Billy Graham tops pastors’ list. Evangelist Billy Graham was named by American pastors as the United States’ most influential living preacher, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research. The study, conducted last November, interviewed more than 1,000 Protestant pastors by telephone. The participants were asked to “name the top three living Christian preachers that most influence you.” Graham was cited as most influential by 21 percent, followed by pastor and author Charles Swindoll, at 8 percent. Charles Stanley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga., and Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., followed closely behind Swindoll with 7 percent of the vote each. The top 10 list also included John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, and Browns Bridge Community Church, all in the Atlanta area.
Compiled from Religion News Service reports.