Billy Graham Switches Church Membership

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks on December 31, 2008

After more than 50 years as a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas, 90-year-old Billy Graham has changed his membership to the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C. Homebound in Montreat, N.C., Graham has watched broadcasts of the Spartanburg church’s services on TV and is good friends with pastor Don Wilton (Graham wrote the forward to Wilton’s 2005 book Totally Secure: Finding Peace and Protection in the Arms of God).

Billy Graham refers to Wilton as his “TV pastor,” according to Graham’s spokesman, Larry Ross.

“Our church is deeply humbled and deeply grateful to accept him as one of our own,” said Wilton. “And it certainly gives us great joy to do that.” Wilton and his son spoke with Graham on Christmas Eve when he asked to transfer his membership. The news was met with immediate applause on Sunday at all three services at the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg.

Billy Graham joined the First Baptist Church of Dallas in 1953 during one of his crusades in the city. At the time, the church was considered the preeminent church in the Southern Baptist Convention. Since he never lived in Dallas, Graham attended the church only sporadically.

Since Billy Graham’s church membership has seemed to mean little in the past 50 years, it’s strange that he’s just now changing it. But as more than 291 news articles can attest, where Billy Graham holds his church membership must be newsworthy.

“This was not an easy or quick decision by Mr. Graham,” said Ross. “But he increasingly felt it was important to unite with First Baptist Spartanburg, as that has had his attention and focus, especially through television, in recent years.

“We’ll always treasure the relationship,” said First Baptist Church of Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress.