Pastors Reveal Major Influencers on Churches

Billy Graham may not be as active or as publicly visible as he once was, but he remains the most trusted spokesman for the Christian faith in the U.S. His ministry peers also regard him as the person who has the greatest influence on American churches and church leaders. That is the assessment of a national sample of pastors of Protestant churches in a survey conducted by The Barna Group (Ventura, California). The survey also discovered that the ranking of the most influential and the most trusted spokespersons varied among different groups of pastors – with the exception of Mr. Graham topping both lists among every segment of the clergy.

Greatest Influence On Churches

The 614 Senior Pastors interviewed were asked to identify up to three individuals whom they believe have the greatest influence on churches and church leaders in the U.S. Pastors named more than 300 different individuals, but only 10 of those leaders were listed by 4% or more of the clergy. Billy Graham was chosen by 34% of the pastors, with Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the multimillion-selling book, The Purpose-Driven Life) second with 26%. The only other individuals listed by at least 10% were President George Bush (14%) and radio broadcaster and family advocate James Dobson (11%).

Other influencers who were among the ten most frequently listed were Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (9%); Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House (7%); author and motivational speaker John Maxwell (6%); researcher and author George Barna (5%); Pope John Paul II (5%); and author and speaker Max Lucado (4%).

Most Trusted Spokesperson

Billy Graham also led the pack as the most trusted spokesperson for Christianity, garnering the support of six out of ten pastors (58%). James Dobson was a distant second, with 20% naming him, followed by the 14% who identified Rick Warren. T.D. Jakes placed fourth (7%), followed by veteran pastors Charles Swindoll and Jerry Falwell, each at 6%; and by Bill Hybels and author and prison ministry pioneer Charles Colson (5%). Pastor D. James Kennedy, President Bush, broadcaster Pat Robertson, and author Max Lucado rounded out the top ten individuals, each mentioned by 4% of the clergy.

Evangelicals Head the List

Although evangelical Christians are only 7% of the nation’s adult population, evangelical leaders were three out of every five names (59%) listed by pastors as the greatest influence on churches. In contrast, only 6% of the top influencers were associated with mainline Protestant denominations and 5% were Catholic.

The analysis also found that an equal percentage of the influencers listed were from parachurch ministries (40%) and local churches (39%). One out of nine (11%) were political figures, 6% were educators and 4% were predominantly media ministers.

Among the most trusted spokespersons mentioned, evangelicals were again the dominant segment, representing three out of every five leaders mentioned (59%). Mainline Protestants were offered by 6% of the pastors interviewed and Catholics were named by 2%.

Occupationally, parachurch leaders were by far the most likely to be cited as trusted ambassadors of Christianity. Half of those listed (50%) serve through a parachurch ministry, compared to one-third (36%) who serve in a church, 6% who are educators, 5% in the media and 3% in the political realm.

Different Segments Prefer Different Leaders

Denominational background affected pastor’s choice of leaders who influence churches. For instance, pastors from mainline churches added Professor Martin Marty and newly-elected Methodist Bishop William Willimon to their list. Baptist pastors included two of their own – Jerry Falwell and Adrian Rogers – along with John MacArthur. In addition to Bishop Jakes, Pentecostal pastors included five other Pentecostals among the top-ten influencers. They included Bishop G.E. Patterson, evangelist-healer Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Bible teacher Joyce Meyer, and broadcaster Paul Crouch in their top ten.

Ethnicity was also a factor in people’s perspectives. Non-whites not only elevated Bishop Jakes from sixth place to third in the ranking, but also included five leaders who were not deemed to be as influential by white pastors. Those five were Bishop Patterson, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Bishop Eddie Long, and Paul Crouch.

Pastors who describe themselves as theologically liberal also provided a different understanding of who influences churches. Within their top-ten, they included three unique names: evangelist Franklin Graham, and pastors William Shaw and Rod Parsley.

Similarly, there were variances across categories in regard to the most trusted spokespersons. Pastors aligned with a mainline church identified Robert Schuller, Martin Marty, and Wil Willimon in their “top ten” list. Pastors associated with a Pentecostal congregation mentioned Patterson, Robertson, Kennedy, and John Hagee among their top-ten. Liberals added activist Jim Wallis, Bishop Patterson, and televangelist Kenneth Copeland to the mix.

The Findings Signal A New Era

Change comes slowly when related to the development of influence. However, the ranking of the most influential leaders affecting church life in America struck researcher George Barna as a demonstration of the shift in authority within the ranks of American church leaders.

“Billy Graham has been a consistent presence in the minds and hearts of church leaders and the public at-large for many years. However, many of the other leading influencers in the Christian Church are relative newcomers to such widespread impact. Names like Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes, Franklin Graham, John Maxwell, Joyce Meyer and Will Willimon would not have appeared on the list a decade ago. It is also interesting, though, how relatively few names – less than two dozen – show up on the two lists, across multiple segments of the pastoral community. That suggests that the influence of these leaders is both broad and deep.”

Barna noted that being deemed a trustworthy spokesperson for the Church seems to be fostered by longevity. A majority of the individuals on the spokesperson list are 60 or older. That is in contrast to the list of those who influence churches, which contains only a few men who are in their sixties or beyond. Also, parachurch individuals are much more likely to be among the greatest influencers of churches and church leaders than are pastors: eight of the ten highest-ranked church influencers are not exerting their influence from a pastorate.

The research also showed that pastors tend to value the leadership from the people who are most similar to themselves. “There was a noteworthy correlation between a pastor’s theological traditions and theological bent and that of the people chosen as the most influential,” Barna explained. “Nationally, just one of the top ten leaders influencing churches is charismatic, but charismatic pastors listed six Pentecostals among the top-ten influencers. Only two Baptists appear in the national top-ten list, but twice as many were listed in the top-ten by Baptist pastors. President Bush is the only mainline Protestant in the national top-ten, but mainline pastors included two others in their ranking. T.D. Jakes was the only black leader in the national top-ten, but African-American pastors have three black leaders in their top-ten.

“Pastors tend to list the people they know best and with whom they feel most comfortable, whether the individual has a national audience or not. It’s natural for pastors to assume that whoever influences them also influences other people to a similar degree. However, this research indicates otherwise.”

“Mainline” churches are those associated with the American Baptist Churches/U.S.A.; United Church of Christ; Episcopal Church; United Methodist Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Presbyterian Church U.S.A.