Reinhard Bonnke

Reinhard Bonnke was born on 19th April 1940, in the city of Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany,{{cite book|last=Synan|first=H. Vinson|title=The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements.|year=2002|publisher=Zondervan Pub. House|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|isbn=0310224810|edition=Rev. and expanded|editor=Stanley M. Burgess|pages=438–439|chapter=Bonnke, Reinhard Willi Gottfried}} the fifth son of Hermann Bonnke, an army logistics officer in the Reichswehr who fought on the Eastern Front; his paternal grandfather was August Bonnke, the owner of a windmill in Trunz, East Prussia (now Milejewo, Poland), who was healed of an unknown ailment by the evangelist Luis Graf in 1922, but died during the evacuation of East Prussia in 1945. His mother was Metaa Bonnke (née Scheffler). Bonnke had six siblings: Martin, Gerhard, Jurgen, Peter and Felicitas, his only younger sibling and his only sister.

With his mother and siblings, he was taken to Denmark during the evacuation of East Prussia and spent some years in a displaced persons centre before settling in Gluckstadt, West Germany.Watt, C. Reinhard Bonnke: A Passion for the Gospel 1978 pp19-27 {{ISBN|0860657736}} After his own war service, his father became a pastor in the village of Krempe.{{Cite journal|last1=Gordon|first1=Tamar|last2=Hancock|first2=Mary|date=2005-11-01|title="The crusade is the vision": branding charisma in a global pentecostal ministry|journal=Material Religion|volume=1|issue=3|pages=386–404|doi=10.2752/174322005778054023|s2cid=194083307|issn=1743-2200}}

He became a born-again Christian at the age of nine after his mother spoke with him about a sin that he had committed.{{cite book|last=Bonnke|first=Reinhard|title=Living a Life of Fire: an Autobiography|date=2009|publisher=E-R Production|location=Orlando|isbn=9781933106816}} He sensed a call from God to serve as a missionary in Africa from the age of 10 and said that he had the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Bonnke studied at the Bible College of Wales in Swansea, Wales, UK, where he was inspired by the director, Samuel Rees Howells. In one meeting Howells spoke of answered prayer; after this meeting, Bonnke prayed, "Lord, I also want to be a man of faith. I want to see your way of providing for needs."{{cite book|last=Maton|first=Richard|title=Samuel Rees Howells : a life of intercession.|date=2012|publisher=ByFaith Media|isbn=9781907066139|page=81}} Passing through London, he had a chance meeting with the preacher George Jeffreys.Watt, C. Reinhard Bonnke: A Passion for the Gospel, 1978, pp. 66-67 {{ISBN|0860657736}} As he walked, he came across a house with a nameplate on the front that said “George Jeffreys”. He wondered if it could be the great George Jeffreys who had founded the Elim Pentecostal churches in Ireland and England. He prayed for the young student and imparted grace to him.

After graduation, he pastored in Germany for seven years, including establishing a congregation in Flensburg which met in a former rum factory.

His work in Africa began in 1967. He arrived in South Africa and almost immediately encountered the apartheid system, which he developed an antipathy towards, which in turn caused friction between him and the minister who oversaw him in South Africa. Bonnke subsequently accepted a position to oversee three churches in Lesotho, but began again from scratch after he discovered that unbiblical practices had emerged in the congregations he was to oversee.

In the first few years of his work, Bonnke encountered poor results from his evangelistic efforts and felt frustrated at the pace of his ministry. Then he had a recurring dream featuring a picture of the map of Africa being splattered with blood and heard the voice of God crying "Africa Shall Be Saved". This ultimately led him to adopt large-scale evangelism, rather than the traditional small-scale missionary approach. He rented a stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, and preached with little cooperation from local churches. The first meetings saw about 100 people attending, but this number grew swiftly.{{Cite web|url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/12/08/life-and-times-of-evangelist-reinhard-bonnke/|title=Life and Times of Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke - P.M. News}}

In 1974, Bonnke founded the mission organisation Christ for all Nations (CfaN).{{Cite web|date=2019-12-18|title=The man who changed the face of Christianity in Africa|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50781193|access-date=2021-06-04|website=BBC News|language=en-GB}} Originally based in Johannesburg, South Africa, the headquarters were relocated to Frankfurt, Germany, in 1986. This was done primarily to distance the organisation from South Africa's apartheid policy at the time. Today CfaN has 9 offices across 5 continents.{{cite web | url=https://new.cfan.org/contact-us | access-date = 5 August 2017 | title = Christ for all Nations - Contact Us | publisher = Christ for all Nations }}{{Cite web|url=https://cfan.org.uk/about/our-story|title=Our Story|date=9 June 2021|website=Christ for all Nations}}

