Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Luis Palau, Evangelist Who Reached Hundreds of Millions with the Gospel, Dies at 86

AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel
AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel
Share Tweet
By John Jessup
Contributor

March 11, 2021

For more than 55 years, Luis Palau sought to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. This one man reached hundreds of millions of people for Jesus Christ.

Whether it was his passion to preach the good news, the twinkle in his eye, or his quick sense of humor, Palau had the ability to connect with a wide array of people from world leaders to those living on the margins.

Born into an affluent Catholic family in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his parents were influenced by American and British missionaries. They eventually became evangelical Christians, laying the groundwork for a faith that would eventually lead their son to become an international evangelist.

At the age of 10, Palau abruptly became the man of the household after his father’s sudden death. The passing left the family nearly penniless and forced a young Luis to work to support his mother and siblings. However, his mother convinced him to leave Argentina in his mid-twenties to study the Bible in America.

‘Our World Lost a Giant of a Man Today’: Celebrate Recovery Founder John Baker Dies

While attending Multnomah Bible College (now Multnomah University) in Portland, Oregon, Palau married Patricia Scofield, who would become his wife for 60 years. The couple teamed up with Billy Graham and eventually launched their own global ministry, the Luis Palau Association.

From Colombia to the former Soviet Union up to his final tour in Spain in 2019, his organization estimates he shared the gospel with a billion people across 75 countries through large-scale evangelistic events.

Palau worked closely with three of his four sons through his ministry. Together, they adopted a new outreach model called “CityFest,” replacing mass crusades with family-friendly festivals focused on uniting churches, businesses, and civic organizations to serve their communities. 

In 2015, Palau preached to more than 60,000 people in New York City’s Central Park, the culmination of a months-long campaign that involved 1,200 New York City-area churches.
 
He also helped to train and mentor thousands of Christian evangelists with a global reach amplified through radio, television, and the Internet.

Palau was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in late 2017. Yet he remained active in his final years, publishing a memoir and allowing his life story to be portrayed in a 2019 film titled Palau the Movie.

Palau’s humble upbringing and commitment to share the love of Christ helped him communicate to a cross-section of people including presidents and pontiffs. For example, he offered the benediction at the official prayer service for President Bill Clinton’s second inauguration. And he prayed regularly with fellow Argentine Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he became Pope Francis. He called the pontiff a real friend of evangelical Christians when Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013.

Palau’s family served as another source of inspiration. In September 2019, nearly two years after his cancer diagnosis, he told CBN News that he was prepared for eternity. Although, he also admitted he was pained to leave his loved ones.
 
“I’m not begging to be healed, because I don’t know God’s purposes. And I trust him entirely. The only sad thing is leaving my wife and my kids and the team and a few of my best friends. That’s the only thing. But, really, I’m ready to go. I have the peace of the Lord,” he explained in one of his final broadcast interviews.
 
Palau’s health began to decline at the start of 2021. On March 1, his son and ministry partner, Andrew Palau, announced his father was in hospice care after spending two weeks in January in the hospital to be treated for heart and lung issues. The younger Palau broke the news on his father’s Facebook page:
 
“Dad is pushing hard to the finish line just to see each of the grandchildren as his final heart’s desire. The Lord knows his actual timing, and Dad keeps reminding us in these last few days, ‘As for God, His way is perfect.'”

This story originated through Faithwire’s parent company CBNNews.com. For more download the free CBN News app. 

Latest

  • News

    Charges Dropped Against Christian Woman Arrested After Silently Praying in Her Head Outside Clinic — but She Plans to Continue the Battle

  • Entertainment

    What’s the Biggest Mistake Christians Make When Balancing Truth & Love? Christian Singer Mike Donehey Unveils His Take

  • News

    ‘A Football Coach…Not a Pastor: NFL Legend Deion Sanders Targeted by Atheists for Alleged ‘Unconstitutional Actions’

  • News

    ‘God Is With Me’: Woman Was Just Seconds From Potential Death When 3,000 lb Boulder Burst Through Her Living Room

  • News

    PRAY: Police Search For Answers After NJ Christian Councilwoman Killed Outside Her Home


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Charges Dropped Against Christian Woman Arrested After Silently Praying in Her Head Outside Clinic — but She Plans to Continue the Battle
  • What’s the Biggest Mistake Christians Make When Balancing Truth & Love? Christian Singer Mike Donehey Unveils His Take
  • ‘A Football Coach…Not a Pastor: NFL Legend Deion Sanders Targeted by Atheists for Alleged ‘Unconstitutional Actions’
  • ‘God Is With Me’: Woman Was Just Seconds From Potential Death When 3,000 lb Boulder Burst Through Her Living Room
  • PRAY: Police Search For Answers After NJ Christian Councilwoman Killed Outside Her Home

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?