NASHVILLE — Billy Graham was named by U.S. pastors as the country’s 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 of clergy, followed by pastor and author Charles Swindoll, at 8 percent. Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, and Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., followed closely behind Swindoll with 7 percent of the vote each.
Graham, 91, has preached to more than 200 million people in 185 countries, written 27 books, advised several U.S. presidents and influenced religious and secular audiences alike.
Rounding out the top 10 were: John MacArthur, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif.; Barbara Brown Taylor, religion professor at Piedmont College in northeast Georgia; David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, San Diego County, Calif.; Max Lucado, minister of writing and preaching at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio; John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis; and Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church and Browns Bridge Community Church, all in the Atlanta area.
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