As a Liberty University graduate, Will Graham certainly has a vested interest in the Lynchburg, Virginia school he attended in the mid-90s.
But the latest developments in the partnership between Liberty and the ministry his grandfather founded over 60 years ago has him doubly excited as his two worlds have officially collided for the Gospel.
Liberty announced Monday a partnership between the university’s School of Religion and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, offering a minor in evangelism under the banner of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism Online.
“As an alumnus, I rejoice at what God’s going to do through Liberty with this program,” said Will Graham, 1997 Liberty graduate and Executive Director of The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C. “At the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, we’ve focused on evangelism for more than 60 years and we know some great things that God has used timelessly over decades.
“Now Liberty students will have the chance to have this information for themselves.”
Two new courses—EVAN 201 and 220— began this fall with two additional courses launching in January.
The Liberty courses were developed from BGEA’s training curriculum and feature more than 20 passionate evangelism speakers, including Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Will Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, John Stott, J.I. Packer and Bill and Vonette Bright among others.
“It’s almost like sitting at the feet of Billy Graham,” said Gary Cobb, director of training at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “How many people would love to get his counsel or sit at his feet?”
Liberty has been a strong supporter of the BGEA, including last year’s My Hope with Billy Graham November nationwide outreach. A group of student leaders screened an advance copy of The Cross and helped spread the word through their social media, and 400 students fielded hundreds of phone calls asking for prayer after the program aired on Fox News and the Internet.
“This partnership allows us to train students in evangelism from every area at the university through these new programs,” said Gabriel Etzel, associate dean for Liberty’s School of Religion. Etzel added that he believes Liberty now has “one of the strongest evangelism training programs anywhere.”
And it’s that emphasis on evangelism that ignites Will Graham’s passion.
“We’re truly grateful, on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, to have a partnership with Liberty University,” Will Graham said. “Liberty is one of the very first schools that have joined in this, and now future Liberty students will have some of the best material on the planet provided to them.”
Get involved with My Hope 2014: This year’s short film Heaven includes never-before-seen footage of Billy Graham. Watch the trailer here.
Not a Liberty student? Anyone can enroll in the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism Online course. Find out more or check out a class outline here.
