Reinhard Bonnke: 89 million conversions

Missionary Reinhard Bonnke left a lasting mark on Africa. Born in Germany in 1940, Bonnke dedicated his life to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with millions of people around the world. Everyone who knew him remembers his passion, his dedication and his tireless quest for the salvation of souls. His ministry was marked by countless miraculous healings, transformations of lives and extraordinary events. Of all these signs, the most striking is the number of officially documented and attested conversions: 89,025,314 people chose to follow Jesus thanks to Reinhard Bonnke's ministry and example.

Reinhard Bonnke / © CC BY-SA 3.0/Oleksandr Volyk (Christ for all Nations)

Reasons to believe:

The 89 million conversions linked to Reinhard Bonnke's ministry are so well documented - by "decision cards" filled in by those converted during his evangelistic campaigns - that this number is not disputed by any historian.

Among the testimonies of conversions are startling accounts of deaf people regaining their hearing, blind people regaining their sight and paralysed people suddenly walking again.

A monumental tent, the largest mobile structure in the world, was built to accommodate the massive crowds that flocked to hear Reinhard Bonnke preach. When the tent was destroyed, the events were held in the open air, attracting several million people at a time.

Bonnke's life is a powerful and living testimony to the truth of Jesus' words, illustrating one of his promises: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father" (Jn 14:12).

Even high-ranking Muslim personalities, such as the president of Nigeria, recognised Reinhard Bonnke's virtuous life and expressed their sadness at the news of his death, so important and beneficial was his impact on African society.

After his death, Reinhard Bonnke continues to bring hundreds of thousands of souls to salvation and to witness extraordinary signs through the international ministry he founded, "Christ for all Nations".

Summary:

Reinhard Bonnke was born on April 19, 1940, in Königsberg, in what was to become East Germany. From the age of nine, he felt called to serve God. After studying at a Bible school in Wales, he began to preach the Gospel wherever he could. His missionary journey took a significant turn when he went to Africa for the first time in 1967. There, he was struck by the needs of the local people. This was the beginning of his missionary vocation in Africa, where he devoted his life to preaching the Gospel, organising massive evangelisation campaigns and significantly influencing the growth of Christianity on the continent.

Reinhard began his ministry in Africa as an itinerant missionary, travelling vast areas on foot, by bicycle and by car to reach remote villages and isolated communities. His evangelistic campaigns were accompanied by miracles, divine healings and mass conversions. Bonnke's central message is simple but powerful: the grace, forgiveness and redemption offered by Jesus Christ.

In 1984, he designed and built the world's largest mobile structure to accommodate the growing number of participants in his evangelistic campaigns. This tent, capable of accommodating 34,000 people and the size of three football fields, was destroyed forty-eight hours before an evangelistic campaign. Instead of cancelling, Reinhard announced that he would hold the event outdoors, regardless of the disastrous weather forecast. Not only was the weather fine, but twice as many people as the tent could hold turned up for the event - over 70,000.

Having run out of tents, Bonnke systematically held his gatherings outdoors. After a while, these gatherings regularly attracted over a million people. They were regularly marked by striking miracles and miraculous healings: blind people regained their sight, cripples got up and walked, the sick were healed and lives were dramatically transformed. During an evangelistic campaign in Lagos (Nigeria), 3,461,171 people filled in a decision card to follow Jesus.

Reinhard Bonnke and his organisation "Christ for all Nations" (CfaN) has had an extraordinary impact on spreading the Christian message around the world, particularly in Africa. The large number of conversions his preaching has brought about bear witness to the profound influence of his ministry and the spiritual transformation it has brought about in many lives, making a significant contribution to the growth and vitality of Christianity on the African continent.

Pascal Joran, apologist for the www.veritedelafoichretienne.fr website

Beyond reasons to believe:

Reinhard Bonnke's faith, zeal in sharing the Gospel, and the many testimonies of healings and conversions that punctuated his life bear witness to the continuity of the power of Jesus' message throughout the ages and to the miraculous events that accompany those who place their faith in him.

Going further:

Reinhard Bonnke's autobiography Living a Life of Fire, Full Flame, 2010

More information:

Evangelism by Fire: Keys for Effectively Reaching Others With the Gospel by Reinhard Bonnke, Charisma House (August 9, 2011)
The video: "Legacy of Harvest - Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke"
The CfaN website