About - Dick Eastman

“Prayer changes things.
Prayer changes people.
Prayer changes me.”
— Dick Eastman

D ick Eastman was a well-known evangelist and prayer leader who served as the international president of Every Home for Christ for 34 years. Known for his dedication to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraging others to develop a deeper relationship with God through prayer, throughout his life Eastman authored numerous books and articles on prayer, spoke at countless international and domestic events, and founded several organizations devoted to promoting prayer and evangelism.

Eastman grew up in a Christian family. After some tumultuous times as a youth, Eastman found that at church he began to develop a love for God and a desire to serve Him. As a teenager, he attended a youth conference where he felt a call to ministry and made a commitment to follow God’s will for his life.

After completing high school, Eastman received his formal education at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he studied Bible and theology. During this time, he also attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dick held a Bachelor of Arts degree (Bible and Theology), a Master of Science degree (Journalism), a PhD in Social Psychology (from Pacific Lutheran University), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the College of Prayer in Phoenix, Arizona.

During his education, Dick became involved in campus ministry and began to develop his skills as a speaker and evangelist.

Eastman’s ministry career began in the 1970s when he became involved in the Jesus Movement, a revival of Christian faith and evangelism that swept across the United States during that decade. As a part of this movement, Eastman traveled the country speaking at churches, conferences, and other events, sharing the gospel and encouraging believers to deepen their commitment to Christ. He also founded the Prayer Corps (patterned after the Peace Corps), where young people could spend a year living together before going to college, spending their days and nights in prayer for the souls of a generation.

In 1976, Eastman founded the Change the World School of Prayer, a teaching series devoted to training believers in the art of prayer and intercession. This school quickly gained popularity, training more than 2,000,000 Christians in 120 nations on the power and intimacy of prayer.

In the 1980s, Eastman continued to focus on prayer and evangelism, traveling to many countries around the world to share the gospel and lead prayer conferences. In 1988, he became the international president of Every Home for Christ, an organization that seeks to share Christ with everyone, everywhere, in every home in every generation. Founded in 1946, Every Home has planted over 3.5 billion gospel messages home to home in 215 nations, resulting in over 150 million followed-up decisions and responses. A staff of 8,000 supported workers and 60,000 monthly volunteers carried out the work of reaching an estimated 250,000 homes a day with the Gospel. Eastman served as the international president from 1988 to 2022, leading the ministry to become a major force in global evangelism and giving birth to The Jericho Center for Global Evangelism in Colorado Springs.

In addition to his work with Every Home for Christ, Eastman wrote 17 books on prayer and evangelism with 3 million copies in print, including No Easy Road, Look What God is Doing!, The Purple Pig and Other Miracles, and the bestseller The Hour That Changes the World. He was also a frequent speaker at conferences and events around the world.

Eastman’s passion for prayer and evangelism was rooted in his belief that the power of prayer can transform lives and bring people closer to God. He often spoke about the importance of prayer in his ministry and led numerous prayer initiatives around the world, including the Global Day of Prayer and the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. He also served as a founder and president of America’s National Prayer Committee, a diverse group of evangelical leaders instrumental in planning America’s annual National Day of Prayer. He also was president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

Throughout his career, Eastman traveled the world more than 120 times, sharing the message of the gospel with people from all walks of life. His passion for prayer and evangelism inspired countless individuals to deepen their relationship with God and to share the love of Jesus with others.

Such respected evangelical leaders as Loren Cunningham, Rick Warren, Dr. Paul Cedar, Dr. Jack Hayford, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, Dr. Charles Stanley, and Dr. Charles Swindoll featured Dick Eastman’s prayer and evangelism ministry in their churches and ministries. Joni Eareckson Tada said, “God has used Dick Eastman to ignite the power of prayer in my life. I consider him my prayer mentor.”

At the time of his passing, Eastman served as the chief prayer officer of Every Home for Christ International and remained committed to spreading the message of the gospel to every home in the world. He was an inspiration to many, and his legacy of prayer and evangelism will continue to impact lives for generations to come.