Principles that avoided scandal in Billy Graham’s life

Billy Graham became a celebrity by broadcasting his sermons on radio and television. He personally preached the gospel to more people than anyone else in history.

Why was this man so respected? How was he able to keep his ministry free from scandal for more than 75 years?

When Graham was just 30 years old, he and his small ministry team met for Bible study and prayer at a tiny motel in Modesto, California. Graham challenged them to pray about what codes of behavior they needed to adopt in order to keep the ministry clean.

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The results of that meeting were profoundly prophetic. The men outlined what would become “the Modesto Manifesto” a list of core ministry values that became the guiding principles of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Here are the four key components of the Modesto Manifesto, along with notes that Cliff Barrows jotted down in their meeting:

Honesty:“It was resolved that all communications to media and to the church would not be inflated or exaggerated. The size of crowds and the number of inquirers would not be embellished for the sake of making BGEA look better.”

Integrity:“It was resolved that financial matters would be submitted to a board of directors for review and facilitation of expenditures. Every local crusade would maintain a policy of ‘open books’ and publish a record of where and how monies were spent.”

Purity:“It was resolved that members of the team would pay close attention to avoiding temptation-never being alone with another woman, remaining accountable to one another, etc. A practice of keeping wives informed of their activities on the road and helping them feel a part of any and all crusades they undertook would be encouraged.”

Humility:“It was resolved that members of the team were never to speak badly of another Christian minister, regardless of his denominational affiliation or differing theological views and practices. The mission of evangelism includes strengthening the Body of Christ as well as building it!”  

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He will be remembered not only as a world-changing hero of faith but as a humble preacher whose personal integrity set the gold standard for every minister in this country.

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