5. William P. Young. His hugely popular Christian novel, The Shack, sold 1 million copies so far this year—and is projected to sell another 4 million by Christmas. Fans say the fictional tale of a man’s spiritual encounter after the murder of his daughter has helped them reconnect with God. Critics say Young, a former charismatic pastor, has a low view of the church and promotes faulty theology of the Trinity. Last summer Young revealed that he wrote the painful story as a way to find healing from the trauma of being sexually molested as a child.

6. Bob Fu. While millions watched the fireworks and pageantry of the Olympic Games in Beijing, Bob Fu was a voice crying in the wilderness—urging the world community to demand an end to human rights violations in China. Fu, who came to Christ in 1989 while living in his native China, was imprisoned after communist police discovered his secret Bible school in a shuttered factory. Fu and his wife fled to the United States in 1996 and founded the China Aid Association, a ministry that monitors the persecution of Chinese believers. In July, just before President Bush traveled to Beijing for the games, Fu met with Bush and urged him to speak directly to President Hu Jintao about China’s human rights record.

7. Jim Garlow. This California pastor was a driving force behind Proposition 8, the ballot measure that injected a traditional definition of marriage into the state’s constitution. Garlow, leader of Skyline Church in San Diego, mobilized pastors and congregations across the state to pray, fast and engage in door-to-door canvassing. The Protject Marriage campaign, which included a 40-day fast prior to Election Day, is credited by some as the reason Proposition 8 passed. Garlow launched his effort after the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in May. The ballot measure overturned the judges’ ruling, but now gay activists are challenging the ballot measure in court.

8. Irene Gleeson. This Australian grandmother could have stayed in her beach house and enjoyed retirement, but she opted for more adventure. In 1991 she sold her house and all her possessions and moved to a dangerous area of northern Uganda, near the Sudan border, to help orphans who had been affected by war. Despite threats from local militants, she started a school under a mango tree with 20 kids. Today, Childcare Kitgum Servants provides education, housing and food for 8,000 children, and 400 mostly African staff members run the ministry. Gleeson’s inspiring story was captured on film this year in a remarkable documentary, Cinderella Children.

9. Doug Stringer. A champion of compassion ministry, Stringer’s Houston-based Somebody Cares organization funneled $30 million in food and supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This year, after Hurricane Ike blew out the windows of his own office, he and his army of volunteers hopped in their trucks and took aid to the needy of Galveston, where thousands were stranded. While most Americans quickly turned their attention to the presidential campaign, forgetting the suffering in Texas and Louisiana, Stringer kept raising money and helping desperate families. A charismatic who started his ministry working with gangs, Stringer has pioneered a unique, church-based approach to relief and operates 22 Somebody Cares chapters in the country.