Just As I Am

by Billy Graham

  Not every threat has ended so happily. In Copenhagen, Den-mark, a strong knock came at an arena door during the service, and a security guard opened it. Thinking the guard was me, someone threw acid in his face, and doctors had to fight to save his sight. I visited the guard in the hospital, thanking him for his faithfulness to his duties and lamenting the stiff price he had paid.

  I am grateful for all those who have helped us with security over the years, although I can honestly say that I have never been nervous about such threats or been intimidated by them. My life is in God’s hands, not those of someone who may oppose His work.

  ORGANIZING THE CRUSADES

  Every Crusade begins at the grassroots, usually with a group of concerned Christians who are burdened for their community and come together to seek God’s will about reaching those around them for Christ. If they come to believe that a Crusade may be an effective way of accomplishing this, they contact our Minneapolis office.

  For many years, Sterling Huston has been our director for North America. After a Crusade request comes in, Sterling visits the people who sent the request (if that seems indicated), and he meets with as broad a cross section of Christian and civic leaders as possible in the host city. Others who have broad experience with our Crusades, such as Larry Turner or Rick Marshall, also meet with local pastors and look at the practical problems, such as a suitable stadium, ease of access, and parking facilities. Those staff who work with our Crusades have sacrificed much, often being away from home for weeks at a time; and the debt I owe them is enormous.

  Sterling was an engineer with a major industrial corporation before coming with us, and his analytical mind and careful attention to detail have been invaluable to me. He is a good example of a person who is gifted in ways I’m not and who has willingly used his gifts for the furtherance of our ministry. However, like everyone on our Team, he is also spiritually sensitive and is always concerned that we accept an invitation to a city only when God is clearly opening the door there. One of his key criteria is the level of prayer support in a city, for without that as a foundation, little will be accomplished spiritually.

  Once a Crusade invitation is accepted, a Crusade director and a small support staff move to that city, often a year in advance. Their purpose is to assist the local committee in organizing every phase of the Crusade, from the recruitment of staff, ushers, and the choir to the construction of the platform and the raising of the budget. (The budget for each Crusade, by the way, is raised locally; afterward the finances are audited, and the audit is published in the local newspapers.) Every Crusade involves thousands of volunteers who have a deep burden for their community and come together using their various talents. Without them, an event of that size would be impossible. They are just as much a part of the Team as those of us who stand on the platform. And after each Crusade, it is our hope to leave behind people who have been trained or better equipped to use their gifts right there where they live.

  ASSOCIATE EVANGELISTS

  In an effort to reach as many parts of the world as possible, we have had several men with us over the years as associate evangelists. They have held hundreds of Crusades in almost every corner of the world, often in very difficult places. And during my Crusades, they have taken speaking engagements I have been unable to accept. Some, like Joe Blinco and Grady Wilson, have been called home to Heaven. Others, like Lane Adams and Leighton Ford, have gone into the pastorate or established their own ministries, and I rejoice in God’s blessings on their work.

  Grady was already with us when I asked young Leighton Ford to join us. He wanted to become an evangelist, but he was planning to go to the University of Toronto. I urged him and his parents to consider Wheaton College, which would train him for what he wanted to do. It was there that he met my sister Jean and married her, and he has been a wonderful brother-in-law ever since. After a career as a powerful associate evangelist with us, he felt led to fulfill his own vision of training small groups of evangelists.

  Still others, like Roy Gustafson and Howard Jones, held Crusades from time to time, until their recent retirement. As our first black evangelist, Howard has had an impact not only in the American black community and in Africa but also in numerous citywide Crusades. His son-in-law, Norman Sanders, has worked for us for many years, both in the U.S. and in our international ministry. Roy knows the Middle East and the Holy Land as few others do; he has led hundreds of tours to the Holy Land that have made the Bible come alive for thousands.

  Roy has also had a great impact on my son Franklin’s spiritual growth and on his eventual decision to become an evangelist. He invited Franklin on several trips, helping him to become very knowledgeable on the Middle East, both religiously and politically. In the time since, Franklin has been a guest of the prime minister of Israel, the king of Jordan, and other leaders in that area.

  Dr. Akbar Abdul-Haqq continues to hold Crusades in his native India (where they are called “Good News Festivals”), as well as in other countries. He has one master’s degree in Oriental languages and another in philosophy. His doctoral degree from Northwestern University is in the history of religion, with a minor in systematic theology. For four years he was president of the Henry Martyn School of Islamic Studies. It is no wonder that he has been effective, especially among university students.

  Another native Indian, Dr. Robert Cunville, keeps a busy schedule in his own country; he has held Crusades in many other places too, from Nepal to Wales. His humble spirit and his single-minded commitment to evangelism never cease to inspire me.

