The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission

Front Cover
Zondervan, 1995 - Religion - 399 pages

The issue is church health, not church growth--if your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally. So how do we make healthy churches, driven by purpose?

In order for any church to thrive, it must be built around the five New Testament purposes given to the church by Jesus Christ. In this classic of Christian church stability, pastor and bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren unpacks this proven five-part strategy that will enable your church to grow:

  • Warmer through fellowship.
  • Deeper through discipleship.
  • Stronger through worship.
  • Broader through ministry.
  • Larger through evangelism.

Every church is driven by something. Tradition, finances, programs, personalities, events, seekers, and even buildings can each be the controlling force in a church. But Warren will show you how to concentrate on building people and let God build the church. In other words, healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church. And The Purpose Driven Church will show you how to do that.

"The Purpose Driven Church has brought focus and direction to more pastors and church leaders than you can count. What a gift!"--John Ortberg, bestselling author.

 

Contents

Foreword by Dr W A Criswell
11
Surfing Spiritual Waves
13
Part One Seeing the Big Picture
23
The Saddleback Story
25
Myths About Growing Churches
47
Part Two Becoming a PurposeDriven Church
73
What Drives Your Church?
75
The Foundation for a Healthy Church
85
Part Three Reaching Out to Your Community
153
Who Is Your Target?
155
Knowing Whom You Can Best Reach
173
Developing Your Strategy
185
Part Four Bringing In a Crowd
205
How Jesus Attracted Crowds
207
Worship Can Be a Witness
239
Designing a SeekerSensitive Service
251

Defining Your Purposes
95
Communicating Your Purposes
111
Organizing Around Your Purposes
121
Applying Your Purposes
137
Selecting Your Music
279
Preaching to the Unchurched
293
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About the author (1995)

Evangelical pastor Richard Duane "Rick" Warren was born in San Jose, California on January 28, 1954. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked at the Texas Ranch for Christ before founding the megachurch Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California in 1980. He has written or co-written several books including The Purpose Driven Church, The Purpose Driven Life, and The Daniel Plan Cookbook: Healthy Eating for Life. He has lectured as a theologian at many universities and seminaries and was chosen in 2008 by President-elect Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration ceremony.

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