Career Timeline of Franklin Graham: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Franklin Graham made an impact.

Franklin Graham is a prominent American evangelist, missionary, and political commentator within the evangelical movement. As the son of Billy Graham, he leads both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan's Purse, a major international Christian humanitarian aid organization. Under his leadership, Samaritan's Purse has become a leading global provider of emergency assistance in crisis zones, responding to events in regions such as Ukraine and Pakistan. Graham is considered a highly influential evangelical leader in the United States, overseeing a charitable organization that receives substantial private donations.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1960: BGEA's Decision Magazine Founded

In 1960, Decision magazine was founded by Billy Graham and Franklin Graham is now the editor-in-chief.

1973: Joined Samaritan's Purse mission to Asia

In 1973, Graham joined Bob Pierce, the founder of Samaritan's Purse, on a six-week mission to Asia, where he decided to focus on world relief.

1973: Billy Graham's relationship with Jimmy Carter

In 1973, the text refers to Billy Graham’s, longstanding relationship with Jimmy Carter dating back to the 1973 Atlanta Crusade and later integrated evangelical outreach activities in Georgia.

1975: First Ministry Experience

In 1975, Franklin Graham gained his first experience in ministry when he accompanied Bob Pierce on an international trip, visiting missionary and refugee camps, hospitals, and meeting with leaders in various countries.

1978: Founded World Medical Mission

In 1978, while studying at Appalachian State University, Franklin Graham was approached by surgeons from Boone, North Carolina to establish an organization to send Christian physicians to missionary hospitals, which led to the founding of World Medical Mission.

1979: Became President of Samaritan's Purse

In 1979, after the death of Bob Pierce, Graham became the president of Samaritan's Purse and modeled it after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

1980: Conflict and relocation of Samaritan's Purse headquarters

In 1980, Graham discovered that the California leadership of Samaritan’s Purse had incorporated a separate ministry organization, leading to a conflict and the relocation of the headquarters to Boone, North Carolina.

1982: Ordination and denial of succession

In 1982, Franklin Graham was ordained, beginning his evangelistic career, and he denied that he was groomed to be his father's successor.

1982: Ordained as a minister

In 1982, Graham was ordained as a minister and has since become a public speaker and author.

1982: Ordained by Grace Community Church

In 1982, Graham was ordained by the Grace Community Church in Tempe, Arizona.

1989: First evangelistic event

In 1989, Franklin Graham held his first evangelistic event, continuing his father’s preaching to large audiences worldwide.

1990: Operation Christmas Child founded

In 1990, British businessman Dave Cooke founded Operation Christmas Child.

1990: Second Vice-Chairman of BGEA

In 1990, Franklin Graham became the second vice-chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

1993: Samaritan's Purse took over Operation Christmas Child

In 1993, Samaritan’s Purse officially took over Operation Christmas Child under Graham's leadership.

1995: Stepped in for his father, vice-president of BGEA

In 1995, Franklin Graham stepped in for his father at a crusade in Toronto after Billy Graham collapsed, and later that year, Franklin became vice-president of the BGEA.

2000: Named CEO of BGEA

In 2000, Franklin Graham was named CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) after his father retired from ministry.

2001: Succeeded his father as President of BGEA

In 2001, Franklin Graham succeeded his father, Billy Graham, as President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

2001: Allocated funds for HIV/AIDS prevention

In 2001, the Samaritan's Purse allocated $1.6 million for HIV/AIDS prevention efforts.

February 2002: Organized conference on HIV/AIDS

In February 2002, Franklin Graham organized a five-day international conference on HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., describing it as a greater threat than terrorism.

June 2005: Continued Crusade ministry

In June 2005, Franklin Graham continued the crusade ministry following his father's final evangelistic event, the Greater New York Crusade.

2006: Preached alongside his father

In 2006, Billy Graham preached alongside Franklin at two events: the Celebration of Hope in New Orleans and the Metro Maryland Festival in Baltimore.

November 2007: Response to Mexico flooding

In November 2007, Franklin Graham led Samaritan’s Purse in responding to severe flooding in Mexico’s Tabasco region.

2008: Compensation Concerns

In 2008, Franklin Graham's compensation from Samaritan's Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) totaled $1.2 million, raising concerns about his earnings.

2009: Salary Scrutiny

In 2009, Franklin Graham faced scrutiny for simultaneously drawing full-time salaries from Samaritan's Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), leading to questions about his compensation and time commitment.

April 2011: Graham Prefers Trump for Republican Nomination

In April 2011, Franklin Graham stated on ABC's This Week program that Donald Trump was his preferred candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2012 U.S. presidential race.

February 21, 2012: Graham Aligns with Santorum

On February 21, 2012, during an MSNBC interview, Franklin Graham stated that Rick Santorum was most closely aligned with Christian values and was a Christian at heart.

2012: Addressed marginalization of individuals with HIV/AIDS

In 2012, Franklin Graham stated that individuals with HIV or AIDS are often marginalized and asserted that the church should respond with compassion and support.

2013: Evangelistic Association Revenues

In 2013, the evangelistic association reported revenues of $106.5 million.

2014: Highest Paid Employee

According to 2014 data, Franklin Graham was the highest-paid Samaritan's Purse employee, earning $622,252 annually, and received increased retirement contributions and a regular salary.

