Last Updated on September 29, 2026 by Bakare Sherifdeen
Introduction
Reinhard Bonnke was a German evangelist whose ministry became closely associated with large-scale Christian evangelism across Africa. For more than five decades, he preached in churches, tents, stadiums and open-air crusades, eventually becoming one of the most recognizable European evangelists in modern African Christian history.
His story was unusual from the beginning. Bonnke grew up in Germany during the upheaval of World War II, became a Christian as a child, and said he received a calling to Africa before he was a teenager. That childhood conviction eventually took him to Lesotho in 1967, where he and his wife, Anni, began missionary work.
What followed was a remarkable expansion from relatively small meetings to enormous Gospel campaigns. Bonnke founded Christ for all Nations (CfaN) in 1974 and developed a ministry model centered on large evangelistic campaigns, cooperation with local churches, follow-up discipleship and the distribution of Christian literature.
His influence was particularly strong in Nigeria, where some of his largest campaigns were held. His 2000 Lagos crusade became one of the most notable mass evangelistic gatherings associated with his ministry, while his 2017 Lagos farewell crusade marked the public transition of leadership to Daniel Kolenda.
Bonnke died on December 7, 2019, at age 79, but his ministry continues through CfaN and the evangelists and leaders he helped train.
Key Takeaways
- Reinhard Bonnke was born on April 19, 1940, in Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany.
- He became a Christian at age nine and said he sensed a call to Africa before his teenage years.
- He studied at the Bible College of Wales before returning to Germany for ministry.
- Bonnke and his wife, Anni, began missionary work in Lesotho in 1967.
- He founded Christ for all Nations in 1974.
- His ministry became famous for enormous Gospel campaigns throughout Africa.
- His 1984 evangelistic tent could seat about 34,000 people before his campaigns moved increasingly into open-air settings.
- CfaN says its campaigns recorded nearly 80 million filled-out decision cards between 1987 and February 2020.
- Bonnke’s final major African campaign was held in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2017.
- He publicly appointed Daniel Kolenda as his successor during that farewell campaign.
- Bonnke was married to Anni and had three children: Kai-Uwe, Gabrielle and Susanne.
- He died on December 7, 2019, at the age of 79.
At a Glance
Reinhard Bonnke’s life can be understood through three major chapters: his early calling to Africa, the transformation of his missionary work into a continent-wide evangelistic ministry, and the development of a succession and discipleship structure that continued after his death.
His ministry was not built solely around preaching to large crowds. CfaN also emphasized follow-up literature, cooperation with local churches and training believers for evangelism. This combination helped turn Bonnke’s crusades into a broader ministry system rather than isolated events. CfaN says more than 185 million copies of its follow-up booklet Now That You Are Saved were eventually published in 103 languages and printed in 55 countries.
Quick Facts
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Reinhard Bonnke |
| Date of Birth | April 19, 1940 |
| Place of Birth | Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany |
| Age at Death | 79 years |
| Date of Death | December 7, 2019 |
| Nationality | German |
| Profession | Evangelist, missionary, author and Christian minister |
| Ministry | Christ for all Nations |
| Ministry Founded | 1974 |
| Wife | Anni Bonnke |
| Children | Kai-Uwe, Gabrielle and Susanne |
| Known For | Mass evangelistic campaigns, especially across Africa |
| Education | Bible College of Wales |
| Category | Evangelists |
From War-Torn Germany to a Childhood Calling
Reinhard Bonnke was born on April 19, 1940, in Königsberg, East Prussia, then part of Germany. His childhood unfolded against the backdrop of World War II.
As the war came to an end, Bonnke, his mother and his siblings were evacuated to Denmark. The family later settled in West Germany, where his father eventually became a pastor.
Bonnke’s Christian faith developed early. According to his ministry biography, he surrendered his life to Christ at nine years old. Even more significant for his later career, he said he heard a call to become a missionary in Africa before reaching his teenage years.
That early sense of calling became one of the defining threads of his life.
