BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Daniel was being shoved out of the nest—released to start his own ministry and do what God had called him to do. Daniel started a ministry called Cover the Earth. He received one invitation to preach. Then another. Before long, he was doing what some had told him couldn’t be done. Daniel was holding evangelistic crusades in India and Pakistan. Daniel had no idea he was being watched from a distance by Reinhard, who was receiving reports about his crusades and watching him online and on videos. A 10-Minute Sermon In 2006, Reinhard was set to hold a huge crusade in Lagos, Nigeria, that was predicted to be his largest crusade ever. He invited Daniel to come. “Daniel, I want you to come to Lagos,” he told him. “One of the nights before I preach, I want you to preach for 10 minutes. There are two requirements. You can’t go over 10 minutes, and you can’t give an altar call. That’s my job.” Daniel had seen Reinhard do this for years. He would spot up-and-coming young evangelists and give them a boost by letting them preach for 10 minutes at his crusades. Daniel had watched as countless young evangelists used their 10 minutes to try and outshine Reinhard. That always made Daniel uncomfortable. He wanted to use his 10 minutes as though he was John the Baptist and prepare the people for the man of God. Stepping up to preach, Daniel looked out over a sea of faces. The massive crowd spread in every direction. Behind him, some of the most famous preachers in the world watched. Focusing his laser-like attention on the crowd, Daniel prepared the way for Reinhard. Afterward, Peter Vandenberg, who’d been with Reinhard for 40 years said, “Daniel, that was the best we’ve ever heard from any evangelist.” “After that,” Daniel recalls, “Reinhard wanted me to travel with him to all of his crusades and preach for 10 minutes each night. I had my own evangelistic crusades, and I still pastored my church. But I also traveled with Reinhard to his crusades and preached for 10 minutes.” The Future in Ministry After about six months, Reinhard asked to meet with Daniel. “Daniel, I’ve been praying about the future of my ministry,” Reinhard said. “Other people have told me that when a man dies, his ministry also dies. I don’t think I should spend my whole life building a ministry, then when it’s at its pinnacle, die and have the whole thing fall apart. Someone else would have to start at ground zero and build it up for another 40 years. “I think this ministry can go to the next generation. The Lord spoke to me, 'The anointed must be appointed.' I think you’re the man that can carry this forward. Would you be interested in coming alongside me to test this out?” Daniel listened to every word, but it didn’t compute. While Reinhard talked, Daniel thought: This is not going to happen. I don’t think I’ll become Reinhard’s successor. Even though the words are coming out of his mouth, we’ll get a few months down the road, and he’ll admit he made a mistake. Daniel agreed to try, but the rest of the team remained skeptical. They doubted he could preach even one of Reinhard’s crusades. After all, Daniel was just a kid in his mid-20s. The idea of him succeeding Reinhard was unthinkable. BVOV : 25

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