Graham’s online evangelism ministry marks milestone

Graham’s online evangelism ministry marks milestone

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s (BGEA) online evangelism ministry is thanking God for the 10 millionth indicated decision for Christ,” said Kelly Klemmensen, BGEA public relations specialist. “People from all over the globe have made commitments, including people from Alabama.”

In the past six years, more than 50 million people have come across BGEA’s evangelistic website, PeaceWithGod.net (or PazConDios.net in Spanish). And June 9 the organization’s internet evangelism ministry, Search for Jesus — which oversees PeaceWithGod.net — marked the 10 millionth indicated decision.

“It’s humbling and overwhelming to realize that God has given us the opportunity to introduce the gospel to so many,” said Search for Jesus Director Mark Appleton.

God has drawn people to PeaceWithGod.net all kinds of ways. Maybe it’s through an online ad or a Facebook post or a link on someone’s blog. However they get there, each one is exposed to the unchanging gospel — “how God’s love for us runs so deep that He wants to guide us through life and spend eternity with us. And how we must first repair the broken relationship between us and Him by putting our faith in our mediator, Jesus Christ.”

Each one of the 50 million visitors who have experienced the gospel has had an opportunity to respond. Commitments to Christ on the day of the milestone number came from places like Argentina, Hungary, Egypt, Cuba, India, Malaysia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all across the U.S. — from Philadelphia to Detroit to Hermosa Beach, California.

It’s not lost on the ministry that in each of these locations is a real person with real needs, BGEA officials noted. The goal with all of them is to share the hope offered by Jesus Christ, to disciple them in their faith and when possible to connect them with a local church.

One-on-one connections and follow-ups have taken place with more than 1.3 million of those online visitors so far — the ones who have passed along their contact information.

“With the growth of our reach, God has also raised up a team of ministry partners all over the U.S., Canada and now Mexico to bring personal ministry to our online presence,” Appleton said. “It is this team of nearly 600 trained coaches that bring depth and value to Search for Jesus.”

In May the ministry celebrated five years of volunteers, each one trained to offer spiritual guidance through live chat, email or an online discipleship course called Know Jesus. (BGEA, TAB)