By Chris Eyte, Christian Daily International.
More than 1,000 evangelical pastors and ministry leaders from 56 countries are expected to gather in Berlin, Germany, for the European Congress on Evangelism later this month. Hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), the event will take place May 27–30 at the JW Marriott hotel.
Organized around the theme of Romans 1:16—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile”—the invitation-only congress is anticipated to be the most representative gathering of evangelical leaders in Europe since the previous congress in Amsterdam in 2000.
Christian Daily International will provide frontline coverage from the congress, which will feature 20 speakers from 13 countries and offer simultaneous interpretation in 10 languages. Organizers say the event aims to “encourage and equip believers from dozens of denominations to reignite the church with a passion for bold and biblical proclamation evangelism.”
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of BGEA and convenor of the congress, emphasized the significance of holding the event in Berlin—where his father, the late evangelist Billy Graham, convened the first World Congress on Evangelism in 1966.
“The city of Berlin has influenced the world in every field. What a place from which to shout to the world—Christ is the Savior!” Billy Graham said in his opening address nearly six decades ago.
That historic gathering laid the foundation for future international congresses, including the 1974 Lausanne Congress in Switzerland and subsequent meetings in Amsterdam in 1983, 1986, and 2000.