Bonnke began his ministry holding tent meetings that accommodated large crowds. According to an account published by the Christian Broadcasting Network, in 1984 he commissioned the construction of what was claimed to be the world's largest mobile structure - a tent capable of seating 34,000; this was destroyed in a wind storm just before a major meeting and therefore the team decided to hold the event in the open air instead. According to this account, the event was subsequently attended by over 100,000 people which is far greater than the 34,000 seating capacity the tents could have contained. For various reasons, usually due to insufficient capacity, the 34,000-seat tent was only used once, in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1986.{{cite web |date=2010-02-05 |title=Reinhard Bonnke: Setting Souls on Fire |url=http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/Reinhard_Bonnke091306.aspx |work=The 700 Club}}

In addition to South Africa, Bonnke would also hold many campaigns in other African countries including Nigeria and Kenya and became known as "the Billy Graham of Africa."{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50781193|title=Reinhard Bonnke: The man who changed the face of Christianity in Africa|publisher=BBC News|date=18 December 2019|accessdate=4 October 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/world/africa/reinhard-bonnke-dead.html|title=Reinhard Bonnke, the 'Billy Graham of Africa,' Dies at 79|first=Melissa|last=Eddy|work=New York Times|date=11 December 2019|accessdate=4 October 2020}} In the 5 February 2001 edition of Graham's Christianity Today, journalist Corrie Cutrer stated that Bonnke had set "record-breaking attendances" at recent events he held in Nigeria.{{cite news|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/february5/5.40.html|title=Come and Receive Your Miracle|first=Corrie|last=Cutrer|publisher=Christianity Today|date=5 February 2001|accessdate=4 October 2020}} Bonnke announced his "farewell gospel crusade" to be held in Lagos, Nigeria, in November 2017. Lagos is also the location of a gospel crusade held in 2000 which, according to CfaN, is the organization's largest to date, drawing an attendance of six million people in a 5-night crusade, and as much as 1.6 million attendance in one day.{{cite web |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelist-reinhard-bonnke-who-led-millions-to-christ-announces-farewell-crusade-176789/ |title=Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke Who Led Millions to Christ Announces 'Farewell Crusade' |date=7 March 2017 | publisher=The Christian Post |access-date=5 August 2017}} In 2009 Bonnke appointed his successor, Daniel Kolenda who continues to lead the ministry.{{Cite web |last=Ministry |first=Christ for all Nations {{!}} Evangelistic |title=Christ for all Nations {{!}} Evangelistic Ministry |url=https://cfan.org/ |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=cfan.org |language=en}} In 2020, following Bonnke's death, Christ for all Nations launched the CfaN Evangelism Bootcamp. In 2022 Schools of Evangelism were started in South Africa,{{Cite web |title=Evangelists trained in Africa |url=https://www.cfan.eu/events/events-2021-2022/school-of-evangelism/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=www.cfan.eu |language=en}} and Europe and Fire Camps were launched in dozens of nations on six continents. Today, more than 4,000 evangelists have been trained by Christ for all Nations and more than 91-million decisions for Christ have been counted. In 2024, in the 50th year of the ministry, CfaN is conducting 50 gospel crusades throughout the African contenent.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://cfan50.org/ |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=50th Anniversary Crusades {{!}} Christ For All Nations |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=V |first=JM |date=2024-03-28 |title=Christ for All Nations Celebrates 50 Years |url=https://missionsbox.org/news/christ-for-all-nations-ministry-celebrates-50-years-with-50-evangelistic-campaigns/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Missions Box |language=en-US}}

In 1991, during Bonnke's visit to Kano in Nigeria, there were riots in the city as Muslims protested over remarks he had reportedly made about Islam in the city of Kaduna on his way to Kano.{{cite book|editor1-last=Marty|editor1-first=Martin Emil|editor2-last=Appleby|editor2-first=R. Scott|title=Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies, and Militance|url=https://archive.org/details/fundamentalismss00mart|url-access=registration|date=1993|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=9780226508849|page=[https://archive.org/details/fundamentalismss00mart/page/199 199]}} A rumour was spread that Bonnke was planning to "lead an invasion" into Kano. Muslim youths gathered at the Kofar Mata Eide-ground where they were addressed by several clerics who claimed that Bonnke was going to blaspheme Islam. About 8,000 youths gathered at the Emir's palace and after noon prayers the riots ensued, during which many Christians sustained various injuries and several churches were burned. Official reports state that at least eight people were killed,{{cite book|last=Boer|first=Jan H|title=Nigeria's Decades of Blood: Volume One: Studies in Christian-Muslim Relationships|date=2003|publisher=Essence Publishing|location=Bellville, Ontario|isbn=9781553065814|pages=41–44}}{{cite web|title=Reinhard Bonnke|url=http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/rbonnke.html|work=Deception in the Church}}{{cite web|title=German Evangelist 'Banned'|url=http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2000/12-December/newsarticle_0783.html/|work=World Watch Monitor|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320011103/http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2000/12-December/newsarticle_0783.html/|archive-date=2014-03-20}}{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=1991-10-17|title=At Least 8 Dead in Nigerian City As Muslim-Christian Riots Go On|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/17/world/at-least-8-dead-in-nigerian-city-as-muslim-christian-riots-go-on.html|access-date=2021-06-04|issn=0362-4331}} although other research and reports place the number as being as much as 500 as many of the Christians who were killed were thrown into wells and the attacks were spread between multiple locations.{{Cite web|url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2019/12/07/flashback-the-day-500-people-died-for-bonnke-in-kano/|title=Flashback: The day 500 people died for Bonnke in Kano - P.M. News}}

