I was saddened to learn today that the great evangelist Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99! Truly God blessed this man with a long and fruitful life! Having read his autobiography several times as well as other books about him, in addition to the fact that I served as a vice chair for Billy Graham’s last NYC crusade in the 2000’s, I have had the opportunity to observe how he operated up close (having met with his team once per month for more than a year to prepare for said NYC crusade).
In many ways, Billy was the Protestant equivalent to a Pope—a person with huge influence amongst a cross section of evangelical leaders as well as diverse denominations. His ministry had a broad reach and appealed to conservative, moderate, and even some liberal Christian audiences.
He probably preached to more people than any other human being in history, won untold millions to CHRIST and was responsible for founding or serving as a catalyst to launch numerous evangelical ministries and organizations (E.G. Christianity Today magazine and Fuller Theological seminary to name a few).
The following are my observations regarding ten things that made him great:
1. He was a man of integrity
Throughout the scandal plagued era of the 1980s (with evangelists Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, and others) Billy was a breath of fresh air as he kept a scandal free public persona that never embarrassed the Evangelical church.
His ministry spanned nearly eight decades with no scandal! That’s an amazing accomplishment. Part of the reason for his integrity were the safe guards he placed in his life—like never being alone with a woman who was not his wife or family—and having a strong board he was accountable to in regard to finances and ministry.
When I was with a small group during the NY crusade, he spoke candidly about some of his disappointments in ministry as well as some regrets (one regret was that he did not spend more time cultivating friendships among younger leaders). He was self-aware, humble, and transparent, which was the foundation of his integrity.
Truly he built his life foundation on character development and spiritual formation more than on his gifts, abilities, and influence.
2. He was a man of simplicity
Billy lived a life of simplicity—and eschewed the lavish lifestyle some of his peers lived—in spite of the fact his ministry brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. He had a modest home, a modest salary, and lived a modest life in spite of his significance and celebrity status.
3. He was a man who spoke truth to power
Billy not only preached to the “down and out” but also to the “up and in” and was a pastor/friend to virtually every president of the United States for the last four decades. He’s also met with many international heads of state, including various leaders representing numerous religions.
4. He was a man of innovation
Billy used the latest modes of communication available to him to get the gospel out, whether it was the radio, newspapers, or television, of the 1940s and 1950s to being a catalyst to help found major ministries such as Christianity Today and Fuller Theological Seminary, he was always on the cutting edge of innovation regarding the release of his prophetic voice to culture as well as discerning the needs of the evangelical church.
5. He was a man who communicated plainly to the people
Billy had mass appeal with his evangelistic crusades, primarily because he had an unusual gift of communicating the gospel in the vernacular of the people. I have heard more eloquent, gifted preachers—but there was no one who could garner a crowd with effective results like Billy.
6. He was a man who worked closely with his team
Billy had the same team for decades, in spite of the fact that men like song leader Cliff Barrows could have went off on his own but did not. There was intense loyalty among his team because of the way he honored their input, treated them with dignity, and valued them as friends. He knew he could never fulfill his ministry without a great, loyal team around him.
7. He was a man who understood the times in which he lived
Billy crafted his evangelistic messages each year based on his knowledge of current events. He had the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other
8. He was a man who left a legacy with his biological family
It’s a great joy for me to see his biological children carry on the mantle of his ministry. It was also a great joy to see how Billy and his wife Ruth Graham remained true to each other in all the years of their marriage in spite of the many challenges of an intense evangelistic ministry.
I once heard that Ruth said about her marriage to Billy in spite of his many travels “I would rather be married to Billy even though I have him only fifty percent of the time than being married to someone else and being with them one hundred percent of the time!”
9. He was a man who was a statesman/ambassador for Christ
Billy was not only an evangelist but also a statesman that represented the evangelical church to Popes, Presidents, Kings, Queens, Imams, and every conceivable global leader in politics and religion. In regard to religion, he was ecumenical without compromising the truth so he could reach as many as possible with the gospel!
10. He was a man who trusted the Bible as the word of God
In all his years he never lost his trust in the fidelity of Scripture in spite of the push back from liberal theological trends and currents. Although he kept up with contemporary culture and read broadly—he was always primarily a man of one book: the Bible. Perhaps this was the most important reason why God was able to raise him up and trust him with a historic, global platform.
I look forward to meeting Billy again in glory!
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