His radio program, books and Internet resources continue to influence thousands. Long-time pastor of First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, Calif., Swindoll became President of Dallas Theological Seminary and now serves as Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The dominant role of media in the contemporary church is reflected in the influence of Chuck Swindoll, whose “Insight for Living” radio program and countless books have helped a generation of preachers in its understanding of what biblical exposition should look like. His founding of Christianity Today and his various conferences bringing together evangelicals from around the world make him tops on most of our lists.” John Huffman describes Graham’s “integrity of life and passion of expression that not only led millions to faith in Jesus Christ but challenged so many of us to be faithful in our ministries. When considering preachers who have influenced the rest of us, Billy Graham simply stands in a category unto himself. In a recent LifeWay survey of the most influential living preachers, Graham topped the list. He just as easily could be the top of a list of the most influential preachers of the past half century when Preaching cited the most influential preachers of the 20th century (in our first issue of the 21st), Billy Graham came in at number two. Here, then, are the 25 most influential pastors of the past 25 years: Many gifted and influential preachers have served faithfully around the world and in terms of Kingdom impact may have touched far more than many of those listed below. (Actually, some of them were in grade school.) As we were gathering data and compiling the nominations in this process, we tried to ensure balance so neither end of the era is neglected.īecause the primary focus and audience of Preaching magazine has been the American pulpit, that is the context in which these preachers are recognized. There were some who were major influencers of preaching in 1985 who would be little known to today’s new generation of pastors likewise, there are some major influencers today who weren’t on the scene 25 years ago. Identifying the 25 most influential pastors of the past 25 years is a challenging assignment. (though his pastor dad would have been a good candidate for the original list-and is now among our senior consulting editors). A quarter-century has brought great changes to the preaching landscape, and today’s list of contributing editors includes names that would have been unknown to most pastors 25 years ago: Rick Warren, Bryan Chapell, James MacDonald, Robert Smith, Dave Stone, James Emery White and Ed Young Jr. Thankfully, many of those preachers are still on the scene, though others have gone to be with the Lord. ( See the full list of original contributing editors.) Alfred Smith, John Wesley White and William Willimon, along with several more. King, James Earl Massey, Calvin Miller, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Stephen F. That original group included Stuart Briscoe, Maxie Dunnam, Jim Henry, David Allen Hubbard, John Huffman, D.E. When Preaching magazine was launched in 1985, a look at our list of contributing editors gave you a sense of who would be listed among the most influential pastors in America.
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