{"id":32966,"date":"2026-09-18T10:44:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32966"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:44:24","slug":"trump-nominates-billy-grahams-granddaughter-for-religious-freedom-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/trump-nominates-billy-grahams-granddaughter-for-religious-freedom-ambassador","title":{"rendered":"Trump Nominates Billy Graham’s Granddaughter For Religious Freedom Ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
@cissiegrahamlynch \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

President Donald Trump has nominated Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.<\/p>\n

The White House formally sent the nomination<\/a> of Lynch, whose legal name is Jane Lynch, to the U.S. Senate on Monday. If confirmed, she would become the nation’s top diplomat focused specifically on protecting and advancing religious freedom around the world.<\/p>\n

Lynch is the daughter of Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She has worked with Samaritan’s Purse since 2010 and currently serves as a senior adviser and ministry spokesperson, according to the Religious Freedom Institute.<\/p>\n

Following the nomination, Lynch called the opportunity a “great honor and privilege” and asked Christians to pray for her as the confirmation process moves forward.<\/p>\n

“If confirmed by the Senate, please pray that I would serve with excellence and make the most of every opportunity to protect our most precious and fundamental right \u2014 and one that far too many people around the world still live without \u2014 freedom of religion,” Lynch wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Franklin Graham also celebrated his daughter’s nomination, saying she has traveled extensively and studied religious freedom issues for years.<\/p>\n

“Cissie is uniquely qualified for this \u2014 she has traveled the world and been a student of this issue for many years,” Graham wrote. He added that, if confirmed, she would bring “a passion for defending religious freedom to this office.”<\/p>\n

The ambassador-at-large leads the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom and advises the president and secretary of state on religious freedom abroad. The office monitors religious persecution and discrimination worldwide and works to advance freedom of religion through U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. The position was established under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.<\/p>\n

The Religious Freedom Institute welcomed Lynch’s nomination<\/a>, citing ongoing religious persecution worldwide and calling the ambassador’s role an important part of U.S. foreign policy. RFI President David Trimble said the organization stands ready to support Lynch as she prepares for the Senate confirmation process.<\/p>\n

Beyond her work with Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Lynch hosts the “Fearless” podcast and is the author of the upcoming book Stand Steady: Fearless Faith in a Compromising Culture<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lynch must receive Senate confirmation before taking office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump has nominated Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The White House formally sent the nomination of Lynch, whose legal name is Jane Lynch, to the U.S. Senate on Monday. If confirmed, she would become the nation’s top diplomat focused…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32969,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump Nominates Billy Graham's Granddaughter For Religious Freedom Ambassador<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Trump nominates Billy Graham\u2019s granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch to serve as U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/trump-nominates-billy-grahams-granddaughter-for-religious-freedom-ambassador\" 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