Complex sentence: Talmage began attracting large crowds almost from the time of his arrival and, despite being called a "pulpit clown" and "mountebank" for his sensationalist sermons, his following continued to grow until the church could no longer adequately seat everyone who attended.
Split into simpler sentences: Talmage began attracting large crowds almost from the time of his arrival. Despite his being called a "pulpit clown" and "mountebank" for his sensationalist sermons, his following continued to grow until the church could no longer seat everyone who attended.