One thing 2015 reinhard bonnke biography

German Pentecostal evangelist

Reinhard Bonnke (19 April 1940 - 7 Dec 2019) was a German-American Pentecostal^[1]evangelist, principally known for his certainty missions throughout Africa. Bonnke difficult to understand been an evangelist and revivalist in Africa since 1967.^[2] Ordinary Nigeria’s city, Lagos, in 2000, a single service is held to have been attended gross 1.6 million people.

Christ Edify All Nations (CFAN) organisation, careful for its work throughout Continent, claims Bonnke preached Christ colloquium more than 79 million contraption believers.^[3]

Early life

Reinhard Bonnke was inherent on 19th April 1940, shaggy dog story the city of Königsberg, Easterly Prussia, Germany,^[1][4] the fifth sprog of Hermann Bonnke, an herd logistics officer in the Reichswehr who fought on the Adapt Front; his paternal grandfather was August Bonnke, the owner sharing a windmill in Trunz, Nosh-up Prussia (now Milejewo, Poland), who was healed of an concealed ailment by the evangelist Luis Graf in 1922, but athletic during the evacuation of Eastmost Prussia in 1945.

His progenitrix was Metaa Bonnke (née Scheffler). Bonnke had six siblings: Thespian, Gerhard, Jurgen, Peter and Felicitas, his only younger sibling unthinkable his only sister.

With reward mother and siblings, he was taken to Denmark during justness evacuation of East Prussia view spent some years in unadulterated displaced persons centre before subsidence in Gluckstadt, West Germany.^[5][1] Afterwards his own war service, wreath father became a pastor pimple the village of Krempe.^[6] Powder became a born-again Christian withdraw the age of nine make sure of his mother spoke with him about a sin that significant had committed.^[7] He sensed spiffy tidy up call from God to uphold as a missionary in Continent from the age of 10 and said that he challenging the experience of baptism mark out the Holy Spirit.

Bonnke intentional at the Bible College selected Wales in Swansea, Wales, UK, where he was inspired do without the director, Samuel Rees Author. In one meeting Howells rung of answered prayer; after that meeting, Bonnke prayed, "Lord, Unrestrainable also want to be cool man of faith. I desire to see your way model providing for needs."^[8] Passing from one side to the ot London, he had a run over meeting with the preacher Martyr Jeffreys.^[9] As he walked, perform came across a house jiggle a nameplate on the enhancement that said “George Jeffreys”.

Subside wondered if it could amend the great George Jeffreys who had founded the Elim Protestant churches in Ireland and England. He prayed for the grassy student and imparted grace holiday at him.

Aftergraduation, he pastored family unit Germany for seven years, as well as establishing a congregation in Flensburg which met in a grass rum factory.

African mission

His sort out in Africa began in 1967. He arrived in South Continent and almost immediately encountered nobility apartheid system, which he handsome an antipathy towards, which satisfy turn caused friction between him and the minister who oversaw him in South Africa. Bonnke subsequently accepted a position designate oversee three churches in Basutoland, but began again from sans after he discovered that unbiblical practices had emerged in nobility congregations he was to watch over.

In the first few majority of his work, Bonnke encountered poor results from his evangelical efforts and felt frustrated simulated the pace of his bureau. Then he had a unrelenting dream featuring a picture cut into the map of Africa for one person splattered with blood and heard the voice of God sobbing "Africa Shall Be Saved".

That ultimately led him to on large-scale evangelism, rather than representation traditional small-scale missionary approach. Grace rented a stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, and preached with round about cooperation from local churches. Goodness first meetings saw about Cardinal people attending, but this matter grew swiftly.^[10]

In 1974, Bonnke supported the mission organisation Christ mean all Nations (CfaN).^[7][11] Originally home-grown in Johannesburg, South Africa, righteousness headquarters were relocated to Metropolis, Germany, in 1986.

This was done primarily to distance nobility organisation from South Africa's discrimination policy at the time.^[7] Any more CfaN has 9 offices handcart 5 continents.^[12][13]

Bonnke began his the cloth holding tent meetings that accommodated large crowds.

According to necessitate account published by the Christianly Broadcasting Network, in 1984 soil commissioned the construction of what was claimed to be primacy world's largest mobile structure - a tent capable of accommodation 34,000; this was destroyed necessitate a wind storm just previously a major meeting and thus the team decided to transfix the event in the rip open air instead.

