Every Home for Christ leader Dick Eastman dead at 82

Christian ministry leader Dick Eastman died Tuesday at his home in Colorado Springs, Co., at age 82. His ministry over the years included serving as international president of Every Home for Christ, a nondenominational outreach network with ministry offices in more than 170 countries. He was known for a focus on intercessory prayer, or praying to God on behalf of others. His teaching resources on prayer have been used by more than 2 million people globally, according to Every Home for Christ. He is survived by his wife Dee, two daughters, and nine grandchildren, the organization told WORLD in an email.

Eastman grew up in a Christian home and committed to serving in ministry as a teenager, according to his website. After studying theology in college, he became involved in the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, focusing his ministry efforts on young people. In 1976, he founded the Change the World School of Prayer and began to develop teaching resources. He served as international president of Every Home for Christ from 1988 to 2022, when he transitioned to being a chief prayer officer and a board member of the organization.

Under Eastman’s leadership, Every Home for Christ launched more than 100 national ministries and reported over 250 million responses to the gospel, the organization said. He led the move of its headquarters from California to Colorado Springs, Co. Eastman also authored 17 books about prayer, Gospel outreach, and Christian living.

Kathy Branzell, president of the National Day of Prayer organization, paid tribute to Eastman, writing on social media that she learned from him for over 25 years. Eastman was a member of the organization’s prayer advisory group. He prayed for hours each day, she said.

James W. Goll, one of the leaders of the Harvest International Ministry network, on Friday said that he took Eastman’s prayer courses several times and that they shaped his ministry. 

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report on the death of former Southern Baptist Convention president Steve Gaines.