President Donald Trump has nominated Cissie Graham Lynch to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, a State Department position focused on promoting religious liberty abroad.
The White House announced that the nomination of Jane Lynch, better known as Cissie Graham Lynch, had been sent to the Senate for consideration. Lynch is the daughter of Samaritan’s Purse CEO Franklin Graham and granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham.
In a post on X, Lynch described the nomination as a “great honor and privilege.”
“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 — and one that far too many people around the world still live without — freedom of religion,” she wrote.
Lynch works with Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, hosts the “Fearless” podcast and has a book, Stand Steady: Fearless Faith in a Compromising Culture, due out next month. The Religious Freedom Institute says she has held multiple roles with Samaritan’s Purse since 2010, including senior adviser and ministry spokesperson.
The ambassador-at-large leads the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom and serves as a principal adviser on international religious liberty issues. The post was created under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
The Religious Freedom Institute welcomed Lynch’s nomination, pointing to the role the ambassador can play in U.S. foreign policy. “Our world is afflicted by an unprecedented scourge of religious persecution today,” RFI President David Trimble said.
“We at RFI understand the vital role the International Religious Freedom Ambassador can and should play in U.S. foreign policy, and we stand ready to support Jane Lynch as she prepares, with the Senate’s approval, to assume the responsibilities of America’s chief diplomat for religious freedom,” Trimble added. “The Senate should enter into the forthcoming confirmation process for Ms. Lynch’s nomination with due diligence and expediency.”
RFI identified China, Nigeria, Syria and Nicaragua among countries “plagued by religious repression, discrimination and violence” where it believes U.S. religious freedom advocacy should remain a priority.
