Reflections on IACE . . . and Leadership Lessons from Billy Graham

DAVID S. DOCKERY

Two years ago this week, on February 21, 2018, Billy Graham, the most significant Christian leader of the past century, went to be with the Lord at the age of 99. Graham believed, lived, and proclaimed that we come to Christ “without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.” After hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed at an evangelistic meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934, Billy Graham, along with his friend Grady Wilson, responded in faith to the gospel message as the well-known words to “Just As I Am” were sung. As many know, that gospel song became the invitation hymn at his many evangelistic meetings through the years as well as the title of his autobiography.

The 20th century’s best-known preacher proclaimed the gospel to more people than anyone else in history. Mr. Graham preached to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries on six continents. Entrepreneurial in spirit and transdenominational in practice, “America’s Pastor,” as he was often called, was instrumental in the launch of dozens of other ministries. Beyond his shaping influence in this country, Graham joined with British evangelical leader John R. W. Stott to initiate the work of the Lausanne Movement, built upon the work of the 1966 Congress on Evangelism in Berlin.

Graham’s ministry emphasized a Bible-based and gospel-centered message that separated him from the progressive influences in American Christianity along with a heart for Christian unity and an evangelical ecumenical spirt that distanced him from American fundamentalism. Along with Carl F. H. Henry and Harold Ockenga, Graham helped to lead and shape a movement which was wholeheartedly committed to the truthfulness of Holy Scripture and the transformational power of the gospel.

Graham never departed from a commitment he made in August of 1949 at the Forest Home Retreat Center in California, where, after wrestling with the question regarding the full inspiration and dependability of the Bible, the evangelist fell to his knees and tearfully confessed the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. That commitment framed Graham’s ministry for the remainder of his earthly days.

These convictions related to Holy Scripture, to the uniqueness of the gospel message, and to an international and interdenominational vision, accompanied by a humility, transparency, and commitment to collaborative leadership shaped the life and ministry of Billy Graham.

In addition, we might add that Mr. Graham saw clearly the need for initiatives in the area of racial reconciliation before such clarity came to other evangelical and church leaders. His desire to encourage intellectual seriousness regarding the truth claims of the Christian faith became obvious to others with the launch of Christianity Today under the leadership of Carl Henry.

Seeking to reflect on the significance of Graham’s life and the need to carry forth aspects of this work without his ongoing presence, I would point to at least five key areas that now call for our attention: (1) an ongoing and unapologetic faithfulness to the gospel message and the full authority of Christian Scripture; (2) the essential need to bring together evangelism, education, and the social and cultural dimensions of the gospel; (3) the vital importance of connecting the gospel with intellectual discipleship, serious theological reflection, and cultural engagement; (4) an international focus and commitment to the global church; and (5) a commitment to Christian unity and global evangelicalism.

As we seek to move forward with the work of the International Alliance for Christian Education, it seems to me that we can learn much from these reflections on the far-reaching ministry and influence of Billy Graham. While Mr. Graham’s primary ministry focused on evangelism, IACE will focus on education. Still, there are common commitments found around the priorities of the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, and the Cultural Mandate. Building on these commitments, IACE will seek to provide enablement, connections, and collaborative opportunities for the various aspects of Christian education.

Similar to some of the most laudable aspects of the Graham ministry, IACE will be built on the idea of collaboration and partnership. Member institutions and partners will seek to encourage cooperation and Christian unity in order to help advance the IACE mission. Following the path of Mr. Graham’s recommitments in the summer of 1949 at the Forest Home Retreat Center, the leadership of IACE institutions and partners will annually reaffirm commitments to the complete truthfulness of Holy Scripture and the transformational power of the gospel, affirming both the Nicene Creed and the Lausanne Covenant.

IACE institutions and partners will demonstrate a thoroughgoing Christ-centeredness, reflecting a faithful Christian witness that affirms commitments to biblical orthodoxy and historic Christian teaching regarding cultural engagement and renewal of foundational social order including marriage, family, human sexuality, and racial reconciliation.

These commitments are also seen in a Christian worldview framework, in the best aspects of the Christian intellectual tradition, and reflected in a dedication to Christian unity, the communion of saints, and a vision for the global church. IACE will seek to work together toward collaborative faithful, effective, and efficient service that seeks to reduce duplication of effort whenever and wherever possible.

In doing so, IACE will seek to provide team-oriented fellowship and development opportunities to unify, synergize, and strengthen all sectors of Christian education as well as other Great Commandment/Great Commission partners. In all of these things, IACE will seek to serve as a resource for scholarship, leadership, effective teaching, and faithful service, including global partnerships and intercultural commitments.

One cannot understand the contemporary entrepreneurial, transdenominational, and global character of evangelical Christianity apart from understanding the full-orbed and team-oriented reach of Graham’s ministry. While we all knew the day would come when Mr. Graham’s presence would no longer be with us, the reality, even two years after his death, that such a day has come is still hard to believe. The implications for this absence point to the far-reaching and sweeping role he played in such a visible way for more than half a century.

Still there are leadership lessons to be learned from Mr. Graham’s amazing legacy. Those involved with and invested in the mission of IACE would do well to reflect on the wisdom found in Graham’s leadership and legacy as we seek, with God’s help, to influence the various sectors of the work of Christian education in a faithful manner in the days to come.

David S. Dockery serves as president of the International Alliance for Christian Education as well as Theologian-in-Residence at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary