G. Campbell Morgan was born at Tetbury, England, on December 9, 1883. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Cardiff and attended Roath Road Wesleyan Methodist Church.

Morgan preached his first sermon at the age of thirteen at Monmouth. It had four divisions, each made by biblical reference, a method he used all his life: (1) A great salvation (Hebrews 2:3), (2) A common salvation (Jude 3), (3) An eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9), (4) A present salvation (Z Corinthians 6:2).

He became a Wesleyan local preacher. At the age of 19 his faith passed under an eclipse and for the next two years he ceased to preach. During that time he never opened his Bible. The only books he read were books that either defended the Bible or criticized it.

"In my despair," he says, "I took all the books I had, placed them in a cupboard, turned the key and there they remained for seven years. I bought a new Bible and began to read it with an open mind and determined will. That Bible found me. Since then I have lived for one end -- to preach the teachings of the Book that found me."

In 1888, he failed in his trial sermon as a candidate for the Wesleyan ministry. That day was at once one of the darkest and the brightest days of his life. Later he said: "I thank God today for the closing of that door of hope, because, when I turned my feet in another direction, I found the breadth of His commandments and the glory of His service."

He was ordained in the Congregational Church, without ever going to a theological college. He served churches at Stone and Rugeley and then in Birmingham, where he became friendly with R. W. Dale. In talking one day with Dale he said how deeply he regretted being "an untrained man." Dale replied: "Never say you are untrained. God, Who has many ways of training men, has trained you and I pray you may have great joy in His service."

In 1897, Morgan was called to New Court Congregational Church, Tollington Park, London. Within a few months of his ministry there he came to be regarded as one of the ablest of the younger preachers.

On the death of Moody in 1899, he was invited to Northfield to carry on his work by holding conventions for the deepening of interest in Bible study throughout the United States. He accepted the invitation and from 1901-4 he labored incessantly.

In October, 1904, Morgan began his ministry in Westminster Chapel, London. The church, which seats 2500 and has two galleries, was filled from the start, twice a Sunday. Members of Parliament, journalists, doctors, lawyers, titled people, were often in his congregation. On Friday evening he held a Bible school where he lectured on the books of the Bible, using a huge blackboard to display his analyses. He was a born teacher.

His church secretary, Arthur Marsh, when asked to explain the amazing amount of work which Morgan accomplished and the fact that whenever he preached there were no empty seats, replied as follows: "First, the impeccable adherence to method. His study is a model of order. There is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Anything of value is indexed and filed. Hymns are never selected haphazard, or at the last moment, but always in relation to their subject and to the purpose of the sermon.