BOB ABERNETHY, (anchor): Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright may not be a household name, but for 50 years, he's been one of the most influential leaders of the American evangelical movement. He's an aggressive evangelist whose ministry has perhaps won more souls than even Billy Graham. Last year, Bright was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease. He's limiting his public appearances and interviews, but he spoke with our correspondent Kim Lawton about his life and his mission.

KIM LAWTON: Over the last 50 years, Bill Bright has mobilized an evangelical army -- crusaders charged with taking the gospel to every corner of the globe. He launched his campaign with college students. By many tallies, Campus Crusade for Christ has become the largest evangelical ministry in the world.
Now, as he nears 80, Bright faces what could be his biggest battle: the struggle against pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease, and breathes with the aid of an oxygen tube.

BILL BRIGHT: The wonderful thing about my case is, I can't lose. If I die, I go to be with the Lord, and that is wonderful, glorious.

LAWTON: Since the disease was diagnosed about a year ago, Bright has lost more than 60 percent of his lung capacity. He says the illness has brought him closer to God.

BRIGHT: It's really an exciting time in my life.

LAWTON: Does it get harder to keep up that attitude of praise when you have a harder day?

BRIGHT: No, no. Jesus is always with me.

LAWTON: Bill Bright is not as well-known as his longtime friend, Billy Graham, but according to many experts, he has been just as influential in shaping modern evangelicalism.

WILLIAM MARTIN (Rice University): I think Bill Bright's ministry has been second only to Billy Graham's in its national and international import, and many people might actually say that it outstrips it.

LAWTON: The stated goal of Campus Crusade for Christ is to share the gospel with every person on the planet. The ministry has more than 24,000 full-time staff members and half a million volunteers working in 191 different countries.
One of the ministry's best-known projects is the JESUS FILM, an hour-and-a-half-long movie about the life of Christ. The film has been translated into more than 600 languages, and is shown around the world. Campus Crusade says more than 4.3 billion people have seen the film since its release in 1979.
Bright's ministry began in southern California, where he set up a candy business in 1944. His striking resemblance to actor Clark Gable helped him break into the Hollywood social scene, but early on, he met some evangelical Christians who encouraged him to commit his life to Jesus.

BRIGHT (speaking in Rome): And one day, I was driven to my knees in the privacy of my home and in a most sacred moment, I surrendered myself to him.

LAWTON: Bright wanted to share his newfound faith with others, and in 1951, he says God gave him a vision to begin a worldwide evangelization effort on college campuses. Together with his wife, Vonette, he began Campus Crusade for Christ.

BRIGHT (historical speech): I've come tonight to ask you if you'd like to be a part, indeed, I've come to challenge you to be part of a world-changing movement.

WENDY ZOBA (CHRISTIANITY TODAY magazine): He brought his business savvy to that challenge, came up with what we now know as the "four spiritual laws," which is essentially a four-step formula for what it means to be a Christian, how to become a Christian.

LAWTON: Campus Crusade published the gospel formula in a small booklet and urged Christians to use it to describe their faith to others.

MARTIN: A key tenet of evangelicalism is that one ought to evangelize, and that's not easy for many people. People say, I'd like to share my faith, but I don't know how to go about it. Bill Bright's genius was in giving people a way to do that.