Franklin Graham
William Franklin Graham III is an American evangelist and missionary in the evangelical movement. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary. The son of Billy Graham, he is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of Samaritan's Purse, an international evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization. Under his leadership, Samaritan's Purse has become a leading global Christian relief organization, providing emergency assistance in crisis zones worldwide, including large-scale responses in Ukraine, Pakistan, and other regions affected by conflict or natural disasters. Graham has been considered as one of the most influential and best-known evangelicals in America, leading one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States, with $1.111 billion in private donations.
Graham became a "committed Christian" in 1974 and was ordained in 1982, and has since become a public speaker and author.
Early life and education
William Franklin Graham III was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on July 14, 1952, to evangelist Billy Graham and Ruth Graham, the fourth of their five children. Following local tradition, Franklin was given the family name, which had been passed down to the eldest son. His grandfather was named William Franklin Graham and was known as Frank within the family. His father, William Franklin Graham II, was called Billy Frank by his parents. Franklin was named William Franklin Graham III and called Franklin by his parents, to avoid confusion.His father, Billy Graham, was one of the world's most renowned evangelists and civil rights advocates. The father originated from North Carolina, and was of Scots-Irish descent. His mother, Ruth Graham, was a Chinese-born American, born to the medical missionary family of L. Nelson Bell, who served as head of the Presbyterian hospital in Qingjiang, China, Ruth thus being raised in China, in a household that taught "dependence on God..., love for his word, concern for others above self." Ruth's father, Franklin's maternal grandfather, Lemuel, in addition to his decades of medical missionary service, was a co-founder of Christianity Today.
Graham was raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, surrounded by a family deeply committed to Christian ministry. During Franklin Graham's childhood, the Graham family lived in a house near Asheville, North Carolina. As his father, Billy Graham, gained national recognition, an increasing number of tourists began visiting their home daily. To ensure greater privacy, the family purchased several acres of land in the mountains outside of Montreat, North Carolina, where they built a log house named Little Piney Cove. Since Billy Graham was frequently away preaching, Franklin's mother, Ruth Graham, oversaw the construction of the home. Even after relocating to Little Piney Cove, the Graham family occasionally faced harassment from strangers, including death threats directed at Billy Graham by radical groups. Due to security concerns, the FBI recommended installing a security fence with electronic gates around the property. According to Franklin Graham, the family agreed to the measures, which effectively deterred unwanted intrusions.
Billy Graham was often absent during his children's upbringing, leaving his wife to take on the primary role in maintaining the family. In his autobiography, Franklin Graham recounted an incident in which his mother, upon discovering that he had been smoking, required him to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes as a disciplinary measure. He noted that a similar method had been used in his father Billy Graham's childhood, when his own father employed the same approach to deter him from smoking.
As a teenager, Graham attended The Stony Brook School, a Christian private school on Long Island, New York, but was expelled mid senior year. In his autobiography, Graham stated that he was very unhappy there and developed a "prisoner of war mentality", refusing to conform to the school's order or ways of thinking, and repeatedly breaking the rules. He finished Owen High School in North Carolina, close to his home.
In 1970, Graham attended LeTourneau College in Longview, Texas, and was expelled from the school for keeping a female classmate out past curfew. In 1973, Graham joined Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan's Purse, on a six-week mission to Asia. During this trip, Graham decided to focus on world relief. In 1974, he graduated from Montreat-Anderson College, now Montreat College, with an A.S. That same year on a trip to Jerusalem, he repented and experienced a new birth. After his studies, Graham was involved in administrative work related to preparation of his father's crusades. In 1978 he graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.A.
In his school days, Graham's favorite hobbies included "mountains, dogs, guns, and friends", and that he particularly enjoyed spending time in the hills and mountains near his home. He would go out with his gun and dogs, build a campfire, and listen to music by artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard on a transistor radio. In his youth, his father was absent for extended periods, and Franklin was known for his rebelliousness against authority, and his having interest in motorcycles and airplanes, and in Scotch and cigarettes, which was challenging for his parents.
Graham experienced a significant Christian conversion at the age of 22.
Ministerial career
Franklin Graham was ordained in 1982 by Grace Community Church in Tempe, Arizona, a non-denominational church. Graham gained his first experience in ministry in 1975 when he was invited by Bob Pierce, President of Samaritan's Purse, to accompany him on an international trip. The journey included visits to missionary and refugee camps, hospitals, and meetings with government officials, church leaders, and missionaries in South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Nepal.In 1979, after the death of Pierce, he became the president of Samaritan's Purse. According to Graham, he built the organization in close cooperation with the Board, mirroring it after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association by adopting its policies and procedures.
In his first year as president of Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham managed the organization's operations from Boone, North Carolina, while administrative tasks were handled from its California office. In 1980, he discovered that the California leadership had incorporated a separate ministry organization, leading to a conflict. As a result, two board members resigned, and the headquarters was relocated to Boone, where it merged with World Medical Mission under one roof.
In 1982, Franklin Graham was ordained, marking the beginning of his evangelistic career. He denied that he was groomed to become a successor of his father. He argued that God had called him for his own work in the Samaritan's Purse.
In 1989, Franklin Graham held his first evangelistic event, continuing his father's preaching to large audiences in stadiums and other venues worldwide. He has preached at more than 325 outreaches across all 50 U.S. states and territories, as well as in over 55 countries. Since 1989, Graham has delivered sermons in Mexico, Poland, Vietnam, Italy, United Kingdom, and other countries.
In the early 1990s Franklin Graham was second second vice-chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He was the only child of Billy Graham on the BGEA's board. It was speculated that Franklin Graham could become his father's successor in ministry; however, he denied that he could fulfill the role in the same way as Billy Graham. In 1995, at a crusade in Toronto, Billy Graham collapsed from a bleeding colon and, despite his hosts' efforts to find another preacher, insisted that his son Franklin take his place, highlighting Franklin's emerging role as his father's successor. A few month later in 1995, Franklin Graham became vice-president of the BGEA. According to Billy Graham's biographer, the decision to appoint his son, Franklin, as the head of the BGEA was initially controversial among some long-time employees who were critical of Franklin's lifestyle that clashed with the organization's conservative corporate traditions. At the same time, Franklin's father remained chairman and chief executive.
According to Billy Graham's autobiography, Franklin Graham gradually assumed greater leadership responsibilities within the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as his father reduced his public engagements and administrative duties due to declining health; during this transition, Franklin took on more day-to-day operations within the organization. Billy Graham stated that Franklin's experience as the president of a global Christian relief and evangelism organization made him well-qualified to lead BGEA. In 2000, Franklin Graham was named the CEO of the organization, since his father retired from ministry. According to the BGEA spokeswoman, it was his father's decision to let his son take charge. In 2001, Franklin Graham succeeded his father, Billy Graham, as President of BGEA. According to Billy Graham, board of directors unanimously elected Franklin to succeed him as President of BGEA.
Franklin Graham continued the crusade ministry following his father's final evangelistic event, the Greater New York Crusade, held in June 2005. In 2006, Billy Graham preached alongside Franklin at two events: the Celebration of Hope in New Orleans and the Metro Maryland Festival in Baltimore.