There was no leader, but people felt an unseen control. Often, when a congregation was gathered to hear Evan Roberts, they would start before he arrived. He would often leave meetings as the Holy Spirit guided him. Sometimes, there would be several meetings in different churches, with the preachers going from one to another. The Lord ruled in all .
Religious souls hate the freedom that revival brings.
In the biography of Rees Howells, Intercessor, we can read how the 'children of the revival' were often forced to leave the denominational churches. They started holding meetings in Gospel Halls. Rees Howells' hall continued from strength to strength as he and the other leaders continued walking in revival long after the fires had ceased elsewhere. In 1906, when the revival was dying out, he had had a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit as leaders of the revival had gathered to seek a solution to the many backslidings that had occurred amongst converts. Some of the concerns of the clergy were legitimate.