In part 3 I’ll make a list of non-christian leaders I’d like to have lunch with. Here is the remainder of Christian leaders I’d love to have lunch with (there are more, but going over 10 seems a bit ridiculous right now!):

#10 Doug Jones – This guy is awesome! He comes to our church once a year and his teachings and books have revolutionized the way I think and do things! I’d love to be able to pick his brain for hours!!!

#9 Joyce Meyer - I love Joyce Meyer! I got to see her at a conference in Hershey a few years back and became a partner with her. I think it would be sweet to spend an afternoon with her!

#8 Joel Osteen - Other than his critics (which is ridiculous), I don’t think there is a human being on the planet who would not love getting together with Joel. He is the pastor of the largest church in America (Lakewood) and brings the gospel to hundreds of thousands of people on a weekly basis. He is the man!

#7 Rick Warren - The Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church in California. The church has grown to 25,000 people! This man is a remarkable leader and is most well known for his book The Purpose Driven Life. What’s really cool is I know that Rick, Bill Hybels, and John Maxwell all started teaching leadership together in the 80′s and today they are the best!! To have an inner circle like that… Wow!

#6 Bill Hybels - The Senior Pastor of Willow Creek (one of the largest churches in America). I’ve seen this guy speak only one time on a DVD of a leadership conference. He spoke on the “Life Cycle of a Leader” which was one of the best leadership lessons I’ve ever heard. Willow holds an annual conference called The Leadership Summit. I plan on attending this conference sometime!

The older I get the smaller the world seems. When I start to think about people I could have only dreamed of meeting in a lifetime, I now realize that literally meeting them could be a few contacts, phone calls, or conferences away from making that dream a reality. I’ll probably make several posts like this over time. If anyone out there could arrange me meeting these great leaders I would be very grateful!

#5 Perry Noble – I’ve just recently stumbled across this guy through blogging and twitter! He pastors a church in Anderson, SC and is changing the world! He started his church 1999 and now runs thousands on the weekend and has several campuses. Did I mention he gets mentored by John Maxwell?

#4 Craig Groeschel - I saw Craig live a few years ago at a church leadership conference and thought he was awesome. Since then, he has become a pioneer for the way churches do things. From church resources to multi-campus churches, to the online church, he is helping the Body of Christ reach the world!

#3 Erwin McManus – I’ve only been listening and reading Erwin’s stuff for about a year now. He is an incredible thinker and futurist. I would highly recommend his podcast and his books. I am going to get the opportunity to go see him speak at The Soar ’08 Conference in November!

#1 John C. Maxwell – No surprise here if you know me. This man has had a tremendous impact on my life through his books and audio teachings. I’ve actually made it one of my life goals to see him teach in person and then meet him. I encourage you to become a member of his monthly mentoring program… Check it out here.