleasure of hearing D. L. Moody speak in Haven, Connecticut. Torrey wanted to know how to win souls. Moody simple replied, "Go at it! That's the best way to learn."
Torrey took this advice to heart. He started putting God's Word into the hands of sinners, asking them to read certain verses, and then questioning them about the words they read to make sure they understood them. Torrey wanted to win souls to Christ. He never tried to win them with his personality or his character. He took Moody's sermon Faith Can Do Anything and books written by Finney to help him become the man Christ wanted him to be. He got his Bachelor's degree in 1878, and was ordained a minister. He pastored the Congregational Church in Garretsville, OH, and worked on his Doctor of Divinity, which he received in 1889. He continued to pastor the church until 1882. It was here that he met and married Clara Smith, with whom he had 5 children.
He was always seeking to become a better witness for Christ. He took his family to Germany and studied at the universities of Leipzig and Erlangen.
It was here that he encountered liberalism. At first, he was compelled by the views, but gradually he became convinced of the falsity of this doctrine.
When he returned to the United States in 1883, he was offered two vastly different positions. The first was a wealthy church in Brooklyn, and the other a poor church in Minneapolis. He felt God lead him to the poor church. This church became known as The Open Door Church. He pastored it He then moved to the ministry at The People's Church from 1887 until 1889. During this time, he also took on the responsibility of superintendent of the Congregational City Mission Society, a position he held from 1886 until 1889.
During this time he read George Meuller's Life Of Trust and his motto became "pray through". He started to hold special prayer meetings asking God for revival around the world. We know that sometimes when we pray for something, God asks us to be the ones to accomplish it. This is what happened in Reuben's life.
D. L. Moody called Reuben to be the head of his new school, The Chicago Evangelization Society. He was the superintendent there from 1889 until 1908. Reuben was instrumental in creating the curriculum and work program used there. He became known as the "Elisha" of Moody's work upon his death in 1899.
While teaching at the school, he also pastored the Chicago Avenue Church from 1894 to 1905. Reuben said that not a day went by without someone being saved. He attributed this to the Saturday night prayer meetings they would have, and the training of his members in soul winning.
His ministry soon became a global one. Missionary trips to Japan, China, and finally meeting up with his former student, Charles M. Alexander in Australia. Together they had meetings throughout Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Next, they went to India, and then on to England and Scotland, France and Germany.
His prayer for revival around the world had not only been answered, but he was instrumental in carrying it out.
When he returned to America, he started a crusade throughout the United States and Canada from 1906 until 1911. He held to establish the Montrose Bible Conference of Pennsylvania in 1908. Then he went back to preach in Great Britain in 1911.
Upon returning to the United States he went to California where he served as Dean of the Los Angeles Bible Institute from 1912 to 1924. He went on his third missionary journey during this time in 1919. He visited Japan, China, and Korea.
From 1924 until 1928, he travelled holding Bible conferences. He died on October 26, 1928 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Reuben Torrey's life shows what a sold out, faithful man of God can accomplish. He wrote around 40 books, an International Sunday School series called Gist Of The Lesson, and was an example of a prayer warrior for Christ. He was not only a prayer; he was a doer.
