Evangelist Luis Palau has died

Three years after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis, evangelist Luis Palau died Thursday at his home in Portland, Ore., his family said. He was 86.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Palau professed faith in Christ at age 12. After moving to the United States and attending seminary, he interned with Billy Graham, served as a translator for him, and modeled his ministry after Graham’s ministry. For five decades, Palau conducted large evangelistic meetings in English and Spanish. “I have not preached the gospel if I have not included the cross—the death of Christ and the resurrection,” he said.

What was he best known for? Two decades ago, Palau began using less traditional methods to reach a younger audience. Some of his outdoor festivals featured corporate sponsorships, Christian hip-hop and country music, skateboarders, and motocross riders. “Jesus Christ really cares for every subgroup in the area, not just the churchy people,” Palau said. The festivals, which drew hundreds of thousands to each two-day event, also unified the local churches that put them together. Palau was famous for cross-cultural evangelism. In 2010, he and the Rev. James Meeks and the 52-voice Salem Baptist Church Choir from Chicago led 8,000 people in worship at a church in Beijing. Palau’s wife, Patricia, and four children survive him.

Dig deeper: Read Marvin Olasky’s remembrance of a weekend he spent with the evangelist in 1997.