Education and Early Ministry
Bonnke attended the Bible College of Wales in Swansea, where he studied under the influence of Samuel Rees Howells. His time in Wales shaped his understanding of prayer, faith and missionary work.
After returning to Germany, he was ordained and began pastoral ministry. He and Anni eventually married and served together in a small church.
However, Bonnke remained focused on the African mission field he believed he had been called to as a child.
In 1967, he and Anni left for Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in southern Africa, beginning a new chapter that would eventually transform his ministry.
Reinhard Bonnke and the Call to Africa
Bonnke’s early missionary years in Lesotho were not immediately characterized by the enormous crowds for which he would later become famous.
According to CfaN’s account, Bonnke eventually developed a powerful vision of Africa being reached with the Gospel. He described this vision in terms of a continent washed in the blood of Jesus and repeatedly used the phrase “Africa shall be saved.”
The vision expanded his understanding of evangelism beyond individual congregations or towns. He began thinking in terms of reaching entire cities and eventually the continent.
This became the foundation for the evangelistic strategy that defined the rest of his ministry.
Founding Christ for all Nations
In 1974, Bonnke founded Christ for all Nations, commonly known as CfaN.
The organization was designed around large-scale evangelistic campaigns, Gospel preaching and follow-up work with new believers. Over time, CfaN established an international structure that supported campaigns, evangelistic training, literature distribution and cooperation with churches.
The scale of Bonnke’s meetings increased dramatically.
His early meetings were conducted under a tent capable of accommodating about 800 people. As attendance grew, increasingly larger tents were required. In 1984, he commissioned a mobile Gospel tent capable of seating approximately 34,000 people. Eventually, even that structure was insufficient for some campaigns, leading to large open-air gatherings.
By the late 20th century, Bonnke’s name had become strongly associated with massive evangelistic campaigns across Africa.
The Rise of the Great Gospel Campaigns
Bonnke’s campaigns differed from ordinary church services because they were designed as major citywide evangelistic events.
Local churches were often involved in preparing communities, inviting people and following up with those who responded to the Gospel. The model allowed Bonnke’s ministry to work alongside churches from different denominations.
The Assemblies of God USA described his approach as involving local pastors who prepared their churches for the campaigns, while Bonnke supplied the evangelistic “nets.”
His ministry also placed considerable emphasis on recording responses to Gospel invitations. CfaN introduced decision cards in 1987, and the organization says that 79,957,281 filled-out cards were registered between January 1987 and February 2020. These figures are ministry-reported and represent recorded responses rather than an independently verified count of conversions.
Reinhard Bonnke in Nigeria
Nigeria became one of the most important countries in Bonnke’s ministry.
He conducted campaigns in several Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Jos, Port Harcourt, Yola, Abeokuta, Abuja, Akure, Ado-Ekiti and Calabar. His large meetings attracted enormous crowds and contributed to his lasting reputation among Nigerian Christians.
His Lagos campaign in 2000 was particularly notable. Contemporary accounts reported an attendance of approximately 1.6 million people at a single meeting. CfaN also reported a very large number of responses to the Gospel invitation at that event. Because attendance and response figures come from ministry and contemporary reporting, they are best understood in that context rather than as independently audited statistics.
Nigeria would ultimately become the location of Bonnke’s final major African campaign.
The 2017 Lagos Farewell Crusade
In November 2017, Bonnke returned to Lagos for what became known as his Farewell Crusade.
At the event, he publicly appointed Daniel Kolenda as his successor. Kolenda had already been serving as president and CEO of CfaN since 2008 and had spent years working alongside Bonnke.
The succession was significant because it showed that Bonnke’s final years were not simply about retirement. He was deliberately transferring leadership of the organization and the evangelistic mission he had spent decades developing.
Kolenda would later continue CfaN’s large-scale evangelistic work while maintaining Bonnke’s emphasis on reaching Africa and training evangelists.
Reinhard Bonnke’s Ministry Beyond the Crusades
Although the enormous crowds were the most visible part of Bonnke’s ministry, his work extended considerably further.
