Reinhard Bonnke

Reinhard Bonnke (19 April 1940 – 7 December 2019) was a German-American Pentecostal Evangelist, who labored very mightily for the cause of the Gospel of Christ, especially in Africa. He has been called a "giant and a general in the Army of God". He is the founder of the Christ For All Nations (CFAN) evangelistic ministry.

Early Life

Reinhard Bonnke was born on 19 April 1940, in East Prussia, Germany, the son of an army logistics officer.

Death

Bonnke passed into eternity on 7 Dec. 2019.. His wife announced his passing, writing, "Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with sorrow that the Bonnke Family would like to announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on December 7, 2019. For the past 60 years he has preached the glorious Gospel of Jesus throughout the entire world. We want to thank you on behalf of him and our family, for your kind love and unwavering support".

Mission Work

Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was principally known for his Great Gospel Crusades throughout the Continent of Africa. The son of a pastor, Reinhard gave his life to the Lord at age nine, and heard the call to the African mission field before he was even a teenager. After attending Bible College in Wales, and his ordination in Germany he pastored a church and then went on to start missionary work in Africa. It was there, in the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho, that God placed upon his heart the vision of ‘the continent of Africa, being washed in the precious Blood of Jesus’ — an entire continent, from Cape Town to Cairo and from Dakar to Djibouti that needed to be reached and to hear the proclamation of the sign-following Gospel.

The Holy Spirit had told him "Africa will be saved" as he had a dream of the African Continent being washed in the Precious Blood of Jesus. In later years, with the dream having become a reality, Bonnke no longer said "Africa will be saved" but, "Africa is being saved". Bonnke would later apply these same principles to European countries and America. Over the 79 years of his life, it is estimated that over 79 million people - a million for each year of his life - came to Christ as a result of Bonnke's ministry.

Legacy

Daniel Kolenda, successor of Reinhard Bonnke at CFAN, paid tribute to his mentor, saying, "It is with great sadness that I and the entire Christ for All Nations family announces the death of our founder, friend and spiritual father, Reinhard Bonnke.

All told, more than 79-million people made Christ their Lord as a result of Evangelist Bonnke’s ministry. Bonnke was best known for his gospel outreach campaigns throughout Africa. It is no exaggeration to say that his work transformed the continent.

Evangelist Bonnke drew some of the largest live audiences in history. In November of 2000, at a single meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, 1.6 million attendees heard him preach the truth of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. From big cities to the bush, in deserts, jungles and savannahs, similar crowds assembled in almost every nation in Africa."