{"id":13330,"date":"2026-05-27T21:41:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/billy-grahams-grandson-joins-board-as-leighton-ford-ministries-builds-for-the-future\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T21:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:11:19","slug":"billy-grahams-grandson-joins-board-as-leighton-ford-ministries-builds-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/billy-grahams-grandson-joins-board-as-leighton-ford-ministries-builds-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Graham\u2019s grandson joins board as Leighton Ford Ministries builds for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_WKBBEiR7DqK?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=3.1.5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leighton Ford also names new president as more ministry leaders and ministries seek to discern their \u2018truest calling\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2014<\/strong> As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfmconnect.com\/\">Leighton Ford Ministries<\/a> (LFM) continues to respond to opportunities to walk alongside more leaders and ministries through pivotal seasons of transition and growth, the ministry is announcing new leadership to build for the future. Stephan Tchividjian, the Co-Founder and CEO of the National Christian Foundation of South Florida and the eldest grandchild of evangelist Billy Graham, has joined the LFM board. Rich Hurst, a sought-after church leadership consultant who has served as LFM\u2019s Chief of Staff, has been named President of LFM, effective July 1. And Dave McKechnie, who previously served as LFM\u2019s President, was just elected as Board Chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have incredible respect for the legacy of LFM, particularly as it\u2019s always thinking about the future,\u201d said Tchividjian. \u201cIt\u2019s thinking about the next generation. How do we mentor tomorrow\u2019s pastors, tomorrow\u2019s ministry leaders? It\u2019s not a stagnant ministry. And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve always loved about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McKechnie, who served as Senior Pastor for years in one of the nation\u2019s largest Presbyterian congregations, says, \u201cThe future is bright for LFM. We are positioned to make tremendous positive impact for leaders and ministries in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century both in North America and globally. LFM is in good hands for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For forty years, LFM has been providing an arm around the shoulder for ministry leaders. Walking alongside leaders and ministries through pivotal seasons of transition and growth, they\u2019ve witnessed God move as leaders traded burnout for joy and disorientation for clarity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Inspired LFM<\/strong><br \/>Leighton Ford served for 31 years as an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and later served as Chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and eventually Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the Lausanne Movement. Forty years ago, he sensed God preparing him for a different season, one of investing in the lives of ministry leaders around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Leighton Ford remembers, \u201cOn a cold January night in 1949 the not yet famous Billy Graham came to speak at a youth rally I was leading in my home town in Canada. We expected great results. They were meager. Seeing how disappointed I was, Billy put an arm around my shoulder, prayed for me and said, \u2018If you stay humble, I believe God will use you.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never forgotten that arm around my shoulder. For the last 40 years Leighton Ford Ministries has sought to mentor and encourage men and women leaders around the world \u2013 missionaries, evangelist, pastors, organizational leaders \u2013 in their callings. Now, led by my son Kevin and his gifted team, LFM continues to serve leaders around the world who have a heart\u2019s desire to Live Called.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what Leighton Ford Ministries has always been about, the younger Ford clarifies. \u201cIt\u2019s never been specifically about Leighton\u2019s arm, or Billy\u2019s arm, or any one leader. It\u2019s always been about a movement \u2013 God working through the ministry to equip and strengthen others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking to the Future<\/strong><br \/>Since coming alongside his dad in 2019 as Chief Catalyst and now serving as CEO of LFM, Kevin has led the formation of a team that has significantly grown the ministry to help build healthy leaders and thriving ministries across the globe, including Rich Hurst, who now moves into the role of President. \u201cRich brings decades of experience as a pastor, church leadership consultant, and an author and editor for a variety of publishers. His heart for ministry leaders and key insights into shepherding the church prove invaluable to our work,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n<p>LFM continues helping leaders and ministries to LiveCalled, describing the journey of finding one\u2019s truest calling. This initiative is a response to a 2025 Barna report that pastoral flourishing remains uneven and fragile, revealing hidden vulnerabilities, especially in relational health and support systems. <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/05\/27\/2026\/03\/23\/leighton-ford-ministries-launches-livecalled-to-help-leaders-discern-true-calling\/\">LFM\u2019s LiveCalled<\/a>\u00a0provides a framework for spiritual mentoring, coaching, and discernment aimed at helping pastors, evangelists, Christian leaders, and ministries move from pressure and fatigue toward renewed calling and joy. As LFM invites leaders and their ministries into sacred spaces to hear God\u2019s voice, rediscover direction, and move forward, it continues strengthening its own internal systems for sustained impact.<\/p>\n<p>New board member Tchividjian reflects on the ministry\u2019s history and future: \u201cI\u2019ve had the opportunity to observe from afar, Leighton Ford Ministries, always having great respect for my uncle Leighton and my aunt Jean and for the legacy of the ministry. As the years have gone by, I\u2019ve drawn closer to the ministry, particularly with my cousin Kevin Ford. And we\u2019ve actually collaborated on some projects together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo often when we build these ministries, these nonprofits, it\u2019s around a person. And then the question is, \u2018Well, what happens when that person is gone?\u2019 Same thing happened with my grandfather. What happens when Billy Graham passes? Well, the ministry continues to grow on strong. Leighton Ford Ministries continues to be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Leighton Ford Ministries<\/strong><br \/>Leighton Ford Ministries helps leaders and ministries reconnect with their truest calling through spiritual mentoring, coaching and consulting. Founded in 1986 by evangelist Leighton Ford, the ministry has spent more than four decades walking alongside leaders and churches in pivotal seasons of ministry, inviting them into sacred space to hear God\u2019s voice, clarify direction and move forward with courage, joy and lasting Kingdom impact. Through the LiveCalled journey, LFM continues to guide leaders and ministries toward clarity and faithful leadership. See more at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lfmconnect.org\">lfmconnect.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">###<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact:<\/strong><br \/>Melany Ethridge<br \/>A. Larry Ross &amp; Associates<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/religionnews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#acc1c9c0cdc2d5eccdc0cddeded5dec3dfdf82cfc3c1\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"24494148454a5d6445484556565d564b57570a474b49\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/05\/27\/billy-grahams-grandson-joins-board-as-leighton-ford-ministries-builds-for-the-future\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leighton Ford also names new president as more ministry leaders and ministries seek to discern their \u2018truest calling\u2019 CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2014 As Leighton Ford Ministries (LFM) continues to respond to opportunities to walk alongside more leaders and ministries through pivotal seasons of transition and growth, the ministry is announcing new leadership to build for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}