Warren, Rick

▪ 2005

      The phenomenal influence of a book titled The Purpose-Driven Life won its author, Rick Warren, a reputation in 2004 as perhaps the most influential pastor in the U.S. Within two years of its publication in 2002, the book had sold some 16 million copies and spurred 40-day studies in more than 20,000 congregations representing 80 denominations. Warren's own congregation, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., numbered more than 15,000 members and conducted Sunday services at 6 times and 10 locations on its 49-ha (120-ac) campus.

      Warren, a fourth-generation Southern Baptist pastor, was born in 1954 in San Jose, Calif., and grew up in Ukiah. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. Turning down an offer to become pastor of a 5,000-member church in Texas during his last year in seminary, he, his wife, Kay, and their baby daughter arrived in California's Saddleback Valley in January 1980 to plant a church.

      On Easter Sunday 1980, Saddleback Church held its first public service, with 205 people, most of whom had never been churchgoers. The congregation subsequently started 34 daughter churches and sent nearly 5,000 members on mission projects around the world. It had some 175 full-time paid staff members and 13 pastors, all of whom had seminary degrees.

      Warren's 1995 book, The Purpose-Driven Church, won him renown by focusing on worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. It was translated into 21 languages and used in more than 120 countries by over 320,000 pastors who adapted its principles to their cultural and denominational settings. Christianity Today magazine said in 2002 that Warren's model took five elements that had been emphasized separately by various authors and movements “and systematically integrate[d] them into the life of the church.” The Purpose-Driven Life encouraged individuals to ask, “What am I here for?” and told them that they were planned for God's pleasure, formed for God's family, created to become like Christ, shaped for serving God, and made for a mission. In addition to churches, the message won an appreciative audience in the White House of George W. Bush, corporate suites, and prisons.

      In 2003 Warren stopped taking his $110,000 annual salary from Saddleback and returned the money the church had paid him for the previous 23 years. He pledged to donate 90% of his book royalties to the church and the three foundations he had created with his wife to promote evangelism and to fight poverty, illiteracy, and disease. A substance-abuse treatment program called Celebrate Recovery that Warren pioneered at Saddleback was adopted by a California prison in 2004.

Darrell J. Turner

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▪ American pastor

born Jan. 28, 1954, San Jose, Calif., U.S.

      American pastor who, as founder of Saddleback Church and as the author of The Purpose-Driven Life (2002), became one of the most influential Evangelical Christians in the United States.

      Warren, a fourth-generation Southern Baptist pastor, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. Turning down an offer to become pastor of a 5,000-member church in Texas during his last year in seminary, he and his family arrived in California's Saddleback Valley in January 1980 to establish a church.

      On Easter Sunday, 1980, Saddleback Church held its first public service in Lake Forest, Calif., with 205 people, most of whom had never been churchgoers. Less than three decades later, the church numbered more than 20,000 members and conducted Sunday services at 6 times and 10 locations on its 120-acre (49-hectare) campus. The congregation subsequently started more than 30 daughter churches and sent nearly 5,000 members on mission projects around the world.

      Warren's 1995 book, The Purpose-Driven Church, won him renown by focusing on worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. It was translated into more than 20 languages and used in more than 120 countries by hundreds of thousands of pastors who adapted its principles to their cultural and denominational settings. His next work, The Purpose-Driven Life, encouraged individuals to ask, “What am I here for?” and told them that they were planned for God's pleasure, formed for God's family, created to become like Christ, shaped for serving God, and made for a mission. Within six years of its publication, the book sold some 25 million copies and spurred 40-day studies (one day for each chapter) in more than 20,000 congregations representing 80 denominations. In addition to churches, the message was popular with a wide range of readers, including members of Pres. George W. Bush (Bush, George W.)'s administration and corporate officials.

      In 2003 Warren stopped taking his $110,000 annual salary from Saddleback and returned the money the church had paid him for the previous 23 years. He pledged to donate 90 percent of his book royalties to the church and the three foundations he had created with his wife to promote evangelism and to fight poverty, illiteracy, and disease. His influence was noted in 2008, when he held a church forum attended by John McCain (McCain, John) and Barack Obama (Obama, Barack), the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, respectively. On Jan. 20, 2009, Warren delivered the invocation at the inauguration of President Obama.

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