Reinhard Bonnke is dead

Celebrated German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke is dead.

Bonnke died at the age of 79, his wife, Anni Bonnke, announced on his official Facebook page on Saturday, December 7.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is with sorrow that the Bonnke family would like to announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.

“He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on December 7, 2019. For the past 60 years, he has preached the glorious Gospel of Jesus throughout the entire world.

“We want to thank you on behalf of him and our family, for your kind love and unwavering support, which enabled him to preach the matchless message of salvation to countless people. He preached Jesus,” said Anni Bonnke in the statement.

During his more than 60 years of preaching, Bonnke was best known for his work with the Great Gospel Crusades throughout Africa.

Bonnke said that he became born-again at the age of nine. His father had also been a preacher.

Bonnke, a native of Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany, attended Bible College in the Welsh city of Swansea. In one biography, Bonnke said that he made his first missionary trip to Africa before he was 13 years of age.

Bonnke is widely regarded as a trailblazer in open-air preaching and televangelism in Kenya, having attracted some of the largest congregations to his meetings across the country during his first mission to Kenya in 1988.

Bonnke visited Kenya on several other occasions, including 2011 and 2013.