Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ

Bill Bright went to be with Jesus in 2003; he was the founder and leader of Campus Crusade for Christ. That year, the organisation had 26,000 full-time staff and more than 225,000 trained volunteer staff in 191 countries - in areas representing 99.6% of the world’s population.

The Jesus Film

The ‘Jesus’ film, made in 1979, was conceived by Bright and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ. It is the most widely translated and viewed film in the world. During the period 1980-2003, the film has been translated into 812 languages and viewed or listened to by 5.5 billion people in 236 countries, virtually every country of the world. “Gone with the Wind” (1939 American Civil War epic) is the second most translated film with only 35 translations!

The Jesus film annual budget is $38 million (2004), which is made up from sponsorship and charitable donations. Campus Crusade for Christ intends to translate the film into every known language of the world. In 2004 there were about one billion people who could not read and another one billion who are semi-illiterate - those who attended school but still can’t read. However, those who cannot read can still watch television, which has the ability to seduce, by the power of moving images and music; it helps make a story become reality, a tangible experience.

More than two billion people have actually seen the Jesus film, whether on video, TV, a laptop or viewed via a projector. Using a generator, the power of ‘television’ can be seen in the remotest village in any area of the world.

The Challenge

Bill Bright said on one occasion “My brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been bought with a price: the blood of the holy Creator, God of the universe. We are called by God to maintain our first love, to obey His commands to love others, and to tell others how much He loves and cares for them. The God-man, Jesus of Nazareth, has commissioned us to help take His gospel to the end of the earth. Let us fulfil the Great Commission…”

Bill Bright lived for Jesus, he wanted to see the fulfilment of the Great Commission – he never strayed from that heavenly vision. He said that when he got up each morning, he evaluated all the potential activities of that day based on the question: “Will it help fulfil the Great Commission?” He was a workaholic for Jesus until the end. He was never concerned about dying and always said it was a “win-win” situation for him. He said, “If I stay, I will continue to be able to serve my Lord, and if I leave, I will be with Him.” For most of his life, he signed every piece of correspondence with these words: “Yours for fulfilling the Great Commission in this generation.”

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