Purpose Driven
Encyclopedia
The trademarked term purpose driven comes from the teaching of Rick Warren
, senior pastor of Saddleback Church
in Lake Forest, California. It originally came into use as a paradigm
taught to pastors and other Christian
leaders worldwide to help them be more effective in leading their churches. This teaching is embodied in Warren’s best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Church
,” first published in 1995.
The basic premise of the Purpose Driven paradigm is for a pastor to recognize and be obedient to God’s purposes for his people and his church
and organize around developing these characteristics into the lives of people within his care. In Christian terms, this is the task of “making disciples
.” An additional focus is how to be most effective in reaching out to share God’s love and forgiveness
in the local community and with non-believers who visit the church. In Christian terms, this is the task of “evangelism
.” To be “purpose driven” is to be driven by God’s purposes, not our own.
These purposes, according to Warren’s teaching, are found in two verses in the New Testament
book of Matthew
. These two passages, located in Matthew chapters 22 and 28, are often referred to by Christians worldwide as “the Great Commandment
” and “the Great Commission
.” From these verses, Warren identified five purposes: worship, ministry, mission, fellowship, and discipleship.
In 2002, Warren wrote “The Purpose Driven Life
” as a 40-day devotional book. This has become an international best seller, with over 30 million copies in print by 2006. This book took the same five purposes and focused on the life of the individual Christian. The book starts out with the words, "It’s not about you,” meaning the life that God created us to live is one driven by his purposes, not our own desires.
The tenets of the Purpose Driven paradigm have been taught to hundreds of thousands of Christian leaders worldwide through conferences and seminars, with many pastors adopting the principles in their churches. While there is no formal Purpose Driven organization – this activity being an outreach of Saddleback Church – there is an informal worldwide network
of churches that work together to train other leaders, publish training resources in local languages, and collaborate on evangelistic and social action activities. This latter activity of evangelism and social action has developed into a strategy called The P.E.A.C.E. Plan
, in which many of these same churches also are involved.
The Purpose Driven paradigm is a set of principles and processes based on an understanding of the biblical purposes for the church. Implementing this paradigm enables the church leader to be most effective in reaching out to people in love, welcoming them into the fellowship of the local church, encouraging and training them for Christ-like behavior, and equipping them for volunteer service within the church – all as an expression of their worship to God. Simply put, the Purpose Driven paradigm encourages the Christian leader to maintain an intentional, strategic, and balanced focus on all five purposes, which will in turn produce church health. The concept focuses on health, with the conviction that growth will take care of itself when a congregation is healthy. The paradigm is being utilized by churches in many denominations and theological expressions across many cultures worldwide.
Rick Warren
Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
, senior pastor of Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, situated in southern Orange County, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church was founded in 1980 by pastor Rick Warren...
in Lake Forest, California. It originally came into use as a paradigm
Paradigm
The word paradigm has been used in science to describe distinct concepts. It comes from Greek "παράδειγμα" , "pattern, example, sample" from the verb "παραδείκνυμι" , "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from "παρά" , "beside, beyond" + "δείκνυμι" , "to show, to point out".The original Greek...
taught to pastors and other Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
leaders worldwide to help them be more effective in leading their churches. This teaching is embodied in Warren’s best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Church
The Purpose Driven Church
The Purpose Driven Church is a book written by Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, USA. It was first published in 1995...
,” first published in 1995.
The basic premise of the Purpose Driven paradigm is for a pastor to recognize and be obedient to God’s purposes for his people and his church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
and organize around developing these characteristics into the lives of people within his care. In Christian terms, this is the task of “making disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
.” An additional focus is how to be most effective in reaching out to share God’s love and forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
in the local community and with non-believers who visit the church. In Christian terms, this is the task of “evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
.” To be “purpose driven” is to be driven by God’s purposes, not our own.
These purposes, according to Warren’s teaching, are found in two verses in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
book of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
. These two passages, located in Matthew chapters 22 and 28, are often referred to by Christians worldwide as “the Great Commandment
Great Commandment
The Great Commandment, or Greatest Commandment, is an appellation applied to either the first, or both, of two commandments which appear in , and...
