Warren, Rick (1954-…), is an American evangelical Christian pastor and popular author. Evangelicalism is a Protestant religious movement that stresses personal religious experience and the authority of the Bible. Warren founded Saddleback Church, a Baptist megachurch based in Lake Forest, California. A megachurch has an extremely large congregation.
Richard Duane Warren was born in San Jose, California, on Jan. 28, 1954. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College (now California Baptist University) in 1976; a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1979; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1989.
In 1980, Warren gathered one family for the first meeting of what would become Saddleback Church. Twenty-five years later, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest was attracting more than 20,000 people to its services each weekend. In the early 2000’s, Warren emerged as a new leader for American evangelicalism. He delivered the invocation (opening prayer) at the 2009 inauguration of United States President Barack Obama. Warren retired as lead pastor of Saddleback Church in 2022.
Warren has written a number of books, including some for children. His most notable books include The Purpose Driven Church (1995) and its sequel, The Purpose Driven Life (2002). The Purpose Driven Church presents Warren’s strategy for healthy church growth. According to the book, a church has five Biblical purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism (spreading the Gospel). It argues that a church will experience healthy growth if it gives equal emphasis to each of the five purposes. The Purpose Driven Life applies these principles to individuals’ personal lives.
The Purpose Driven Life became enormously successful. Warren’s earnings from the book enabled him to practice what he described as “reverse tithing.” Traditional tithing involves people giving one-tenth of their income to their church. Warren adopted the practice of living on 10 percent of his income and giving the rest to charities. Among the causes he has supported are the prevention and treatment of AIDS; the elimination of disease, illiteracy, and poverty; and the development of church leaders.
