This week, the latest issue of Gospel Today hit newsstands and mailboxes. While the cover story featured the P.E.A.C.E. Plan of mega-church pastor, Rick Warren, who happens to be at the center of a controversy regarding his participation in the upcoming presidential inauguration, one of the other lead stories of the current issue is a survey on who readers of Gospel Today considers the 20 most influential leaders in the church today.
The article begins with "Before there can be a revolution, someone has to influence or change the status quo. Such persons often fly under the radar but suddenly appear from behind the shadows of obscurity; they become celebrated for what others were criticized for..."
The article lists the top twenty selected by Gospel Today readers and offers a brief profile on those who were selected. Leading the list is the charismatic pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Joel Osteen. He is followed by Bishop T. D. Jakes of Dallas, Bishop Eddie Long and Bishop Paul S. Morton, both of Atlanta, GA.
Other top influential leaders included:
Pastor Shirley Caesar
Bishop Noel Jones
Kirk Franklin
Bishop Walter Thomas
Apostle Fred Price
Dr. Myles Monroe
Pastor Crefalo Dollar
Paul and Jan Crouch
Dr. Bobby Jones
Kenneth Copeland
Dr. A. R. Bernard
Tony Evans
Pastor Rick Warren
Bishop Charles Blake
Pastor Floyd Flake
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
(Source: www.GospelTodayonline.com)