What do you know of Franklin Graham? He is the son of the late internationally renowned American evangelist, William Franklin Graham II, better known as Billy Graham. Much like his father, Franklin is a Christian evangelist and missionary who has dedicated his life to spreading the entire gospel of Jesus Christ.
Beyond his evangelical ministry, he is also a political activist and this has earned him several controversies. Nonetheless, Franklin is still a respected figure beyond the Christian fold. Learn more about him below.
Franklin Graham – Biography, Age
William Franklin Graham III was born on the 14th of July 1952 to Evangelist, Billy Graham and Ruth Graham, a Christian author. He was born in Asheville, North Carolina as the fourth of his parents, five children. Franklin’s notable siblings are Virginia Leftwich (Gigi) Graham (b. 1945), Anne Graham Lotz (b. 1948), Ruth Graham (b. 1950), and Nelson Edman Graham (b. 1958). They are all involved in the Church in one way or another.
Franklin Graham was educated at a private Christian school in Long Island, New York known as The Stony Brook School. However, he was unable to complete his studies there as he was expelled. He then finished at another school in North Carolina. In 1970, the preacher’s son entered LeTourneau College in Longview, Texas, but again was expelled. Her expulsion this time was to keep a classmate past the stipulated time. Nevertheless, he later entered Montreat College, formerly known as Montreat-Anderson College, and graduated with an Associate of Science (AS) degree in 1974. Four years later, Franklin received his Bachelor of Arts from the Appalachian State University.
In his autobiography, Rebel with a Cause, Franklin Graham revealed he knew he had a call for greater things in ministry. So, after a conversion experience he had in 1974, when he was in a hotel room in Jerusalem before graduating from college, he made a commitment to serve God at the age of 22.
Around this time, still in his early twenties, the founder of Samaritan’s Purse – Bob Pierce invited Franklin to accompany him on a 6-week mission to Asia to which he agreed. It was during this mission that he received a revelation about what his calling was in the ministry. Franklin Graham felt a strong urge to care for the welfare of those affected by poverty, disease, famine, war and natural disasters.
While continuing to work with Samaritan’s Purse, Franklin was elected to its board of directors in 1978 and the following year, after the death of Bob Pierce, he was elected president of the relief organization. Additionally, he is now CEO of the organization and coordinates their humanitarian activities in over 100 countries around the world. Some of their most notable projects are the Children’s Heart Project and Operation Christmas Child.
William was ordained by Grace Community Church in Tempe, Arizona in 1982, had his first evangelistic event in 1989 and now leads crusades (called Festivals) on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) all over the world. He has preached at hundreds of Christian events in over 38 states in the United States and over 49 countries around the world. Franklin became the CEO of The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and its president in 2001. William Franklin Graham III is still very active in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Salary and net worth
Considering the nature of the denominational career the preacher and humanitarian worker has pursued over the years, Franklin Graham’s net worth is not exactly known. However, the few available estimates indicate that he is worth around $10 million. Her father had a net worth of $25 million while he was there.
According to a 2014 report, Franklin was the highest paid employee at Samaritan’s Purse, with an annual salary of $622,252. He was criticized in 2009 for taking full-time salaries from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse which totaled $1.2 million in 2008. In response, he decided to give up his earnings from the BGEA by stating that his calling to ministry was not primarily for money. However, in 2015, it was revealed that he had again started receiving salaries from BGEA and his earnings were considerably higher than those of other employees in similar and much larger organizations than BGEA.
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Family: wife, children
Franklin Graham is married to Jane Austin Cunningham, originally from Smithfield, North Carolina. The couple married in 1974 and have four children who are now all adults. Their children are William Franklin Graham IV (Will), born in 1975; Roy Austin Graham followed in 1977; Edward Bell Graham was born in 1979; while Jane Austin Graham Lynch (Cissie) the youngest was born in 1986. Of their children, Franklin and Jane have approximately 11 grandchildren.
