The Church Report has released the 2006 Fifty Most Influential Churches. During this past April and May, Church Growth Today surveyed the leaders of more than 2,000 of the largest non-catholic congregations as well as a few smaller churches in the United States. Participants were asked to name the ten churches that they consider to be the most influential. Out of 83 churches recommended, the fifty that made it and their websites are listed below:
- Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL)
Bill Hybels - Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA)
Rick Warren - North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA)
Andy Stanley - Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX)
Ed Young Jr. - Lakewood Church (Houston, TX)
Joel Osteen - Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY)
Bob Russell - LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK)
Craig Groeschel - The Potter’s House (Dallas, TX)
T.D. Jakes - Brooklyn Tabernacle (Brooklyn, NY)
Jim Cymbala - North Coast Church (Vista, CA)
Larry W. Osborne - Resurrection United Methodist Church (Leawood, KS)
Adam Hamilton - Mosaic Church (Los Angeles, CA)
Erwin McManus - Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL)
Dave Ferguson - Granger Community Church (Granger, IN)
Mark Beeson - Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Greg Surratt - Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, NY)
Tim J. Keller - Mars Hill Bible Church (Grandville, MI)
Rob Bell - Capo Beach Calvary (Capistrano Beach, CA)
Chuck Smith Jr. - First Baptist Church (Jacksonville, FL)
Mac Brunson - Bayside Church (Granite Bay, CA)
Ray Johnston - New Life Church (Colorado Springs, CO)
Ted Haggard - Mars Hill Bible Church (Seattle, WA)
Mark Driscoll - New Hope Christian Fellowship (Honolulu, HI)
Wayne Cordeiro - First Baptist Church (Hammond, IN)
Jack Schaap - Frazer United Methodist Church (Montgomery, AL)
John Ed Mathison - Fellowship Bible Church (Little Rock, AR)
Tim Lundy - Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, VA)
Jerry Falwell - Shadow Mountain Community Church (El Cajon, CA)
David Jeremiah - First Assembly of God (Phoenix, AZ)
Tommy Barnett - Without Walls Church (Tampa, FL)
Paula White - Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, CA)
John MacArthur - New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (Lithonia, GA)
Eddie Long - Harvest Christian Fellowship (Riverside, CA)
Greg Laurie - Real Life Ministries (Post Falls, ID)
Jim Putman - Briarwood Presbyterian Church (Birmingham, AL)
Harry L. Reeder - Christ’s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ)
Don Wilson - College Church (Wheaton, IL)
Kent Hughes - Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church (Tipp City, OH)
Michael Slaughter - Grace Chapel (Lexington, MA)
Bryan Wilkerson - Calvary Chapel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Bob Coy - Fellowship of the Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX)
Kerry Shook - Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, MN)
John Piper - Northridge Church (Plymouth, MI)
Brad Powell - Oak Cliff Bible Church (Dallas, TX)
Dr. Anthony Evans - Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (Menlo Park, CA)
John Ortberg - Oak Hills Church (San Antonio, TX)
Max Lucado - Wooddale Church (Eden Prarie, MN)
Leith C. Anderson - Trinity Church (Manhattan, NY)
James H. Cooper - Windsor Village Methodist (Houston, TX)
Kirbyjon Caldwell - Vineyard Community Church (Cincinnati, OH)
Dave Workman
Don’t forget to check out The Church Report’s complete article to get read more about the survey and these churches.
[...] The entire list can be found here. [...]
[...] Below you will find a list of the 20 largest American churches according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s study of megachurches. Also listed are all of the churches ranked in the top 50 most influential church’s for The Church Report’s 2005 and 2006 surveys. [...]
Hi. I am so curious to understand how Chuck Smith Sr. feels about Chuck Smith Jr.’s Emergent Church philosophy. Could it be possible that these two men of the same flesh could really be so far apart in their understanding of the Bible? If you have any knowledge of what exactly is going on here, I would really like to know. I currently attend a Calvary Chapel in Davie, FL.
Celia Tatman
[...] Churchrelevance.com goes into more details and provides the websites for these churches. You can see the listing here along with some comments coming from readers allover. Enjoy! [...]
[...] While you’re at it, take a look at the 50 most influential churches (original PDF here) in the US of A, according to The Church Report. They asked the leaders of the 2000 largest churches to name the most influential ones. [...]
[...] 06 MIC = The Church Report’s 2006 50 Most Influential Churches [...]