  Until a stroke interrupted his ministry, Dr. John Wesley White held Crusades in countless towns and cities across America as well as his native Canada, and he hosted his own religious television program in Canada. With a D.Phil. from Oxford, John could have had a brilliant career in the academic world, but I have seldom met a man who had a deeper burden for evangelism. His unique brand of eloquent preaching is unforgettable. I have been especially grateful for the way John has been a mentor to Franklin, encouraging him and helping him develop his own skills as an effective evangelist. In addition to his other responsibilities, Franklin is now an associate evangelist with our Team. More than once I have said he is a better preacher now than I was at his age.

  Another native of Canada, Ralph Bell, has substituted for me on occasion when illness has prevented me from preaching. A forceful and clear preacher of the Gospel, Ralph has not only held numerous citywide and church Crusades but has also had an especially fruitful ministry in prisons, one of the most difficult places to preach.

  An able staff assists the associate evangelists in working with local churches and organizing their meetings. In addition, a fine group of gifted musicians have devoted their talents to the associate evangelists’ Crusades. Franklin has experimented with new musical directions in his Crusades, utilizing a variety of groups and artists, from the Gaither Praise Band to singer Dennis Agajanian.

  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  In 1957, during the New York Crusade, I took a brief break one day at insurance executive Roger Hull’s home. On the way up the Connecticut turnpike, we talked about the organizational burden I was carrying.

  “Billy, someday you’re going to be embarrassed over this,” he said to me. “You don’t have a strong board. You’ve handled it well, but one of these days it’s going to catch up with you. I think you ought to expand to a board of responsible businessmen who’ll handle your finances.”

  We took Roger’s advice, but in a way he hadn’t expected. At the board meeting in November, we named him our first outside board member. In addition, we named a number of others, most of them businessmen: E. O. Spencer, Dr. V. Raymond Edman, J. Colgate Buckbee, Carloss Morris, Leighton Ford, Dr. Nelson Bell, and Dr. Roland Scherer. Cliff voiced the strong conviction, in which all the Team and board of directors concurred, that I should remain chairman of the board.

  Over the next decade, I turned over all authority to the board. In time they appointed an executive comm
ittee. It meets frequently—usually every six weeks—to oversee the Association’s business in detail. No paid employee of the BGEA—including myself—is a member of the executive committee of nine men and women, and an employee can attend an executive committee meeting only by invitation. The board also has a number of working subcommittees, such as the audit review committee and the personnel committee; and unlike most nonprofit religious organizations, we have an internal auditor.

  Before anyone is officially invited to join the board, he or she is asked to affirm their commitment to the BGEA’s principles, theology, and goals. Each person is also required to pledge that he or she will make the BGEA a priority and won’t miss meetings, unless providentially hindered.

  Most, if not all, have been busy men and women with many other responsibilities. They have been generous in their financial support, but we have never sought board members because of their ability to give. The most valuable assets they bring are their wise counsel and their practical experience. We have a separate board in Canada to oversee our work there. Our subsidiary organizations, such as World Wide Pictures and our two radio station units, likewise have separate boards.

  I hesitate even to mention the names of some who have served on our BGEA board over the years (because for lack of space I have to omit many) whose contribution was invaluable at some stage. Nevertheless, a number of board members will always be uppermost in my memory. Allan Emery, Jr., became chairman of the executive committee and was later elected president of the BGEA. Financial adviser George Bennett has been a valuable member of the executive committee for many years; he was treasurer of Harvard University and also served on the boards of Ford Motor Company, Hewlett-Packard, and other major corporations.

  Among the others were Houston title company executive Carloss Morris, Dallas baking company executive Bill Mead, Los Angeles pastor and black community leader Dr. E. V. Hill, department store executive Frank Coy, California automobile dealer Guy Martin, newspaper publisher and former ambassador to Spain Richard Capen, business entrepreneur Mary Crowley, corporation president Bill Pollard, Holiday Inns co-founder Bill Walton, seminary president Dr. Arthur Johnston, and Dr. Roger James, who has long been my local physician.

  I miss those board members who have retired or gone ahead into the Lord’s presence. Even if their names are not included here, I am certain their mark on BGEA is lasting. I am sure I have not been worthy of the professional interest and prayerful involvement of the men and women—almost seventy at last count—who have served at one time or another on our board across the years. They have been personally loyal to me, but they have cared enough for the Lord’s work to put the welfare of the BGEA above my agenda whenever that seemed wise.

  Several of our Team continue on the board, such as Cliff and T.W.; their wide experience in evangelism is invaluable. Dr. John Corts, who is currently president and chief operating officer of the BGEA, also serves on the board. I have retained the position of chairman of the board.

  My own son Franklin—who heads the Christian relief organizations Samaritan’s Purse and World Medical Mission—joined the board in 1979. In 1995 the board unanimously elected Franklin as first vice chair, with the understanding that he would take over the leadership of the BGEA in the event of my incapacity or death. It was not an easy decision and our board studied the whole matter carefully, but I have been delighted at the way Franklin has matured in his new responsibilities and his ability to preach. I never dreamed he would become an evangelist in great demand in different parts of the world. Franklin’s appointment not only ensures the continuity of our organization, but it also signals a renewed commitment by the board to the vision for world evangelism that gave birth to the BGEA. As one of our recent published annual reports stated, we’re “grateful for our past, expectant for our future.”