CfaN distributed evangelistic and discipleship materials in numerous languages. Bonnke also developed the Minus to Plus Gospel mailing campaign, through which a written Gospel message was distributed to homes in different countries.
He was involved in the development of the School of Fire and Fire Conferences, which were designed to equip Christians and church leaders for evangelism.
CfaN also produced the Full Flame Film Series, a collection of films intended to encourage Christians to participate in Spirit-empowered evangelism.
This educational and discipleship dimension is an important part of understanding Bonnke’s legacy. His ministry was not limited to standing on a platform before large crowds. He also invested heavily in literature, training and the development of other evangelists.
Reinhard Bonnke’s Wife and Family
Reinhard Bonnke was married to Anni Bonnke.
The couple met in Germany and married before beginning their missionary work in Africa. Anni became an important partner throughout Bonnke’s ministry and remained his wife until his death.
They had three children:
- Kai-Uwe
- Gabrielle
- Susanne
Bonnke was also survived by eight grandchildren. CfaN’s official announcement following his death identified Anni and the three children among his surviving family members.
The Bonnkes’ family life was closely connected to their missionary journey, particularly during their early years in Africa.
Reinhard Bonnke as an Author
Bonnke was also a prolific Christian author.
His best-known book is Living a Life of Fire, his autobiography, which traces his childhood in war-torn Germany, his missionary calling and the development of his international evangelistic ministry.
Other books and resources associated with Bonnke include:
- Evangelism by Fire
- Faith: The Link with God’s Power
- Holy Spirit: Are We Flammable or Fireproof?
- Daily Fire
- Taking Action
- From Minus to Plus
- Godly Gems
- The Romance of Redeeming Love
- Unlocking the Miraculous
CfaN continues to distribute many of his books and teaching resources.
Reinhard Bonnke’s Final Years and Death
After decades of international ministry, Bonnke gradually stepped away from active leadership.
His farewell campaign in Lagos in 2017 represented a major transition, although he continued to be involved in ministry and Christian teaching afterward.
In May 2019, he participated in Fire19, described by CfaN as his farewell conference in Germany.
Bonnke died on December 7, 2019, at the age of 79.
His death was announced by Daniel Kolenda and the CfaN family. The ministry described him as its founder and highlighted the influence of his decades of evangelistic work.
Reinhard Bonnke’s Legacy
Bonnke’s legacy is closely tied to the growth of large-scale evangelism in Africa and the internationalization of Pentecostal and charismatic Christian outreach.
His ministry demonstrated how mass evangelistic campaigns could be combined with local church partnerships, literature distribution and organized follow-up.
CfaN continues to operate after his death, and the organization reports more than 115 million recorded decisions for Christ across its broader history. That current figure covers CfaN’s continuing ministry and should not be interpreted as a number attributable solely to Bonnke’s personal preaching.
Perhaps one of the clearest measures of Bonnke’s influence is the number of evangelists and Christian leaders connected to the ministry he established. Daniel Kolenda’s succession in particular ensured that CfaN continued beyond its founder.
For many Christians in Africa, especially in Nigeria, Bonnke remains remembered not simply as a foreign preacher who visited the continent, but as an evangelist who made Africa the central focus of his life’s work.
Reinhard Bonnke Net Worth
Reinhard Bonnke’s exact personal net worth was never reliably established through publicly available financial records.
Various websites have published estimates, including figures around $4 million, but these estimates are not supported by sufficiently reliable documentation to treat them as a verified figure. Ministry finances and the personal finances of an evangelist are also not the same thing.
A commonly cited estimate is approximately $4 million, but this should be regarded as an unverified estimate rather than an established fact.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
1. Who was Reinhard Bonnke?
Reinhard Bonnke was a German evangelist and missionary best known for conducting large Gospel campaigns throughout Africa. He founded Christ for all Nations in 1974 and became particularly influential through his mass evangelistic campaigns in Nigeria and other African countries.
