10. Joel Stockstill. Son of charismatic pastor Larry Stockstill, 29-year-old Joel has a dream of reaching America’s teenagers for Christ. Although he faced unbelievable hardships this year (his own health crisis plus the death of his wife, Amy, from cancer), Stockstill has been a model of spiritual passion. As pastor of the 220 youth ministry of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, La., he has grown it from 70 students to more than 7,000 in five years. Currently about 100 students come to Christ every week through the cell-based ministry—which has targeted every school in the Baton Rouge area. His strategy ought to be replicated in every city in our nation.

11. David Tyree and Tim Tebow. These two gifted athletes unapologetically stood for Jesus on the playing field in 2008. David Tyree, wide receiver for the New York Giants, caught the 32-yard pass that helped his team win a surprise victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He later told reporters the amazing catch—which required him to jump high and trap the ball on the back of his helmet—was the result of a pre-game prayer. (In the fall he released a book about his Christian testimony called More Than Just the Catch.) Tim Tebow, quarterback for the University of Florida Gators, consistently honored Christ during a winning season—and now is in the running to win the Heisman Trophy for a second time. The son of evangelical missionaries, he boldly tells reporters on the sidelines: “My biggest passion in life isn’t football. It’s telling as many people as I can about my relationship with Jesus Christ.”

12. Todd Bentley. The flamboyant Canadian evangelist is credited with sparking a healing revival that spread to Europe during the summer of 2008. From a church in Lakeland, Fla., Bentley’s nightly services ran from April through July and were broadcast on GOD TV and other channels. Though he was criticized for his theology and stage antics, as many as 10,000 people a night came to the services, and many said they experienced healing or spiritual renewal. The revival ended abruptly when Bentley’s ministry board announced that he was leaving his wife. In a year of political and economic tumult, the Lakeland debacle shook the American charismatic movement to its core, leaving us to sort through the rubble and discover ways to avoid making the same mistakes again.

R.I.P.

Among those who died were Virginia pastor John Gimenez; Pentecostal historian Charles Conn; charismatic author Michal Ann Goll; Christian publishing pioneer Robert Walker; gospel singer Dottie Rambo; and Christian rock musician Larry Norman.

Click here to visit www.Charisma.com.