  My work style—if it can be called that—has been to encourage free-wheeling discussion in board meetings and then to try to bring about a consensus. I cannot think of a major decision the board has ever made without coming to full agreement. If after extensive discussion a minority has still felt strongly opposed on any matter, that’s been reason enough to question whether we really had the mind of the Lord in the matter. Every one of us in the BGEA takes seriously the admonition of Proverbs: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22).

  Several years ago, when our staff was excited about going on satellite television throughout the world, our executive committee turned it down. However, when we took the matter to the full board, they voted overwhelmingly to override the executive committee. That is the only serious division of vote I can ever remember us having in our history.

  Inexperienced in board politics as Franklin may have been at the time, he urged the board to reconsider, suggesting that instead of trying to go worldwide, we should take one section of the world at a time and experiment to see whether it worked. After reconsideration, that’s exactly what we did. As things turned out, it was the right decision.

  FINANCES

  Like it or not, money is an essential part of any ministry, and safeguards must be put in place to avoid abuses or misunderstandings and to handle all finances with integrity and openness. Most of our financial support comes from the thousands of people who send contributions to us every month. We have no large foundations behind us, and we are dependent on relatively small gifts to meet our expenses every year.

  To maintain contact with those contributors, I write a month-ly letter informing them of what we are doing and requesting their prayers for our work. At the end of each letter, I mention the financial picture and briefly invite them to share the challenge. We have always felt we should tell people straightforwardly what the financial situation is and then trust God’s promise that He “will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

  I write each letter; we have always avoided hiring professional fund-raising or public-relations organizations to help us with them. We could make large sums of money by selling or renting our mailing list to other organizations or commercial companies, but we have strictly refused to do so.

  The other side of finances is expenses. Our executive committee oversees the budget, and all expenses are scrutinized carefully to be sure they are necessary. The board has also instituted policies about major expenses or the buying of equipment; approvals must be obtained before these are purchased.

  Several years ago, we asked one of the largest and most distinguished law firms in America to assess our organization and its affiliates in every possible detail. After a two-year study, they reported that they had rarely found any organization, secular or religious, with higher standards or better financial controls. The Internal Revenue Service has audited us exhaustively and each time has commended us for our carefulness in financial matters. Our annual audited report (done by a major national accounting firm) is made public every year to anyone who desires it. Our able vice president for finance, Joel Aarsvold, has been with us for many years and constantly oversees our financial health and integrity.

  When a few highly publicized financial scandals rocked some nonprofit organizations in America a few years back, we helped found the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an independent agency to monitor the financial integrity of its member organizations. George Wilson was its first president.

  MINNEAPOLIS AND MONTREAT

  What goes on in the BGEA’s main office? Almost every part of our ministry is supervised or coordinated from there. One department handles the incoming mail and makes sure letters are answered quickly and gifts are acknowledged with a receipt. Another section, our Christian Guidance Department, gives personal attention to letters from people seeking answers to personal problems—everything from a troubling Bible passage to a threatened suicide. Two hundred thousand letters a year are answered by the staff in this department; some are referred to people who can provide specialized counseling service in various parts o
f the country.

  I can never say enough about the highly skilled and dedicated people God has given us; I only wish I could list them all, for they have been invaluable. When George Edstrom, one of our key people in Minneapolis, died some years ago, I honestly wondered whether the BGEA would survive, so dependent had we all become on his sound judgment and leadership with our staff.

  Minneapolis is also the location of the staff of Decision magazine, which has one of the largest circulations of any Christian magazine in the world. Each issue is posted by our large mailing department, as are our monthly letters. World Wide Publications and World Wide Pictures are also headquartered in our Minneapolis offices.

  Still another department deals with our associate evangelists and our Team, coordinating schedules and arrangements and assisting with the associate Crusades.

  Our Schools of Evangelism, which train several thousand pastors a year, are also administered from Minneapolis.

  On a much smaller scale is my personal office in Montreat, which includes T.W. as office manager, my secretary, and several other support staff. More than one businessman has told me that his own work would have been impossible without a good secretary, and that certainly has been true of me. My longtime secretaries Luverne Gustavson and Stephanie Wills each have brought their own personalities and gifts to their responsibilities, as did Wanda Ann Mercer and Martha Warkentin Bridges. I have marveled at their patience and their abilities, even under the pressures that often come with deadlines and unexpected events.

  GEORGE WILSON

  I can never think about our Minneapolis office without thinking of George and Helen Wilson. George helped build efficiency into our infant organization from the start. He never made a major move without proper authorization, keeping me fully informed of our activities, checking with me on every hiring development, even getting my approval for expenditures that I sometimes thought were trifling. As the Crusades increased in number and size, and as our radio and television ministries expanded and our mailing list grew, the Minne-apolis office became indispensable. It also freed me from negotiations with local committees about Crusade accounting procedures and budgets; all of that, George took over.