2. How old was Reinhard Bonnke when he died?
Reinhard Bonnke was 79 years old when he died on December 7, 2019. He was born on April 19, 1940.
3. When did Reinhard Bonnke start his ministry in Africa?
Bonnke and his wife, Anni, began missionary work in Lesotho in 1967, following his earlier childhood conviction that he was called to serve in Africa.
4. What ministry did Reinhard Bonnke found?
He founded Christ for all Nations (CfaN) in 1974. The ministry became internationally known for large Gospel campaigns, evangelistic training and Christian literature distribution.
5. Who was Reinhard Bonnke’s wife?
His wife was Anni Bonnke. They served together during their missionary years in Africa and remained married until his death.
6. How many children did Reinhard Bonnke have?
Reinhard and Anni Bonnke had three children: Kai-Uwe, Gabrielle and Susanne. He also had eight grandchildren.
7. What was Reinhard Bonnke’s most famous crusade?
Bonnke conducted numerous major campaigns, but his 2000 Lagos crusade in Nigeria is particularly notable because contemporary reporting placed attendance at about 1.6 million people at a single meeting.
8. Who succeeded Reinhard Bonnke?
Daniel Kolenda became his successor at Christ for all Nations. Bonnke publicly appointed Kolenda during his 2017 farewell crusade in Lagos.
9. What books did Reinhard Bonnke write?
Some of Bonnke’s best-known books include Living a Life of Fire, Evangelism by Fire, Faith: The Link with God’s Power, Holy Spirit: Are We Flammable or Fireproof?, Daily Fire and Taking Action.
10. What was Reinhard Bonnke’s net worth?
Reinhard Bonnke’s exact personal net worth is not publicly verified. A commonly cited estimate is about $4 million, although this figure should be treated as an estimate rather than confirmed financial information.
Conclusion
Reinhard Bonnke’s biography is ultimately a story about how a childhood missionary calling developed into one of the most recognizable mass evangelistic ministries associated with Africa in the modern era.
From war-torn Germany to Lesotho, and from an 800-person tent to campaigns attended by hundreds of thousands or even more than a million people, Bonnke’s ministry expanded far beyond the small church where his African mission began.
His most enduring contribution was not simply the size of his crowds. Through Christ for all Nations, he built an evangelistic structure involving local churches, follow-up literature, training and the development of younger Christian leaders. His decision to publicly pass the CfaN leadership baton to Daniel Kolenda in Lagos in 2017 also helped ensure that the organization would continue after his death.
Bonnke died in 2019, but his name remains strongly associated with the phrase that summarized much of his life’s work: Africa shall be saved.
Explore More on BelieversBio
- Daniel Kolenda Biography: Kolenda was Reinhard Bonnke’s chosen successor at Christ for all Nations and worked closely with him before taking over the ministry’s leadership.
- Luis Palau Biography: Palau provides an interesting comparison with Bonnke as another major international evangelist whose ministry combined large public evangelistic campaigns with media and local church partnerships.
- Billy Graham Biography: Graham’s international crusade model provides useful historical context for understanding the development of large-scale evangelistic campaigns and Bonnke’s approach to working with local churches.
- Billy Sunday Biography: Sunday represents an earlier generation of mass evangelism, making his story useful for tracing how revival campaigns developed before the era of Bonnke’s enormous African crusades.
References
- Christ for all Nations, Reinhard Bonnke official biography and ministry history.
- Christ for all Nations, official history and succession records.
- Christ for all Nations, official books and ministry resources.
- Assemblies of God USA, The Last Crusade.
- Society of Evangelical Dictionary, Reinhard Bonnke biography.
- CBN, Reinhard Bonnke: A Life on Fire.
- Reinhard Bonnke, Living a Life of Fire.
Bakare Sherifdeen is the Founder and Publisher of BelieversBio, a Christian reference platform dedicated to publishing well-researched biographies of pastors, evangelists, Christian authors, churches, ministries, and influential Christian leaders worldwide.
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