Church leaders from more than 50 Asian-Pacific countries and territories will be encouraged and equipped to renew their commitment to bold and Biblical proclamation evangelism
SYDNEY, Aug. 24, 2026 – In exactly one year the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism will take place in Sydney, Australia.
“This is a significant time for the church in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to most of the world’s population and the vast majority of people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and convener of the congress. “We are bringing together the Gospel messengers in this area to make sure every generation hears the Good News that God loves them, and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.”
The Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism is expected to bring 2,400 Christian leaders throughout the region to Sydney on 24-26 August 2027. For three days and in 10 languages, 21 speakers and contributors from Australia, Asia, New Zealand, Europe, the United States, Canada, the Middle East, and Africa will focus on the theme of Romans 1:16—being unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Younghoon Lee, senior pastor at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the plenary speakers, said, “In a time when many believers feel isolated in their faith, gatherings such as the Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism remind us that we are not alone and renew our missionary calling toward the next generation. Even amid the challenges of secularization and spiritual indifference, the Gospel is encountering new opportunities to reach new generations and nations. I am confident that this congress will encourage believers and ignite a renewed passion for evangelism across the region.”
Dr. Gary Millar, principal of Queensland Theological College in Brisbane, Australia, who is also a plenary speaker, said, “The responsibility to take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus to every nation in every generation is weighty, daunting, but unavoidable. If we are to take this seriously, then we desperately need one another. The Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism is a timely opportunity to spur one another on to keep the Gospel front and center as we seek to reach our part of the world for Christ.”
Special music at the Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism will be provided by three-time Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith and other artists.
All meals and lodging for participants will be provided and arranged by BGEA. There are no registration fees for the congress, which is by invitation only. To learn more, visit SydneyCongress.com.
LIST OF SPEAKERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
- UNITED STATES | Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse
- AUSTRALIA | Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney
- SOUTH KOREA | Rev. Younghoon Lee, Ph.D., senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul
- SINGAPORE | Rev. Edmund Chan, founder and leadership mentor of Global Alliance of Intentional Disciple-making Churches
- TAIWAN | Rev. Dr James Hudson Taylor IV, president of the China Evangelical Seminary and chairman of OMF International
- UNITED STATES | Cissie Graham Lynch, speaker and hostof the “Fearless” podcast
- BRUNEI | Rev. Dr. Peter Chin, secretary of Southeast Asia AG Fellowship, general superintendent of Brunei Assemblies of God
- NEW ZEALAND | Dr. Robert Siakimotu, evangelist with Open Air Campaigners and co-founder of Polynesian Ministries
- UNITED STATES | Dr. Mark M. Yarbrough, president of the Dallas Theological Seminary
- CANADA | Rev. Charles Price, evangelist and minister at large for The PeoplesChurch
- AUSTRALIA | Dr. Gary Millar, principal of Queensland Theological College and co-founder of The Gospel Coalition Australia
- UNITED STATES | Rev. Will Graham, evangelist and executive vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
- IRAN/UNITED KINGDOM | Rashin Soodmand, co-founder of Torch Ministries and international author and speaker
- AUSTRALIA | Archbishop Glenn Davies, bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross, Anglican Church of Australia
- UNITED STATES | Dr. Skip Heitzig, pastor of Calvary Chapel in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- UNITED KINGDOM | Dr. Chris Sinkinson, associate minister of Lansdowne Church and director of The School for Discipleship
- AUSTRALIA | Margaret Court, founder of Margaret Court Ministries and former No. 1 ranked female tennis player in the world
- UNITED STATES | Rev. Greg Laurie, evangelist and senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship
- SOUTH SUDAN | Bishop James Lagos Alexander, presiding ishop of the African Inland Church
- AUSTRALIA | Michelle Pearse, CEO of the Australian Christian Lobby
- UNITED STATES | Dr. David Bruce, former executive assistant to Billy Graham and executive vice president of the Billy Graham Archive and Research Center
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
- Download photos and video from the press kit and review the list of countries and territories participating in the congress: Media.BillyGraham.org/Asian-Pacific-Congress-on-Evangelism.
- Journalists are welcome to register to attend the congress, which will be held at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), 14 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000.
- There is no cost for journalists to register or attend sessions, and congress meals will be free of charge.
- To RSVP or for more information, please contact [email protected].
HISTORY OF BGEA IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC
Billy Graham had a profound love and appreciation for the Asia-Pacific region, where he shared the Gospel with over 13 million people at 35 Crusades. His historic five-day outreach in Seoul, Korea, in 1973 had over 3 million attendees and was his largest ever. When he came to Sydney, Australia, in 1959, approximately 980,000 people packed stadiums, setting attendance records in the city. During that same tour, Graham visited 11 cities across Australia and New Zealand, with more than 3.3 million people coming to hear the evangelist preach and over 146,000 indicated making decisions for Christ.
His son, Franklin Graham, has preached in the Asia-Pacific region 41 times over the past 33 years. Most recently, Rev. Graham was invited to preach in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, where thousands of people responded to the Gospel. Graham is also looking forward to preaching in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2027.
Franklin Graham’s son, Will Graham, has a passion for this region of the world as well. He has held more than 30 evangelistic outreaches in Asian-Pacific countries and territories and preached in Shikoku, Japan, and Uijeongbu, Korea, in May 2026.
Crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team have deployed more than 40 times to countries in the Asian-Pacific region to offer emotional and spiritual care to people suffering from disasters, such as the 2011 earthquake in Sendai, Japan, the 2014 typhoon in Cebu, Philippines, and the 2026 earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan.
SearchforJesus.net, BGEA’s internet evangelism project, has reached more than 100 million people around the world and continues to share the Gospel with hundreds of thousands in the Asian-Pacific region each year.
ABOUT THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. From its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale outreaches led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; the Billy Graham Library; the 24/7 Billy Graham Prayer Line; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team; the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, located outside of Asheville, North Carolina; SearchforJesus.net, an internet evangelism project reaching thousands of people for Christ online; and ministers to many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the internet.
For more information, please visit BillyGraham.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Mark Barber
[email protected]