Rooted in the timeless message of the Gospel and the legacy of Luis Palau, the Luis Palau Association is on a mission to proclaim the Gospel, unite the Church, and impact cities across the globe.
The Portland, Oregon-based ministry was founded upon the vision of late global evangelist Luis Palau. Palau was born on November 27, 1934, in Ingeniero Maschwitz, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and dedicated his life to Christ at the age of 12.
Image courtesy of Luis Palau Association
Mentored by world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, Palau first encountered Graham’s preaching through a radio broadcast in 1950. He would later work alongside Graham as a Spanish translator and an evangelist. His partnership with Graham was instrumental in Palau’s life, inspiring him to establish his own ministry in 1978, modeled after Graham’s legacy.
Often referred to as “the Billy Graham of Latin America,” Palau shared the gospel with more than one billion people throughout the world.
Image courtesy of Luis Palau Association
“Dad [Luis Palau] was blessed to be guided and mentored by some great men of God––Billy Graham was one of those men,” said Andrew Palau, evangelist with Luis Palau Association. “He took Dad under his wing and gave him opportunities to preach. He opened doors for Dad. Spoke well of him. Gave him pointers and insight. Those opportunities helped grow and shape Dad into a great communicator. And he never forgot that. I think that’s why, through most of his own life, when he was able, Dad poured into other younger evangelists. He did all he could for them – in the same way Mr. Graham did for him.”
Andrew, Luis, and Kevin Palau
The Luis Palau Association, through their evangelistic festival campaigns and City Gospel Movements, work alongside churches and local communities to forge relationships and enhance collaboration in reaching multitudes for Christ in every facet of society. According to Luis Palau Association senior advisor and executive director of the Paul Foundation for World Evangelism David Jones, the approach is rooted in the belief that church unity and community engagement are fundamental in fulfilling the Great Commission.
“Our philosophy has always been [that] we work with the church through the church and for the church; when we go to a city [for evangelistic festivals], we go in as the invited guest and partners with local churches,” said Jones.
“We want to make sure everyone who makes a salvation decision at one of our events not only talks to a counselor at the event, but that they quickly get transitioned into a local church if they don’t have one,” said Jones. “We really work hard on uniting churches in cities, believing that when churches work together, serve together, they’re just more powerful.”
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- Buenos Aires, Arizona
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- Kenya, Africa
The Palau Association is dedicating the next several years to building networks of evangelists in 150 countries. Through mentoring, equipping, collaborative outreach events, and training conferences, these networks aim to empower evangelists to reach more people for Christ. The motto of this Global Network of Evangelists is “One Message, Many Expressions,” emphasizing the diverse means and methods used to proclaim the Good News.
This includes using the power of media through initiatives like “Hope With God,” a digital campaign to extend the gospel to individuals in even the hardest-to-reach places, offering them the opportunity to indicate decisions for Jesus and connect with other believers online.
For more than six decades, the Luis Palau association has been carrying on a mission that began with Luis Palau’s radio broadcasts at the age of 17. The ministry today reaches millions through radio and television, best-selling books, digital resources, and online training courses for pastors and evangelists in Latin America, touching hearts and transforming lives in nearly 50 countries.
“I truly feel our best days are ahead of us. Dad helped lay such a strong foundation. And the relationships we have built around the world are so fruitful and encouraging,” said Kevin Palau, President of Luis Palau Association. “What Dad helped to start – radio, television, festivals, print media, a network of partner evangelists – it all continues today, and in greater measure. But even more, we have been able to expand into other areas – helping to foster city Gospel movements and expanding our reach through digital evangelism. These are exciting days.”
The Luis Palau Association has been an NRB member since 1993 and received the 2022 Milestone Award. Palau received the NRB Hall of Fame Award in 2018 and the William Ward Ayer Award for Distinguished Service in 1987 and again in 2008. To learn more, visit www.palua.org.
