Rev. William Franklin Graham III is the President and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ around the world.
Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA have affiliate offices in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In addition, Samaritan’s Purse has affiliate offices in Germany and South Korea, as well as field offices in 15 developing countries, with activities in more than 170 countries and territories.
When Graham was in his early twenties, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan’s Purse, invited him on a six-week mission to Asia. During this time, Graham felt called by God to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected by war, famine, disease, poverty, disaster, and persecution. Graham was elected to the Board of Samaritan’s Purse in 1978. One year later, after the death of Dr. Pierce, he was elected president.
Graham was elected to the Board of BGEA in 1979 and was elected president in 2001. He conducted his first evangelistic event in 1989, and since then, he has continued to proclaim the Gospel in the far corners of the globe, sharing the hope of Christ through more than 325 evangelistic outreaches in over 55 countries and territories and in all 50 states.
Through his work with Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA, Graham has been instrumental in helping people impacted by major crises for more than 45 years, including the war between Israel and Hamas, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, 9/11 terrorist attacks, wars, and natural disasters across the United States and other parts of the world, ranging from catastrophic hurricanes to devastating wildfires to massive earthquakes. Under Graham’s leadership, Samaritan’s Purse has deployed 19 emergency field hospitals in response to disasters, disease, wars, and when the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed local hospitals. Crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team ministered alongside Samaritan’s Purse to offer spiritual and emotional care to patients and medical personnel alike. When widespread lockdowns forced the cancellation of in-person events, Graham increased ministry efforts to reach people in their homes with the hope they desperately needed, including airing the Good News of Jesus Christ through TV ads across America and offering a 24/7 prayer line.
As a speaker and author, Graham regularly addresses current moral and social issues, calling Christians to stand for Biblical values and challenging them to make a difference in the world for the sake of the Gospel. He is editor-in-chief of BGEA’s Decision magazine, the “Evangelical Voice for Today,” which features solid Scriptural teaching as well as timely articles with a Biblical worldview about issues and events in today’s culture, including many topics that affect the freedom of believers to live out their faith.
This year, Graham is looking forward to sharing the Gospel in Mexico City, Mexico; Krakow, Poland; Birmingham, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Naples, Italy; Can Tho, Vietnam; and 10 cities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Graham has met privately with six United States presidents as well as world leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Graham was ordained by Grace Community Church in Tempe, Arizona, in 1982. He is the fourth of five children of the late evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth Bell Graham. He resides in Boone, North Carolina, with his wife, Jane Austin. They have four married children, Will, Roy, Edward, and Cissie, and 13 grandchildren.
