ORLANDO, FL – Reinhard Bonnke, the founder of Christ for All Nations, entered into the Lord’s presence on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Known as “Africa’s Billy Graham,” he was 79 when he passed into heaven’s portals.

The German-born, Pentecostal evangelist was active in ministry from 1967 until he retired due to health problems in 2017. Over those 50 years, some of the most massive crowds ever reported at evangelistic campaigns heard Bonnke preach the Gospel all across Africa. Nearly 79 million salvation decision cards have been received by Christ for All Nations.

Current President of Christ for All Nations, Daniel Kolenda, remarked that

“It is no exaggeration to say this his work transformed the continent. From big cities to the bush, in deserts, jungles, and savannahs, similar crowds assembled in almost every nation in Africa.”

Reporters from Christianity Today attended a Bonnke evangelistic campaign in Lagos, Nigeria, in October 2000 that may be “one of the largest gospel gatherings recorded in modern times.” An estimated 1.6 million people attended that night, exceeding the 1.3 million who had been present the previous evening. Attendance for the entire six-day event was six million people.

Bonnke never took credit for the vast numbers. When he was 60-years-old, he proclaimed that “This is harvest time, and Africa is my destiny.” He had been overwhelmed with a passion for Africa many years ago when, as a young man, he served as a missionary in Lesotho, South Africa. He explained the burden on his heart was to see the entire continent of Africa “washed in the blood of Jesus.”

Daniel Kolenda reminded visitors to the Christ for All Nations website that there was a genuinely dedicated servant behind the public persona.

“Those who knew him off-stage can testify to his personal integrity, genuine kindness, and overflowing love for the Lord. His ministry was inspired and sustained by his rich prayer life, his deep understanding of the Word, and his unceasing intimacy with the Holy Spirit.”

Reinhard Bonnke and his unique love for the African people will be missed. Let us pray for comfort for his family and that the Lord will continue to sustain and use Christ for All Nations in its efforts to see the continent of Africa washed in the blood of Jesus.

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