2014: Samaritan's Purse Operates in Ukraine

In 2014, Samaritan's Purse began operating in Ukraine, since the start of the hostilities in Ukrainian Donbas, according to the Ukrainian government.

December 2015: Franklin Graham Leaves Republican Party

In December 2015, Franklin Graham resigned from the Republican Party, citing disagreements over funding for Planned Parenthood and expressing disillusionment with mainstream politics.

2015: Salary Controversy Resurfaces

In 2015, Franklin Graham was again criticized for resuming his salary from BGEA, with his annual compensation exceeding that of CEOs at similar non-profit organizations.

June 2016: Graham expresses zero hope for parties

In June 2016, Franklin Graham told a crowd that he had "zero hope for the Democratic Party" or the "Republican Party" and that he was running a campaign to put God back in the political process.

November 2016: Graham Attributes Trump's Election to God

In November 2016, Franklin Graham told The Washington Post that God had a role in Donald Trump's election as U.S. president, sensing God's intervention across the country.

2016: Graham Becomes Supporter of Trump

Since the 2016 election, Franklin Graham has been a prominent supporter of Donald Trump’s policies, including strongly opposing the impeachment process.

January 20, 2017: Graham Reads at Trump's Inauguration

On January 20, 2017, at the Inauguration of Donald Trump, Franklin Graham read a passage from Paul's First Epistle to Timothy, calling for prayers for all people in authority.

2017: Emergency field hospital near Mosul, Iraq

In 2017, Franklin Graham’s organization, Samaritan’s Purse, partnered to establish an emergency field hospital near Mosul, Iraq, during the battle against ISIS.

November 21, 2019: Graham Suggests Opposition to Trump is Demonic

In a November 21, 2019, interview, Franklin Graham suggested that opposition to Trump was the work of a "demonic power".

December 2020: Graham Praises Trump's Presidency

In December 2020, Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook that President Trump would "go down in history as one of the great presidents of our nation".

2020: UK Tour Cancelled

In 2020, all venues booked for Franklin Graham's planned eight-city UK tour were cancelled following protests by LGBTQ+ activists and local councils due to his controversial statements.

January 2021: Graham Compares Impeachment Voters to Judas

In January 2021, Franklin Graham compared the ten Republican members of the House who voted to impeach Trump to Judas Iscariot.

April 2021: Legal Victory in Blackpool Ad Case

In April 2021, Judge Claire Evans ruled in favor of BGEA UK, stating that Blackpool Council breached human rights laws by removing advertisements for Franklin Graham’s event in 2018. The ruling emphasized the protection of religious expression under UK law.

March 2022: Graham Visits Ukraine and Calls for Ceasefire

In March 2022, Franklin Graham visited Ukraine after the Russian invasion and called for a 10-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in observance of the Easter holiday.

August 2022: Samaritan's Purse Launches Relief Operation in Pakistan

In August 2022, Franklin Graham directed Samaritan’s Purse to start an immediate relief operation in Pakistan, providing food, water filtration kits, shelter, and hygiene supplies after severe monsoon flooding.

September 2022: Samaritan's Purse Airlifts Aid to Ukraine

In September 2022, Samaritan’s Purse had conducted at least 30 airlifts carrying essential relief and medical equipment into Ukraine, contributing to the aid efforts following the Russian invasion.

November 2022: 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child shoebox distributed

In November 2022, Samaritan’s Purse celebrated distributing its 200 millionth shoebox through Operation Christmas Child.

2022: UK Tour Rescheduled

After threatening legal action, Franklin Graham's UK tour was rescheduled for mid-2022 after assurances that his preaching would not be discriminatory.

2022: Response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

In 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Franklin Graham deployed Samaritan’s Purse disaster response specialists to Poland and Romania, providing aid, and set up field hospitals.

February 2023: Samaritan’s Purse Deploys Field Hospital to Turkey

In February 2023, after an earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse deployed a 52-bed emergency field hospital to Antakya, Turkey, which treated over 530 victims in its first week.

October 2023: Graham assesses humanitarian needs in Israel

In October 2023, during the Israel–Hamas conflict, Franklin Graham visited Israel to assess humanitarian needs and provide assistance through Samaritan’s Purse.

2023: Evangelistic event in Glasgow

In 2023, Franklin Graham returned to Glasgow to hold an evangelistic event at the OVO Hydro arena.

2024: Forbes ranking of Samaritan's Purse

According to the Forbes 2024 ranking, the Samaritan's Purse was ranked 13th among the 100 largest charitable organizations in the United States.

2024: Percentage of budget from government grants

Less than 5% of Samaritan’s Purse’s budget for 2024 came from government grants.

January 20, 2025: Graham Gives Invocation at Trump's Inauguration

On January 20, 2025, at the inauguration ceremony for President Donald Trump, Franklin Graham gave an invocation thanking God for Trump's win.

March 2025: Encountering God Ethiopia

In March 2025, Franklin Graham led Encountering God Ethiopia, a large-scale evangelistic event at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

2025: Samaritan's Purse offices worldwide

As of 2025, Samaritan's Purse maintained offices in multiple countries, providing aid in over 100 countries worldwide.

2025: Graham Crusade Coincides with Political Dynamics

In 2025, Franklin Graham’s crusade in Ethiopia coincided with a period of shifting political dynamics between Ethiopia’s government and the Trump administration.