A Southern Country Boy

Truett, born in 1867, grew up on a farm in Hayesville, NC, and in a Christian home. Accordingly, as his father passionately believed in the power of literature to shape character he was exposed early to volumes of spiritual values such as Pilgrim's Progress. He also became well acquainted with the works of various popular Christian authors and developed a great familiarity with many of the religious periodicals of the period. As his brother, Charles, became deaf from the age of twelve the whole family practiced a special clarity of enunciation in their conversation for his benefit. Many think this early discipline was partially responsible for the high expertise in diction which George exhibited throughout his pulpit ministry in his later years.

Converted at the age of 19, he found personal faith in Christ as Savior during an evangelistic meeting in his home church. As he was being baptized George delivered his testimony at the evening service with such unction that the pastor promptly invited him to preach for the following Wednesday evening service.

At that service, carried along by an obvious passionate concern that others should also share the forgiveness for sins through Christ that he had found, George literally walked up and down the church aisles pleading that some in that packed congregation would receive salvation. After the service, embarrassed at the later realization that his evangelistic passion had carried him to such extremes, the young preacher rushed home to hide in his room humiliated and ashamed. But his godly mother sought him out and greatly encouraged him by saying, "My boy, all that is temptation of Satan, to silence you as a witness for Christ ... I doubt if ever in all your after life you will give a more effective testimony for Christ than you gave tonight." Many were converted as a result of that evening and from that time on people would come to Truett again and again to share their belief that God had called him to be a preacher. (Fant and Pinson, 1971:25-26).

Resisting the Call

But in those days Truett himself was never as sure of his call to the ministry as others appeared to be. An excellent student, he accepted appointment to become a grade school teacher at a country school in Hiawasee in north Georgia upon his own graduation from high school. He then aimed to begin college to study law when a layman, moved by his eloquence concerning the need for children's education in delivering a report to the Georgia Baptist Convention, offered to pay all his expenses to attend Mercer University. But when his parents relocated to Whitewright, TX, he joined them instead to help with their farm. While there his actual call to preach arose in a most unusual way.

Ordained Without Being Asked

To his surprise the small Baptist church he joined at Whitewright almost immediately expressed a desire to ordain him without discussing it with him first. Without his consent the vote passed unanimously! He then pleaded that he should first consider the matter for six months and tried to declined the honor. But they held to their conviction that now was the time and proceeded assuring him that God's Will was thus revealed. Truett comments,