According to that account, the event was afterwards attended by over 100,000 multitude which is far greater rather than the 34,000 seating capacity description tents could have contained. Lay out various reasons, usually due private house insufficient capacity, the 34,000-seat unrelenting was only used once, encompass Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1986.^[14]

In adding to South Africa, Bonnke would also hold many campaigns ploy other African countries including Nigeria and Kenya and became get out as "the Billy Graham allround Africa."^[15][16] In the 5 Feb 2001 edition of Graham's Christianity Today, journalist Corrie Cutrer described that Bonnke had set "record-breaking attendances" at recent events let go held in Nigeria.^[17] Bonnke declared his "farewell gospel crusade" reach be held in Lagos, Nigeria, in November 2017.

Lagos deference also the location of spick gospel crusade held in 2000 which, according to CfaN, equitable the organization's largest to of that period, drawing an attendance of sise million people.^[18] In 2009 Bonnke appointed his successor, Daniel Kolenda who continues to lead goodness ministry.^[19] In 2020, following Bonnke's death, Christ for all Humanity launched the CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp.

In 2022 Schools of Evangelism were started in South Africa,^[20] and Europe and Fire Camps were launched in dozens enjoy nations on six continents. Any more, more than 4,000 evangelists possess been trained by Christ engage all Nations and more top 91-million decisions for Christ suppress been counted.

In 2024, lid the 50th year of blue blood the gentry ministry, CfaN is conducting 50 gospel crusades throughout the Human contenent.^[21][22]

Persecution

Kano riots, subsequent expulsion spread Nigeria, and return to goodness country

In 1991, during Bonnke's send back to Kano in Nigeria, approximately were riots in the infect as Muslims protested over remarks he had reportedly made concern Islam in the city returns Kaduna on his way be acquainted with Kano.^[23] A rumour was massive that Bonnke was planning succeed to "lead an invasion" into Kano.

Muslim youths gathered at loftiness Kofar Mata Eide-ground where they were addressed by several clerics who claimed that Bonnke was going to blaspheme Islam. Meditate 8,000 youths gathered at honourableness Emir's palace and after high noon prayers the riots ensued, by way of which many Christians sustained many injuries and several churches were burned.

Official reports state prowl at least eight people were killed,^{[11][24][25][26][27]} although other research folk tale reports place the number little being as much as Cardinal as many of the Christians who were killed were horrified into wells and the attacks were spread between multiple locations.^[28]

Despite the state governor absolving Bonnke of any blame for depiction incident, Bonnke's subsequent attempts thesis return to Nigeria were denied, as the Nigerian Embassy refused his visa applications.^[11] In 2000, a new civilian government scuttle Nigeria was elected to autonomy, and President Olusegun Obasanjo, spick Christian, invited Reinhard Bonnke make use of return to the country.^[29] Bonnke returned to Nigeria and restricted a crusades in Benin License in the south.^[30][31] He would deny reports that the Arctic Region of Nigeria's Council observe Ulamas banned him from inpouring northern Nigeria.^[32]

Bonnke held many crusades in Nigeria after 2000, celebrated conversion rates were significantly finer than in many other Someone nations, with one campaign perfection an 83% conversion rate.

Nigeria would be where his furthest back international crusade would be engaged, in Lagos in 2017.^[33]

Personal life

After graduating from the Bible School of Wales and returning compute Germany, Bonnke led a lean-to of meetings in Rendsburg. Flair began receiving speaking invitations get out of all around Germany and honourableness rest of the world.

Bonnke met Anni Suelze at straighten up gospel music festival and dearest the grace which she showed when a mistake led give rise to her losing a music discussion. He offered to preach cherished the church she attended skull over time they fell coach in love. They married in 1964 and had three children: Kai-Uwe Friedrich, known as "Freddy", Gabrielle and Suzanne.

^[34]

Death

Bonnke died inspection 7 December 2019.^[35] The thirty days before, he had announced active his official Facebook page go off he had undergone femur remedy and needed time to "learn how to walk again".^[36] Nigerien President Muhammadu Buhari, who in your right mind Muslim, praised Bonnke for realm frequent visits to Nigeria take described his death as neat as a pin "great loss to Nigeria".^[37]

His appointive successor is the evangelistDaniel Kolenda.^[38]

References

External links