Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Fact Sheet

Chairman: William Franklin "Billy" Graham II, since 1950

President & CEO: William Franklin Graham III, since 2000

Founded: 1950, by Billy Graham

Programs: The following are ministries of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA):

 

• Billy Graham Crusades - Billy Graham has preached the Gospel to nearly 215 million people in live audiences at hundreds of crusades, missions and evangelistic rallies, in North America and around the world. His final Crusade was held in New York City June 24-26, 2005, where 242,000 people attended.
• Franklin Graham Festivals - Since 1989, Franklin Graham has preached at more than 130 evangelistic Festivals in 33 states and 30 countries. The BGEA appointed Franklin Graham CEO in 2000 and president of the organization in 2001. He has served as first vice-chairman of the BGEA since 1995. Franklin also serves as president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization based in Boone, N.C.
• Will Graham Celebrations - Will Graham is the third generation of Grahams to deliver the same Gospel message under the banner of the BGEA. Will has spoken to more than 125,000 people in the United States, Canada and Hong Kong since beginning his multi-day events in 2005.
• My Hope World Evangelism Through Television - Through this innovative, nationwide movement for relationship evangelism, churches and Christian families are encouraged and equipped to open their homes to friends, family and neighbors, to share the Gospel using television broadcasts produced by the BGEA in local languages. Since the program was launched in 2002, more than 9 million people in 42 countries have made decisions to follow Jesus Christ.
• Billy Graham Library - The 40,000-square-foot Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. opened in June 2007 and chronicles the life of evangelist Billy Graham. Its purpose is to continue the 60-year legacy of the BGEA to deliver the simple Gospel message. The Library houses six exhibits, four galleries and two theaters covering the span of Graham's lifetime work and the ongoing ministry of the BGEA today.
  
• Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove - Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on 1,200 acres in Asheville, N.C., this retreat center offers guests multi-day seminars taught by well-known Christian leaders, as well as special music events.  The Cove celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2008.  In 2007, the Cove held more than 140 seminars and events with some 50,000 guests.
• Billy Graham Rapid Response Team - To meet the critical need for emotional and spiritual care in the wake of a natural disaster or tragedy, this outreach has a network of 2,700 chaplains and trained volunteers in 40 states and Canada. Since 2002, the Rapid Response Team has assisted more than 400,000 victims and emergency responders. In 2008, teams have been deployed to 20 different locations.
• Dare to Be a Daniel - Inspired by the biblical story of Daniel, this program trains Christian "tweens" (ages 9-14) to take a stand for their faith. Dare to Be a Daniel combines multimedia technology, biblical teaching and interviews with famous athletes and musicians to help the youths live their faith in their interactions with friends, family and peers. The program challenges "tweens" through a Web site (daretobeadaniel.org), a booklet teaching Christians principles and Bible verses and an interactive CD-ROM that includes music, videos, practical tips and the entire Bible. Dare to Be a Daniel is available as both a 13-week curriculum and an individual training kit.
• Decision Magazine - The official monthly publication of the BGEA, founded in 1960, has a circulation of some 500,000 - making it one of the most widely circulated religious periodicals in the world. Issues include messages by Billy and Franklin Graham, devotional helps, practical features on Christian living, personal testimonies and news of inspiring faith. In 2007, more than 5 million copies of Decision magazine were distributed.
• Schools of Evangelism - These schools are training events designed to help pastors and Christian leaders to more effectively reach out to their local communities. A typical School of Evangelism consists of two days of training in building a stronger local church outreach, as well as equipping others in relational evangelism. More than 113,000 church leaders have participated in the schools in North America since their inception in 1967. In 2007 there were six Schools of Evangelism attended by 1,800 participants from 34 states and Canada.
• Radio Programs - The weekly Hour of Decision radio program, founded in 1950 by Billy Graham, is broadcast to virtually every part of the United States, Canada and 102 countries. The program is broadcast in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Farsi. The off-shoot, one-minute program, Decision Minute, continues to grow in markets around the world, airing in English, Spanish, West African and French. The Hour of Decision has more than 1,100 partner stations in the United States and Decision Minute more than 1,200.
• Blue Ridge Broadcasting - Broadcasting from the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, this radio ministry operates FM station 106.9 the Light, 1010 AM WFGW Faith & Freedom, Spanish language LaLuzDeChristo.org, WFGW.org and theEDGE 106.9 HD2. The Light reaches 362,100 weekly listeners in seven states and four markets (Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville-Spartanburg and Johnson City-Bristol).
• Internet (www.billygraham.org) - The BGEA Internet outreach includes all of the organization's ministries and event information online. In 2007, the BGEA Web site reached nearly 10 million unique visitors with 6,951 online visitors registering a commitment to Jesus Christ. Web site visitors can now visit the new multimedia center featuring audio and video such as the Hour of Decision radio program, Billy Graham sermons, Ruth Graham videos, music videos and a variety of other motivational and spiritual content. In addition, users can subscribe to e-mail newsletters, read Decision magazine or find guides to spiritual questions.
• Billy Graham TV Specials - Billy Graham pioneered the early use of television specials in the 1950s, which today are regularly broadcast in primetime in the United States and Canada. Reaching an average of 2 million households, these specials blend a message by Billy and Franklin Graham, music videos and personal stories of faith.
• TV/Telephone Ministry - The TV/Telephone Ministry, in conjunction with the Billy Graham TV Specials, began nationwide in March 1981 and has since served more than 1 million people. From the privacy of their homes, people can call a telephone number on their screen to receive spiritual help and guidance. In 2007, there were 44 active phone centers, 800 phones and some 3,800 trained volunteers.
• Grason - Grason offers books, discipleship materials, music and videos to Christians and organizations searching for faith-enriching resources. Grason also oversees the BGEA ministry previously known as World Wide Pictures. Beginning with Mr. Texas, in 1951, Billy Graham evangelistic films have been viewed by more than 250 million people around the world in theaters, churches, prisons and on television. BGEA has produced and distributed more than 125 productions - from 15-minute television programs to 25 feature-length films, including The Hiding Place, PowerPlay, Joni, A Vow to Cherish, The Ride, Road to Redemption, The Climb and Last Flight Out.
• Billy Graham Response Center - The Response Center opened in June 1998 to provide information to people with questions regarding the BGEA. The Response Center also handles calls from those needing spiritual encouragement and receives calls for Samaritan's Purse. In 2007 the Response Center handled approximately 685,000 calls and emails. The Response Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Christian Guidance - The Christian Guidance department of trained staff handles letters, telecast follow-up forms, phone calls and emails from tens of thousands of people annually - many of whom are in desperate circumstances, experiencing every conceivable type of problem. In 2007, the Christian Guidance staff received more than 185,000 inquiries.

 

Offices: The BGEA international headquarters is located on the Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte, N.C.  The organization also has offices in Canada, Australia, Great Britain and Germany.  More than 800 people work for the BGEA worldwide.

  

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