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Leadership Vocation
As I look out on my life over the next ten to twenty years, I am uncertain of where
exactly God will take me, but I do know one thing, I want to communicate the life-changing
truth of the gospel to as many people as I possibly can. Thus far in my ministry career, I have
been affirmed over and over again in one area of gifting more than any other, and that is my
ability to teach and preach the Word of God in a public setting. While this excites me in some
ways, because this is an area of ministry that I am incredibly passionate about, it also terrifies
me. More and more often as time goes on, I watch Christian leader after Christian leader fall to
pride and arrogance, coming to believe that they are more important than they are and craving
the stage and the microphone more than Christlike service. It is my desperate desire to not find
myself falling in this same way, and so I recognize that the formation of my character and
leadership now, early in my ministry, is vital to my success down the road. One leader that I can
look to as an example, who not only preached to more people than almost anyone else in history,
but also maintained a strong sense of biblical integrity, is none other than Billy Graham.
Leadership Theology
One of the things that I admire most about Billy Graham is that he focused his theological
attention on a very limited sum of practical, central tenets of the gospel. By his own admission,
Billy Graham was not all that formally theologically trained.1 Instead, Graham’s theology largely
developed throughout his ministry as an evangelist. As a result, the vast majority of Graham’s
teaching was centered on introducing those who did not know Jesus to the one and only God that
loves them and made a way for them to be back in relationship with him. Influential historian
Grant Wacker, in his book America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation, writes
1 David Frost,3Billy Graham: Candid Conversations with a Public Man (Colorado Springs, CO: David C.
Cook, 2014), 68.
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of Billy Graham’s ministry that “Graham repeated this core message, with little variation, on
countless occasions.”2 It was not at all that Graham did not value theology, he simply understood
his mission, calling, and priorities when it came to delineating biblical truth to the world around
him. In seeking to understand Graham’s ministry, and leadership specifically, I believe that this
ability to prioritize certain core theological truths is central. As I move forward in my own
ministry and leadership, it is my desire to also focus on the central message of the gospel more
than some of the denominational distinctives that I do not see as a passion or calling in my life.
This does not mean that I desire to neglect the importance of biblical theology, but that my
highest value is seeing people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
One other theological imperative that marked Billy Graham’s life was his deep and
genuine belief in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform hearts and minds. In writing about a
time when Billy Graham and his team were able to arrange some meetings with university
students as part of their ministry, W. Terry Whalin described that these “experiences convinced
Billy of the power of the Holy Spirit among these young minds.”3 The second we begin to
ascribe our success as pastors, evangelists, and ministers to our own abilities and skills, rather
than the work of the Lord, we lose every ounce of our biblical foundation. It is my hope, as I
grow in my own ministry and leadership, to keep the same firm focus on the Holy Spirit and his
active role in the lives of others as Billy Graham did in his ministry. By doing so, I believe that
God can use me to do far more than I could ever hope to accomplish on my own.
Leadership Discipline
2 Grant Wacker,3America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation (Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 2014), 33.
3 W. Terry Whalin, Billy Graham: A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist (New York, NY: M-J,
2015), 70-71.
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Another significant factor in Billy Graham success as a leader and follower of Jesus was
his incredible discipline in honoring the Lord with his life. There are two things that Billy
Graham prioritized that stand out most to me about the spiritual discipline that helped form his
leadership, and the first I see as the foundation for everything else. Once, when asked at pastors’
question and answer time about his personal spiritual life and walk with the Lord, Graham shyly
responded, “Well, I don’t ever remember missing a day of personal time alone with God.”4 I
must admit that there are many days that go by where I forget to spend personal time alone with
God, and notably, they tend to be less healthy and productive in the ways that God actually cares
about, despite how many tasks I might get done. Following Graham’s example of personal depth
in his spiritual walk is something that I know I need more of. Built upon this very intentional
relationship with God was also an incredibly high value for the discipline of integrity within his
ministry. Billy Graham is somewhat famous for his four rules about how to go about the ministry
of evangelism, focused on combating sexual and financial abuse, spiritual disunity, and
dishonesty in the reporting of successes.5 This passion for honoring the Lord and protecting the
ministry is something that I want to model in my own life and ministry as well, and it is built on
the firm foundation of personal obedience to God. Overall, there is a great deal that I can learn
from Billy Graham, and I would be blessed to be used by God to have even a fraction of the
impact that he had.
4 Lon Allison, Billy Graham: An Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary God. (Brewster, MA: Paraclete
Press, Inc., 2018), 84.
5 Grant Wacker,3One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2019), 37-38.
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Bibliography
Allison, Lon. Billy Graham: An Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary God. Brewster, MA:
Paraclete Press, Inc., 2018.
Frost, David.3Billy Graham: Candid Conversations with a Public Man. Colorado Springs, CO:
David C. Cook, 2014.
Wacker, Grant.3America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press, 2014.
Wacker, Grant.3One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019.
Whalin, W. Terry. Billy Graham: A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist. New York,
NY: M-J, 2015.
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