televangelists’ scandals broke into the nation’s consciousness, Billy
and his organization took the lead in forming the Evangelical
Council for Financial Accountability, which now effectively mon-
itors hundreds of member organizations.
In 1974 Billy helped convene the International Congress on
World Evangelization held in Lausanne, Switzerland, to draw
attention to the need for world evangelization and to grapple with
principles, methods, tools, and strategies. The Congress included
over 2,700 representatives from more than 150 nations. The event
produced the Lausanne Covenant, which combined an emphasis
on evangelism with that of activism against poverty, hunger,
racism, and other social ills. That document became a guideline
for ministries around the world. Lausanne, and a follow-up event
in Manila in 1989 (Lausanne II), helped mobilize Christians to the
cause of “calling the Whole Church to take the Whole Gospel to
the Whole World.”
In addition, Billy’s passion to encourage evangelists in devel-
oping countries led to three large international gatherings in Am-
sterdam in 1983, 1986, and 2000. More than 10,000 from 185
countries and territories participated. The Amsterdam Affirma-
tions brought encouragement and clarification to evangelists from
many cultures and also resulted in the Biblical Standard for Evan-
gelists, which established guidelines still used today.
■ ■ ■An enduring and significant example of Billy’s entrepreneurial
vision and tenacity was the founding of Christianity Today. He early
grasped the strategic necessity of birthing the publication and con-
cluded that he personally needed to become the driving force to
bring this dream into reality. By recruiting and mobilizing, by inspir-
ing and prodding and doing his homework, he built the momentum
necessary for a successful launch and long-term survival. The result
was the creation of this highly influential, national institution,
found in nearly every library, described by journalists and scholars
as the nation’s most widely read thoughtful religious publication.
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham