Billy Graham Evangelistic Association · 1918–2018
William Franklin 'Billy' Graham Jr. (1918-2018) was an American evangelist who preached the Christian gospel to more people in person than anyone in history — over 200 million in 185 countries during 60 years of ministry. Born to a dairy farming family in North Carolina, he experienced conversion at 16 during a revival meeting and felt called to preach. He attended Wheaton College, where he met his wife Ruth Bell, and emerged as a charismatic young preacher in the post-WWII era. His 1949 'Christ for Greater Los Angeles' crusade — extended from three weeks to eight under media attention — launched him to national fame. From the 1950s onward, his Crusades drew massive crowds: 1.1 million at a single Seoul stadium meeting in 1973, sustained ministries in every American major city, and pioneering crusades behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. He was the spiritual advisor to twelve U.S. presidents from Truman to Obama, prayed at presidential funerals, and was a confidant of Queen Elizabeth II. He was named by Gallup as one of the 'Ten Most Admired Men in America' a record 61 times. His Decision magazine and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's daily devotional materials reached millions weekly. He died on February 21, 2018, at age 99. His son Franklin Graham continues the ministry.
Direct, gospel-centered, accessible to non-Christians. Devotionals draw heavily from his decades of preaching, with consistent themes of God's love, the necessity of personal conversion, the assurance of salvation, and the second coming of Christ. Style avoids theological complexity in favor of straightforward biblical truth applied to common human concerns: meaning, purpose, suffering, eternity.
Passages Billy Graham returns to most often, with their typical theme:
“The Bible is the most thumbed, dog-eared, underlined, marked-up book in my library — because I have used it most.”
“My home is in heaven. I'm just traveling through this world.”
“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now.”
Billy Graham daily devotionals are published at billygraham.org/devotion and through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's free email subscription. The BGEA also publishes the monthly Decision magazine with devotional content. Many of Billy Graham's books — 'Hope for Each Day,' 'The Reason for My Hope,' and others — are organized as devotional readings.
Billy Graham (1918-2018) was an American evangelist who preached the Christian gospel to more people in person than anyone in history — over 200 million in 185 countries during 60 years of ministry. He was spiritual advisor to twelve U.S. presidents and was named by Gallup as one of the 'Ten Most Admired Men in America' a record 61 times. He died on February 21, 2018, at age 99.
Billy Graham preached the gospel in person to more people than anyone in history. The estimated total is over 200 million people across 185 countries during 60 years of ministry. His largest single audience was 1.1 million people at a stadium meeting in Seoul, South Korea, in 1973. Through television and radio broadcasts of his Crusades, billions more heard his preaching.
Yes — the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association continues to publish daily devotionals drawn from his decades of sermons, books, and writings. The devotionals are available at billygraham.org/devotion and through free email subscription. New material draws from his extensive archive; the BGEA also produces fresh devotional content from current ministry leaders.