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Revision as of 11:09, 11 August 2004 by Avnative (talk | contribs) (→References: reformat references)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Rick Warren (born 1954) is an American Christian pastor and author. He is best known as the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which has topped the New York Times Bestseller list for Non-fiction for the past 75 weeks (as of June, 2004). The book presents what Warren believes to be the 5 biblical principles for a fulfilled life: worship, community, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism.
Warren is also the pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest in the south Orange County portion of Southern California, an Evangelical Christian church which averages over 20,000 in attendance at weekend services as of 2004. He also leads the "Purpose Driven Church" seminars, which are focused on teaching other church leaders to integrate the five purposes into their local church structures.
Born in San Jose, California, Warren holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He also holds several honorary doctorates. (1) A fourth generation pastor, his father's dying wish was to have "one more for Jesus" brought into God's kingdom. (2) According to Warren, this moment at his father's deathbed moved him to have this ". . .be the theme of the rest of my life." (3)
Warren and his wife Kay began Saddleback Church in 1980 with one family. (4) His goal was to build a significantly large church, and then afterwards share his knowledge in doing so with other church leaders that would replicate across nations and cultures. Not a pretentious person who seeks the limelight, he quietly goes about his work and has been called by one journalist "the most influentual evangelist you've never heard of." (5) Christianity Today magazine named him as "America's most influential pastor" in 2002. He is often in a Hawaiian-style shirt, with deck shoes sans socks, even when giving messages in his church. He seeks to be inclusive across denominational lines like Billy Graham and admits Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews, and ordained women to his training programs, chalking up what he terms "non-essentials" of the Christian faith as elements that can cause, from his point of view, needless division. He sticks to what he terms the "essentials" of the faith and focuses on "loving people into the Kingdom" of God in an attractive way without compromising his faith's essential tenets. (6)
Warren and his wife Kay live in Trabuco Canyon, California with their three children and a dog. (7)
References
(1) * http://www.ynem.org/purpose/book.html
(2) * The Purpose Driven Life ,p. 287, ISBN 0-310-20571-9
(3) * Ibid, p. 288.
(4) * http://www.ynem.org/purpose/book.html
(5) * http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-07/21-rick-warren_x.htm
(6) * Ibid.
(7) * http://www.ynem.org/purpose/book.html
Bibliography
External Links
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