Billy Graham has been received into the arms of God. Born in 1918 and passing in 2018, he lived a full century. He needs no descriptive modifiers. The name “Billy Graham” is enough. He preached the gospel to more people than anyone in human history, ignited spiritual renewal not only in America but across the global church, and as a frequent visitor to the White House, was known as “America’s Pastor.” He was an extraordinary spiritual leader.
What made Billy Graham such a gifted leader? What were his most outstanding leadership qualities?
Not only in Billy Graham’s case, but in politics, economics, society, or culture, those who achieve exceptional success share one common trait: the ability to move people. Moving people requires skill—but skill alone is not enough. If a leader’s inner life lacks the character that stirs the human heart, technique alone cannot sustain influence. Billy’s most exceptional qualities as a leader were authenticity and humility.
In the late 1980s, I attended a weeklong Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Little Rock. I will never forget what the vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said in introducing him:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Billy Graham’s hometown friend. I have worked alongside Billy for forty years. There is one thing I can say about my friend Billy with certainty: Billy is for real.”
If a leader can be affirmed as “the real thing” by those closest to him, he is truly authentic. The reason the families of some highly successful CEOs do not respect them is often that the public persona and the private reality are not the same.
At Billy Graham’s funeral, all five of his children shared three-minute reflections about their father. His third daughter, Ruth Graham, recalled that after ending a 21-year marriage in painful divorce, she began dating a widower introduced by her pastor. Their relationship intensified quickly, and within days, they were discussing marriage. Her father and mother advised her over the phone not to rush, to take time. But in the anguish of divorce, having finally met someone who seemed wonderful, Ruth dismissed their counsel. “What do my parents know about divorce?” she thought. “They’ve never been divorced.”
She married the man impulsively. On the very day of the wedding, she realized she had made a terrible mistake. Fifteen days later, she fled the marriage. When she returned home in failure, her father was waiting in the driveway. As she stepped out of the car, Billy embraced her and simply said, “Welcome home.” He said nothing more.
Through tears, Ruth reflected, “My father is not God. But in his unconditional love, I saw God.”
After her, Billy’s youngest son, Ned Graham, said:
“The Billy Graham you saw in stadiums and on television is the same Billy Graham we knew at home.”
The public Billy Graham and the private Billy Graham were one and the same because his inner world was filled with truth.
Leo Tolstoy’s immortal novel Resurrection speaks of the resurrection of conscience—ultimately the resurrection of one’s inner life. If, in the course of ministry, we have unconsciously focused more on projecting an outward image than on enriching our inner world, then this Easter it is clear what must be resurrected within us.