Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who exhorts or encourages.
  • noun In the Meth, Epis. Ch., a layman, licensed by the pastor, at the recommendation of the class-meeting or leader's meeting, to hold meetings for prayer and exhortation under the direction of the preacher in charge, and to attend all the sessions of the quarterly conference. He is subject to an annual examination of character in the quarterly conference.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who exhorts or incites.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare A person who exhorts.
  • noun Protestantism A lay preacher.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From exhort +‎ -er.

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Examples

  • When we reached the church an "exhorter" was just concluding a dull sermon.

    God's Trombones Seven Negro Sermons in Verse Charles Buckles 1960

  • Abram was a man of medium size, tall, dark chestnut color, and could read and write a little and was quite intelligent; "was a member of the Mount Zion Church," and occasionally officiated as an "exhorter," and really appeared to be a man of genuine faith in the Almighty, and equally as much in freedom.

    The Underground Railroad A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &c., Narrating the Hardships, Hair-Breadth Escapes and Death Struggles of the Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom, As Related by Themselves and Others, or Witnessed by the Author. William Still

  • A young negro belonging to an officer in one of the regiments was sent home, and his place as cook was filled by Uncle Cage, a venerable looking old negro, who held the distinguished post of "exhorter" in the neighborhood.

    History of Kershaw's Brigade D. Augustus Dickert

  • After six or seven years service as an "exhorter" he united with the Baptist church and was ordained to the ministry by the Rev.Messrs. Broaddus, Cruikshank and Eubank.

    A History of Caroline County, Virginia 1924

  • Sometime after, having been commissioned by the local church as an "exhorter," still later, he was commissioned by Bishop Allen to make a visitation of the churches on the Eastern Shore.

    Men of Maryland George Freeman 1914

  • In fact, Priscilla trembled lest Mr. Boreas, the stern, hard-featured "exhorter," should have been invited to lead.

    Duffels Edward Eggleston 1869

  • At Vanessa Miller's church in Dayton, Ohio, a woman known as an "exhorter" greets worshippers with encouraging comments like, "You know you're blessed, right?" or "God's got something good in store for you, just wait and see."

    Publishers Weekly - Children's Books News 2010

  • "exhorter" was about to become mercilessly personal and vindictive - "God Almighty is the present ruler of the universe, but sence you have set up to run ag'in 'Him it looks like you'd need a wider scope of territory to transact business in than jest heer in this settlement."

    Northern Georgia sketches, 1900

  • We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

    Obama Gets a Reading - Swampland - TIME.com 2008

  • We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

    Philocrites: Purposes, purposes: Which ones really matter? 2009

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