Billy Graham, known as one of the most influential evangelists, passed away on Wednesday February 21 at the age of 99. Known for creating a megachurch “blueprint,” he changed the evangelical ministry. Graham preached to over 200 million people worldwide and impacted millions more through media such as his radio programs, books and organizations.
In the 1940s, Graham was influenced by traveling evangelical preachers. Unlike these preachers, Graham made friends in the business community who persuaded him to incorporate his organization. In 1950, he founded the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA), which he used as a way to publish and distribute books and pamphlets.
His organization also funded his many crusades. Over his 58-year career, Graham preached at 417 crusades in almost 200 countries. Over 84 million people attended live, and 215 million more watched through satellite feeds.
“It’s not often that you can say someone truly changed the world, but when it comes to Billy, he changed the face of eternity as well,” James Dobson, author and founder of Family Talk, said in a statement to Fox News.
Graham preached the gospel to more people and groups than any other preacher before him. He quickly became a national icon who participated in presidential inaugurations and spoke during national crisis.
“Graham became a friend and confidante of popes and presidents, queens and dictators, and yet, even in his 80s, he possesses the boyish charm and unprepossessing demeanor to communicate with the masses,” said Columbia University historian Randall Balmer.
Graham was able to effectively use technology and other forms of mass media to reach his audience.
“He came to prominence at a unique point in history when there were a number of new media technologies, and he seized on them and made himself into a religious celebrity the likes of which, with the possible exception of the pope, we just don’t have,” Balmer commented.
Apart from his direct interactions with the public, Graham used literature, movies and the radio to reach his audience. The reverend wrote 36 books, hosted the popular radio program “The Hour of Decision” and helped in the production of hundreds of movies through Worldwide Productions. He also founded two magazines: Decision and Christianity Today. According to a biographer, Christianity Today is currently the most widely read evangelical magazine.
Graham changed the way that pastors view international missions to reach unreached people groups.
According to Platt, “His legacy carries on in the lives of men and women throughout the IMB who are doing today what Billy Graham did all of his life: sharing the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ and inviting people to believe in Him for eternal life.”