Despite the state governor absolving Bonnke of any blame for the incident, Bonnke's subsequent attempts to return to Nigeria were denied, as the Nigerian Embassy refused his visa applications. In 2000, a new civilian government in Nigeria was elected to power, and President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian, invited Reinhard Bonnke to return to the country.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-08|title=Reinhard Bonnke, special blessing to the world, say Bamgbola, Olaleye|url=https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/reinhard-bonnke-special-blessing-to-the-world-say-bamgbola-olaleye/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News|language=en-US}} Bonnke returned to Nigeria and held a crusades in Benin City in the south.{{Cite web|date=2013-08-01|title=The Nigerian Outpouring|url=https://www.cfan.org.uk/articles/story-of-cfan/nigerian-outpouring|access-date=2021-06-04|website=Christ for all Nations|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2017-10-26|title=Return of Reinhard Bonnke|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/return-reinhard-bonnke/|access-date=2021-06-04|website=Vanguard News|language=en-US}} He would deny reports that the Northern Region of Nigeria's Council of Ulamas banned him from entering northern Nigeria.{{cite news|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200011140162.html|title=Nigeria: Bonnke Denies Ban By Northern Islamic Group|first=Sam|last=Eyoboka|publisher=Vanguard|website=allafrica.com|date=2000-11-14|accessdate=2023-02-28}}

Bonnke held many crusades in Nigeria after 2000, and conversion rates were significantly higher than in many other African nations, with one campaign achieving an 83% conversion rate.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025|reason=Seems highly unlikely}} Nigeria would be where his final international crusade would be held, in Lagos in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/bonnkes-nigeria-visit-and-the-promise-of-fire/|title=Bonnke's Nigeria visit and the promise of fire|date=1 October 2017}}

After graduating from the Bible College of Wales and returning to Germany, Bonnke led a series of meetings in Rendsburg. He began receiving speaking invitations from all around Germany and the rest of the world. Bonnke met Anni Suelze at a gospel music festival and admired the grace which she showed when a mistake led to her losing a music competition. He offered to preach at the church she attended and over time they fell in love. They married in 1964 and had three children: Kai-Uwe Friedrich, known as "Freddy", Gabrielle and Suzanne. {{Cite web|url=https://www2.cbn.com/news/news/remembering-gods-general-reinhard-bonnke|title=Remembering 'God's General' Reinhard Bonnke|date=9 December 2019|website=CBN}}

Bonnke died on 7 December 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50781193|title=Reinhard Bonnke: The man who changed the face of Christianity in Africa|date=2019-12-18|website=BBC|access-date=2019-12-27}} The month before, he had announced on his official Facebook page that he had undergone femur surgery and needed time to "learn how to walk again".{{Cite web|url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/12/reinhard-bonnke-dead/|title=Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|date=2019-12-07|website=Heavy.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-07}} Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who is Muslim, praised Bonnke for his frequent visits to Nigeria and described his death as a "great loss to Nigeria".{{cite news|url=https://www.thecable.ng/a-great-loss-to-nigeria-buhari-mourns-reinhard-bonnke|title=A great loss to Nigeria' - Buhari mourns Reinhard Bonnke|publisher=TheCable|date=7 December 2019|accessdate=4 October 2020}}

His appointed successor is the evangelist Daniel Kolenda.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewman.org.ng/2022/09/biography-of-evangelist-daniel-kolenda.html|title=Biography of Evangelist Daniel Kolenda|date=November 3, 2023|website=The New Man|language=en-NG|accessdate=February 27, 2024}}

He would be buried in Gotha, Florida's Woodlawn Memorial Park, with his memorial stone being shaped to resemble Africa.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/269809424/https://www.christianitytoday.com/2020/01/reinhard-bonnke-memorial-service-cfan-orlando-funeral/https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10164843796695258&id=210552700257&set=a.10150417025670258

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