Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

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Founder Billy Graham in 1966

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is an organization started by the Rev. Billy Graham in 1950. The main focus of the BGEA is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. BGEA does this through a variety of ways, including Graham's trademark "crusade"-style ministry, with large gatherings in major metropolitan areas; evangelism training; youth outreach; disaster response; television broadcasts; radio programs; Decision Magazine; and the newly opened Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. BGEA was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota during Rev. Graham's time in the region; it later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The purpose of every evangelistic event conducted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is:

To seek to evangelize the community using a variety of methods with primary emphasis on personal evangelism.
To seek to strengthen the local church for continuing witness and discipleship through renewal and training activities during event preparations.

Graham's son, Franklin Graham, and his grandson, Will Graham, also hold evangelistic outreaches under the banner of the BGEA. Franklin Graham's Festivals and Will Graham's Celebrations have reached millions of people around the world.

BGEA's television specials ^[1] are broadcast across the United States in primetime an average of four times a year. BGEA also produces a radio program called Hour of Decision, which began in 1950 and is broadcast around the world.^[2] BGEA publishes Decision Magazine eleven times a year.

In 2006 the BGEA launched a youth evangelism training program called "Dare to Be a Daniel." This program seeks to help preteens deepen their faith and share Christ with their friends and family. The Dare to Be a Daniel individual training kit is available free of charge through the BGEA at www.daretobeadaniel.com [1].

BGEA's Web site, www.billygraham.org, logged more than 6,600 decisions for Christ in 2007.

BGEA began an international evangelism project in 2002 called My Hope, in which local believers invite friends, neighbors and relatives to their homes to watch a national telecast featuring Billy or Franklin Graham, translated into their language. The project has seen more than 8.8 million people make decisions for Christ since its inception.^[3]

BGEA's Christian Guidance department handles letters, phone calls, and e-mail from tens of thousands of people annually—many of whom are in desperate circumstances, experiencing every conceivable type of problem.

Graham and his ministry have also been instrumental in the setting up of many other independent groups, such as Christianity Today Magazine, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and the Internet Evangelism Coalition.

BGEA's Charlotte headquarters is the site of the Billy Graham Library, which was formally dedicated on May 31, 2007, with former U. S. Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton in attendance.