” and “the Great Commission
Great Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
.” From these verses, Warren identified five purposes: worship, ministry, mission, fellowship, and discipleship.
| Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV) | Worship Love the Lord your God with all your heart |
| Ministry Love your neighbor as yourself |
|
| Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV) | Mission Go and make disciples |
| Fellowship baptizing them |
|
| Discipleship teaching them to obey |
In 2002, Warren wrote “The Purpose Driven Life
The Purpose Driven Life
The Purpose Driven Life is a devotional book written by Christian author Rick Warren and published by Zondervan. The book has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for advice books for one of the longest periods in history, while also topping the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as...
” as a 40-day devotional book. This has become an international best seller, with over 30 million copies in print by 2006. This book took the same five purposes and focused on the life of the individual Christian. The book starts out with the words, "It’s not about you,” meaning the life that God created us to live is one driven by his purposes, not our own desires.
The tenets of the Purpose Driven paradigm have been taught to hundreds of thousands of Christian leaders worldwide through conferences and seminars, with many pastors adopting the principles in their churches. While there is no formal Purpose Driven organization – this activity being an outreach of Saddleback Church – there is an informal worldwide network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
of churches that work together to train other leaders, publish training resources in local languages, and collaborate on evangelistic and social action activities. This latter activity of evangelism and social action has developed into a strategy called The P.E.A.C.E. Plan
P.E.A.C.E. Plan
The P E A C E Plan is an initiative begun by Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Senior pastor Rick Warren's stated intention in launching the P E A C E Plan is to involve every Christian and every church in every nation in the task of serving people in the areas of the greatest global...
, in which many of these same churches also are involved.
The Purpose Driven paradigm is a set of principles and processes based on an understanding of the biblical purposes for the church. Implementing this paradigm enables the church leader to be most effective in reaching out to people in love, welcoming them into the fellowship of the local church, encouraging and training them for Christ-like behavior, and equipping them for volunteer service within the church – all as an expression of their worship to God. Simply put, the Purpose Driven paradigm encourages the Christian leader to maintain an intentional, strategic, and balanced focus on all five purposes, which will in turn produce church health. The concept focuses on health, with the conviction that growth will take care of itself when a congregation is healthy. The paradigm is being utilized by churches in many denominations and theological expressions across many cultures worldwide.
See also
- Brotherly love (philosophy)Brotherly love (philosophy)Brotherly love in the biblical sense is an extension of the natural affection associated with near kin, toward the greater community of fellow believers, that goes beyond the mere duty in to "love thy neighbour as thyself", and shows itself as "unfeigned love" from a "pure heart", that extends an...
- Celebrate RecoveryCelebrate RecoveryCelebrate Recovery was founded in 1991 by Pastor John Baker of Saddleback Church with the goal of overcoming life's issues with a twelve-step program based on Christian principles. This recovery program addresses all types of habits, hurts and hang-ups. Other churches and some prisons implemented...
- P.E.A.C.E. PlanP.E.A.C.E. PlanThe P E A C E Plan is an initiative begun by Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Senior pastor Rick Warren's stated intention in launching the P E A C E Plan is to involve every Christian and every church in every nation in the task of serving people in the areas of the greatest global...
- Rick WarrenRick WarrenRichard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
- Saddleback ChurchSaddleback ChurchSaddleback Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, situated in southern Orange County, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church was founded in 1980 by pastor Rick Warren...
- The Purpose Driven ChurchThe Purpose Driven ChurchThe Purpose Driven Church is a book written by Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, USA. It was first published in 1995...
- The Purpose Driven LifeThe Purpose Driven LifeThe Purpose Driven Life is a devotional book written by Christian author Rick Warren and published by Zondervan. The book has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for advice books for one of the longest periods in history, while also topping the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as...
External links
- Purpose Driven
- Pastors.com
- Rick Warren's Ministry Podcast A blog and podcast for pastors and church leaders.
- Saddleback Church
- Purpose Driven Life
- Celebrate Recovery
- PD Connection a quarterly magazine and website