Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Evangelical Church in Lake Forest, California, USA, was born on January 28, 1954.
We’ve compiled facts you may not have known about Rick Warren.
1. His father was a minister in a Baptist church and his mother was a school librarian. Rick grew up in Yucaipa, California, where he graduated in 1972, where Warren founded the first Christian club on campus.
2. Warren received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University in Riverside, California; a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
3. Rick Warren held his first service at Saddleback Church in April 1980 at the age of 26 for Easter. It was held in the Laguna Hills High School Theater building and was attended by 200 people.
4. Warren holds conservative theological views and speaks out for a traditional evangelical understanding of issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research, etc. In 2015, he opposed a bill that, if enacted, would give every reason for mentally ill people to commit suicide.
5. Former U.S. President Barack Obama invited him to speak at his inauguration ceremony. Gay advocates have accused Warren of being homophobic and a supporter of opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Conservatives are angry that Warren got involved with a president who advocates abortion and gay rights, while liberals dislike him for his socially conservative views.
6. Time magazine listed Evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren as one of the most influential people in the world.
7. His best-known books are Purposeful Church (1995) and Purposeful Living (2002). Both have been on the New York Times bestseller lists. In 2005, The Barna Group, a sociological organization, conducted a study of the books and authors that have had the greatest impact on pastors. “Purposeful Living” ranked first and “Purposeful Church” ranked second.
8. He founded the Purpose Driven Network, a global alliance of pastors in more than 160 countries and about 100 denominations who have been trained to lead Purpose Driven churches. He also founded Pastors.com, a global online community for pastors.
9. He has accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Quotes from Rick Warren
We are created by God and for God, and until we understand this, life will remain meaningless and incomprehensible.
Only in God can we know our true origin, find ourselves, find the meaning and purpose of our life, understand its significance and ultimate goal. All other ways will lead you to a dead end.
Since the church is a living organism, it will be natural for it to grow if it is in good health. The church is a body, not a cause. It is an organism, not an organization. It is alive. If the church is not growing, it is dying.
It takes more than dedication to lead a church to grow; it takes skill.
Absolutely nothing can bring a desperate church back to life as quickly as rediscovering its purpose.
When you catch a fish, do you want quantity or quality? I want both! I want to catch as big a fish as possible and as many fish as possible. Every church should desire to bring as many people to Christ as possible and should strive to help those people become as spiritually mature as possible.
