Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Founder Billy Graham in 1966

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exists to share the Christian Gospel through every effective means available.

The BGEA has a variety of outreaches including internet evangelism, the Decision America Tour, The Billy Graham Channel on SiriusXM, "crusade-style" events in cities around the world, disaster response through the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, television broadcasts, podcasts and audio programs, Decision magazine, and evangelism training. The BGEA also includes the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in Asheville, North Carolina and the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.

History

The organization was founded in 1950 by Billy Graham in Minneapolis, Minnesota during Graham's time in the region; it later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.[1]

In August 2018, six months after Graham's death, the BGEA partnered with Sirius XM Holdings to create a permanent Billy Graham Channel featuring Graham's past sermons.[2] The organization was originally known for its radio program, The Hour of Decision, which was first broadcast in 1950 and continued for more than 60 years.[3]

Franklin Graham, the oldest son of Billy and Ruth Graham, is the president and CEO of the BGEA. [4] In 2018, Franklin Graham took his Decision America Tour to 17 cities in Washington, Oregon, and California. [5]. Franklin Graham made headlines in 2016 when he visited all 50 state capitals. More than 230,000 people attended the 2016 tour, according to the BGEA. [6]

Several times a year, Franklin Graham and his oldest son, Will Graham, preach at evangelistic crusade events in different parts of the world. [7]The events are modeled after the crusades Billy Graham was known for holding, many of which were broadcast on national television.

The BGEA's internet evangelism ministry, Search for Jesus, was launched in 2011.[8] The outreach is aimed at sharing the Christian Gospel with people around the world through websites in multiple languages. More than 50 million people have visited the websites since 2011, according to the BGEA. [9]

The organization produces a new television special [10] each month, which is broadcast on TV stations across the United States [11] and posted online. The organization also publishes Decision magazine monthly.

The BGEA began an international evangelism project in 2002 called My Hope, in which local believers invite friends, neighbors and relatives to their homes to watch a national telecast featuring Billy or Franklin Graham, translated into their language. BGEA claims that the project saw more than 9.8 million people "make decisions for Christ." [12]

Billy Graham and his ministry were also instrumental in founding Christianity Today Magazine, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and the Internet Evangelism Coalition.[13]

BGEA's Charlotte headquarters is the site of the Billy Graham Library, which was formally dedicated on May 31, 2007, with former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton in attendance. Former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and sitting President Donald Trump visited the Billy Graham Library to pay their respects following Billy Graham's death.[14]

Controversy

The group supports gay conversion therapy.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 80
  2. ↑ Standard Newswire, "The Billy Graham Channel Will Become Permanent on SiriusXM Channel 460"
  3. ↑ WFMY News, Reverend Billy Graham: His Life by the Numbers
  4. ↑ Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Franklin Graham biography
  5. ↑ New York Times, "The Evangelical Fight to Win Back California"
  6. ↑ Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, About the Decision America Tour
  7. ↑ Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, About Festivals and Crusades
  8. ↑ "5 Million Decisions for Christ: Internet Evangelism Hits Ministry Milestone," Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
  9. ↑ "Online Ministry Celebrates 10 Million Indicated Decisions for Christ," Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
  10. ↑ BGEA: Our Ministries: TV Specials
  11. ↑ TV and Radio Broadcast Listings, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
  12. ↑ BGEA: Our Ministries: International Ministries: World TV Project Archived February 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Lausanne World Pulse Archives, "The Internet Evangelism Coalition and Online Evangelism"
  14. ↑ Asheville Citizen-Times, "Which U.S. Presidents Are Attending Graham's Funeral?"
  15. ↑ "The outpouring of grief for evangelist Billy Graham is disturbing". The Independent. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
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