On November 12, 2017, German evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, concluded his final-ever African Gospel Crusade in Isheri, Ogun State after over 50 years of mass gospel crusades in Africa.
The five-day Farewell Gospel Crusade, which began on Wednesday, November 8, ended on Sunday, November 12, beside Sparklight Estate, opposite the OPIC Events Centre, Isheri, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Reports disclosed that millions of worshippers from across Nigeria and West Africa – from Ghana, Cameroon, Togo, Benin Republic and Mali thronged the crusade ground daily to hear the 77-year-old evangelist preach for the last time on African soil.
The high point of the final night was the historic “Passing the Burning Torch” ceremony, where Bonnke formally handed over the mantle of mass evangelism to his successor, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, Lead Evangelist of Christ for All Nations (CfaN).
Addressing the crowd, Bonnke said God had instructed him to return to Africa for “one more crusade” before stepping aside.
“The Lord spoke to me, that I should go back for one more crusade in Africa,” he said.
CfaN African Director, Mr. John Darku, said the crusade was designed to be like none before it, with day sessions focused on training a new generation of evangelists, church workers and leaders.
Chairman of the Central Working Committee for the Farewell Crusade, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, said participants were drawn from across the West African sub-region, with over 10 million people expected to attend over the five days.
Bonnke, founder of Christ for All Nations, began evangelising the continent in 1967, with a vision to preach the gospel “from Cape Town to Cairo.”
Over three decades, CfaN said more than 75 million people had made salvation decisions through his crusades.
With the Isheri crusade, Bonnke officially ended his large-scale crusade ministry in Africa, though CfaN said it would continue the work of global evangelism under Kolenda.
Bonnke later died on December 7, 2019, in the United States, at the age of 79.
