Theologian  ·  Historian  ·  Liturgist

R. MatthewSigler

Professor of Worship
and Historical Theology
Seattle Pacific University & Seminary
Current Research Publications
R. Matthew Sigler
Forthcoming Book
Fr. Dennis Bennett and the Rise of the Charismatic Renewal
This book brings to light the origin story of one of the most influential movements in the twentieth century by tracing the story of Fr. Dennis Bennett, an Episcopal priest who in 1960 announced to his congregation that he had spoken in tongues, launching a global phenomenon.
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About

Matthew Sigler is Professor of Worship and Historical Theology at Seattle Pacific University and Seminary where he teaches courses in worship, church history, and Wesleyanism. He is an ordained presbyter in the United Methodist Church with nearly three decades of ministry experience in a wide array of contexts.

His scholarship sits at the intersection of historical theology, liturgical studies, and Wesleyan-Holiness traditions—with growing attention to the Charismatic Renewal Movement and its place within the broader story of modern Christianity. He is the author of Methodist Worship: Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage (Routledge, 2018).

He also directed the Leitourgia Project, a Lilly Endowment–funded initiative (2019) aimed at training a new generation of worship leaders. Sigler consults frequently with local congregations on worship design and is a gifted teacher.

Research Areas
Theology of Christian Worship · Wesleyan Holiness Heritage · Charismatic Renewal History · Liturgical History
Education
Ph.D., Liturgical Studies — Boston University, 2014
M.A., Worship and the Arts — Asbury Theological Seminary, 2007
B.A., History — Huntingdon College, 2001
Position
Professor of Worship and Historical Theology
Institution
Seattle Pacific University & Seminary
Seattle, WA
Professional Associations
North American Academy of Liturgy · Societas Liturgica · Society for Pentecostal Studies · Charles Wesley Society · Wesleyan Liturgical Society
In Progress

Forthcoming
Book

Fr. Dennis Bennett and the Rise of the Charismatic Renewal

The Rev. Dennis Bennett leading a prayer service at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sept. 22, 1968
Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sept. 22, 1968

On April 3, 1960, the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California stood before his congregation and announced he had spoken in tongues. Shortly afterward both Time and Newsweek featured the story. Fr. Dennis Bennett’s announcement is widely regarded as the opening moment of the Charismatic Renewal Movement.

He quickly became a herald of the renewal, speaking in countless congregations, across dozens of denominations and around the globe. And under his tenure, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Seattle, WA was a pilgrimage site for those seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The congregation hosted hundreds at weekly meetings for over a decade. Reporters marveled at the ecumenical nature of the gatherings in which “hippies in sandals and nuns in habits sat side by side on the floor.”

Fr. Dennis Bennett and the Rise of the Charismatic Renewal traces this remarkable origin story and draws upon previously uncovered journals, letters, audio and video to help readers understand the rise of the Charismatic Renewal.

Book Release in 2027 — Join the Mailing List
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Published Works

Methodist Worship: Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage — book cover

Methodist Worship: Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage

Routledge Methodist Studies Series  ·  New York, 2018

What makes Methodist worship “Methodist” or “Wesleyan?” This book seeks to answer that question by exploring how Methodists have mediated, adapted, and transmitted distinctive worship practices across their history.

Drawing on the work of three key “mediators” of Methodist worship (Thomas O. Summers, Nolan Harmon, and James F. White), Sigler makes the case for a distinctly Methodist approach to worship that is neither a copy of its Anglican origins nor a capitulation to generic evangelical practice, but a living, generative tradition in its own right.

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Selected Publications

  • 01
    “Fr. Dennis Bennett and the Charismatic Renewal at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church”Article
    Liturgy 37.3 · July 2022 · pp. 11–19  ·  Guest editor, special issue on “Pentecostalism and the Historic Churches”
  • 02
    “Methodist/Wesleyan Practices of Worship”Chapter
    In Historical Foundations of Worship, ed. Lamport and Ross, pp. 208–224 · Baker Academic, 2022
  • 03
    “Revive Our Spiritual Strength: Worship Practices Among the Abolitionists of the Revivalist Tradition”Chapter
    In Awakening to Justice, ed. Strong, Daniels, Leclerc, Momany · InterVarsity Press, 2024
  • 04
    “Baptism and Eucharist: Preserving the Sacramental Sequence”Chapter
    In Life with the Risen Christ: A Wesleyan Theology of Baptism, ed. Jonathan Powers · Wipf and Stock, 2023
  • 05
    “James F. White, Grady Hardin, and Methodist ‘Contemporary’ Worship in the 1970s”Chapter
    In Essays on the History of Contemporary Praise and Worship, ed. Lester Ruth · Wipf and Stock, 2020
  • 06
    “Not Your Mother’s Contemporary Worship: Exploring CCLI’s ‘Top 25’ List”Article
    Worship 87.5 · September 2013 · pp. 445–463
  • 07
    “‘Our Hearts Reply’: Charles Wesley’s Lyrical Technique as a Prescription for Rooted Emotion”Article
    Liturgy 28.2 · April 2013 · pp. 39–47
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Recent Presentations

2025
“Fr. Dennis Bennett and the Charismatic Renewal in Seattle”
Society for Pentecostal Studies · Kirkland, WA · March 2025
2025
“Covid, Creativity, and the Concrete: Exploring Ways Teenagers Engage Virtual and Tangible Liturgical Space”
Societas Liturgica · Paris, France · July 2025
2025
“Revive Our Spiritual Strength: Worship Practices Among the Abolitionists”
Parkhurst Lecture · Southwestern College · March 2025
2024
“Fully Charismatic, Clearly Episcopalian: Worship Practices at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the 1970s”
North American Academy of Liturgy · Seattle, WA · January 2024
2021
“Baptism: No Stranger Thing”
Freitas Lecture · Asbury Theological Seminary · October 2021
2018
“What Makes Methodist Worship, Wesleyan?”
Keynote — Wesleyan Heritage Series · Point Loma Nazarene University