altar call

noun

1. an evangelist preacher's invitation at the end of the sermon, asking people to come forward to acknowledge a conversion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of altar call¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

In this moment, Mr. Trump’s audience is his congregation, and the former president their pastor as he delivers a roughly 15-minute finale that evokes an evangelical altar call, the emotional tradition that concludes some Christian services in which attendees come forward to commit to their savior.

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A rally for former President Donald J. Trump in July in Erie, Pa. At many of his recent rallies, Mr. Trump delivers a roughly 15-minute finale that evokes an evangelical altar call.

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When she was 11, she had a conversion experience during an altar call and vowed to devote herself to Christian service.

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The mass baptism wasn’t the only revival this year after an altar call during a regular chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky transformed into a multi-day revival that didn’t end for more than two weeks.

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To galvanize women, Ms. Yorkin produced a multistate tour through 21 cities that she designed like a political convention; at the end of each event, there was what Ms. Smeal characterized in a phone interview as an “altar call,” with some women pledging to run for office and others pledging to support them.

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