Biography
Luis Palau was born on November 27, 1934, in Ingeniero Maschwitz, near Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father, Luis Palau Sr., was a businessman, and the family was relatively well off. They were members of the Plymouth Brethren, and the home was marked by a strong faith. When Luis was ten, his father died suddenly, and the family lost its wealth. They were left in difficult circumstances. His mother, Matilde, raised the family in poverty. As a boy, he had a great love of soccer and a talent for the sport. He dreamed of becoming a professional player. He was a student at an English-language school, where he learned English.
At the age of twelve, he attended a camp where he committed his life to Christ. He began to preach in the streets and in the parks as a teenager. In his youth, he worked in a bank and studied the Bible at night. He heard Billy Graham on the radio, and he was struck by his message. He met Ray Stedman, an American pastor, who invited him to the United States. In 1960, he went to Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon, where he studied for a year. He met Pat Scoffield, whom he married in 1961. They had four sons.
He worked as an interpreter and assistant for Billy Graham. He translated the evangelist's messages into Spanish during the crusades in Latin America. He was impressed by Graham's integrity and his plain preaching. He was also influenced by the evangelist's use of mass media. In 1967, he started the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, with the aim of preaching the gospel to the world. He began by working in Latin America, holding crusades in the cities of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and elsewhere. He also preached on radio and television. His messages were heard by millions across the Spanish-speaking world.
He went on to hold evangelistic festivals in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. He is estimated to have spoken to over twenty-five million people in person in more than seventy countries, and to hundreds of millions through broadcasting. He developed a style of festival, called CityFest, which combined music, sports and the preaching of the gospel in a public park. It was an attempt to reach those who would not attend a church. He worked closely with local churches and aimed to leave a lasting mark on the cities.
He wrote more than fifty books on the Christian life and evangelism, among them Calling America and the Nations to Christ, and Walking With God. He was a popular and warm preacher, with a simple style and a good sense of humor. He was widely regarded as the successor to Billy Graham in the world of evangelism. He was a friend of political leaders and spoke to presidents and national assemblies. He also took part in the Lausanne movement and was a leader at its congresses.
His life was not without trial. He had to deal with the strain of constant travel, and he suffered the pain of separation from his family. He was open about the difficulties of raising sons when his work took him away. He also faced the criticism of some who thought that his approach to cooperation with the churches of different traditions went too far. In 2018, he announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He carried on his work with courage and humor, and he said that he was ready to go to be with the Lord.
He died on March 11, 2021, in Portland, Oregon, at the age of eighty-six. His sons carried on the work of the ministry. His life shows the effect of a boy from Argentina who lost his father, and who was raised up as a voice for the gospel to the nations.