Howell Harris (1714-1773 was a Calvinistic Methodist evangelist. He was one of the main leaders of the Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century along with Daniel Rowland and William Williams Pantyselyn. Howell was born on the 23rd January 1714 at Trefeca, naer Talgarth, Wales. He underwent religious conversion in May 1735 having heard Rev. Pryce Davies preach on palm Sunday on the necessity to take Holy Communion. After several weeks of self examination it reached a climax on Whit Sunday, May 1735, He felt convinced that he had received mercy through the blood of Christ. He began immediately to tell others. He held meetings in his house to encourage others to seek the same assurance. The Church of England were unwilling to accept him for ordination because of his ‘Methodist’ views so he became an itinerant preacher and travelled far and wide in Wales and England. He was tirelessly determined to spread the Word especially in Wales. His preaching led him into personal danger, persecution and hardship before he gained support. From 1738 Marmaduke Gwynne, a local squire and early convert, supported him. Howell became friends with Daniel Rowlands in about 1737. In 1750 he retreated to Trefeca after becoming the subject of a public scandal for his close friendship with ‘Madam’ Sidney Griffith. In 1752 he founded a religious community known as Teula Trefeca - The Trefeca family with himself as ‘Father’. His friendship with Daniel broke down when Howell became involved with Motavian errors. In 1763, 13 years later, friendship with Daniel renewed after reconciliation. They resumed their former activities. Howell died 10 years later on 21st July 1773. 20,000 are said to have attended his funeral. he was buried close to his birthplace in Talgarth. Howell Harris was effectively the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Wales, also known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church. In 1811 - not without much heart searching- the Welsh Calvinist Methodists broke away from the Church of England. He kept a detailed diary and filed letters sent and received. For years they gathered dust! These papers, some in Latin, offer a first hand account of the Welsh Methodist revival. In 2000 Howell Harris: From Conversion to Separation 1735-50 was published. ( Read ‘The papers of Howell Harris’)

Charles Monroe Sheldon (1857-1946) was an American Congregationalist minister and leader of the Social Gospel movement. His novelIn His Steps he introduces the principle of*What would Jesus do? ** (WWJD) This put into writing an approach to Christian theology that became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Charles was born on 26 th February, 1857 in Wellsville, New York. His father, a Congregational minister moved 5 times before they settled in South Dakota. Charles was a graduate of Phillips Academy (1879)in Andover, Massachusetts. He then went to college at Brown University (1880-3) followed by Andover Theological Seminary (1883-6). His pastorship was at the Congregational Church in Waterbury, Vermont (1886).He quickly earned a reputation for his liberal views and his innovative and unorthodox pastoral style. While there he met Mary ‘May’ Merriam. Mary’s parents were founding members of Central Congregational Church (CCC) and he was called to preach there in 1888. He married Mary in 1891. In 189O’s developed evening sermon stories *In his Steps or What Would Jesus Do? He read it as a weekly series from the pulpit of C.C. Church, Topeka, Kansas. The stories reflected the growing social gospel movement in the USA. In 1896 he published* In His Steps** and it quickly became an international best seller but unfortunately, because of improper copyright protection, the publishers published their own version paying no royalties! (Read ’ Abtract’ and see Amazon flier) Charles was also famous for his community work. In the 1890s, during the economic depression, he spent several months, on a weekly basis, with railroad workers, labours and merchants. He decided the area was impoverished due to lack of employment and helped find jobs for many of its residents. His church also sponsored the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi River in 1893. He was well known prohibitionist. He travelled to - England (1900), Australia and New Zealand (1914). In 1920, after 32 years he retired from CCC. From 1920-4 he was editor of the *Christian Herald an illustrated news weekly for the home - a religious periodical. He continued to write articles after his final retirement in 1924. He went to the Holy Land in 1926 on a Christian Herald sponsored tour. In the 1930s and 40s he continued to write. and was an active peace advocate. Charles died of a stroke on 17th February 1946, just two says before his 88th birthday. Before he died memorials had already been constructed - a community house was added and his outdoor study was saved There is also a Sheldon Memorial Room at CCC.

Leland Ryken ( born 1942) has been a professor of English emeritus at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois for nearly 50 years. He edited the comprehensive Christian writing on literatureThe Christian Imagination He was the literary stylist for the English Standard Version of the Bible (2001) published by Crossway Bibles. He wrote How to Read the Bible as Literature *Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible *** He co-edited *Ryken’s Bible Handbook ESV Literary Study Bible with his son Philip Leland was the literary content contributor to the ESV Study Bible released in 2008. Leland Ryken is now 80 years of age. (See also extensive ‘Bibliography’)

David was a Moravian clergyman and missionary among the native American tribes who resided in the 13 colonies. He established communities of Munsee converts to Christianity in the valley of the Muskingum River of Ohio. He spent 62 years, except for a few short intervals, as a missionary to the Indians. In 1781 he was arrested and detained by the British. While he was detained 96 of his native converts were murdered by the Pennsylvania militiamen - an event known as the Gnadenhutten Massacre. In 1782 he returned close to Goshen to live with the remaining native converts. He died in 1808 at the age of 87 and is buried in Goshen.

I decided to find out further information about the Top 20 leaders!! Using Wikipedia I found extra information about most of them - see breakdown on first sheet. For Billy Graham and Martin Luther King I have already done profiles for them in TES. For John Mark Comer I used* Pastors Bio*. For Pope Francis there are lots of page about him on Wikipedia. For Jim Winker I could only find a single paragraph. I hope this helps you in your research.