Franklin Graham

FRANKLIN GRAHAM

President and CEO, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
 

Growing up Graham

William Franklin Graham III, born July 14, 1952, is the fourth of five children of evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham. Raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, he now lives in Boone, North Carolina.

In his autobiography, Rebel With A Cause, Graham explained that “just being the son of Billy Graham won’t get me into heaven.” He knew that he was being called to do more with his life and to make a real commitment to God. So at age 22, after a period of rebellion and traveling the world, he committed his life to Jesus Christ while alone in a hotel room in Jerusalem.

Graham and his wife, Jane Austin, have four children—Will, Roy, Edward, and Cissie—and 13 grandchildren.

Franklin Graham, Evangelist

Franklin conducted his first evangelistic event in 1989 and now conducts Crusades, called Festivals, around the world for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). He has proclaimed the Gospel message at more than 325 outreaches in 50 U.S. states and territories, and in more than 55 countries. 

BGEA appointed Franklin Graham CEO in 2000 and president of the organization in 2001.

In 2024, Graham shared the Gospel in Mexico City, Mexico; Krakow, Poland; Naples, Italy; Can Tho, Vietnam; 10 cities along the U.S.-Mexico border; as well as Birmingham, England, and Glasgow, Scotland. Thousands of people attended these events where they heard the message of God’s love and forgiveness available through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So far this year, Graham has preached to over 430,000 in Ethiopia and is looking forward to sharing the Gospel in several European countries, as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Franklin Graham, Christian Leader

As a speaker and author, Graham regularly addresses current moral and social issues, calling Christians to stand for Biblical values and challenging them to make a difference in the world for the sake of the Gospel. He is editor-in-chief of BGEA’s Decision magazine, the “Evangelical Voice for Today,” which features solid Scriptural teaching as well as timely articles with a Biblical worldview about issues and events in today’s culture, including many topics that affect the freedom of believers to live out their faith. He also offers Biblical context and application to current national and world events.

He has met privately with six U.S. presidents as well as world leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Franklin Graham, International Relief Worker

When Graham was in his early twenties, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan’s Purse, invited him to join him on a six-week mission to Asia. It was during that time that Graham felt a calling to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected by war, famine, disease, poverty, and natural disaster.

Graham was elected to the board of Samaritan’s Purse in 1978, and one year later, following the death of Dr. Pierce, he was elected president of the organization. Today, he serves as president and CEO of the international relief and evangelism organization headquartered in Boone, North Carolina. Samaritan’s Purse works in the Name of Jesus Christ to provide relief and assistance in more than 170 countries and territories. It has affiliate offices in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Korea, as well as field offices in 17 developing countries.

Through his work with Samaritan’s Purse, Graham has been instrumental in helping people impacted by major crises for more than 40 years, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, 9/11 terrorist attacks, wars, and natural disasters across the globe ranging from catastrophic hurricanes to devastating wildfires to massive earthquakes.