Rating: 
Summary: Planting
Review: This book is a true gem of modern Christian thought. With the eye of an ethnographer, the mind of a military tactician, and the heart of a Christian, Rick Warren draws the ground-plans for the modern church. For decades, traditional minds have been challenged by the task of showing the timeless relevance of the Bible to the modern man and woman who were raised in the age of airplanes, not Aramaic. This book shows how careful planning and strategic adjustments enable the truth of the Bible to be evidently relevant to the modern reader without sacrificing theological integrity. Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California-not exactly the Bible belt! This book traces the planning and growth of Saddleback to an average weekly attendance of 10,000 people. The Saddleback story acts not as a model for outcome but as a model for practice. Warren makes it very clear that how his church looks now is a direct result of its physical and spiritual circumstance, but that the methods that engendered Saddleback's growth can be transposed onto any geographical location.
Noting that God loves variety, Warren shows that it is "OK" to use a variety of techniques to spread the gospel (variety implies difference). One of Warren's main themes is "catching fish on their own terms." He was not afraid to make small concessions in matters of style in order to communicate the saving grace of the gospel. Warren gives practical advice on topics ranging from community research to church music to the preparation of a sermon.
However, this book is not just for the Church planting Christian. Blatantly hidden in these pages is a picture of love, understanding, and passion that inform the soul of the reader as much as his notepad. The observations that Warren relates regarding the methods of reaching unbelievers work as well on the personal level as they do at the church planning level. Critical is Warren's realization that the key to reaching unbelievers is loving them. Included in this loving is an understanding that sanctification comes after salvation. Warren accepts and loves individuals as they are, invites them into the body of Christ, and in that process they are inexorably changed. Underlying this process is the fact that it is God working, and not man. It is a beautiful thing that in a book on church growth Warren spends the first few pages discussing the fact that it is the hand of God that grows a church and then concludes his book with the imagery of the dry bones of Ezekiel 37. Though Ezekiel was commissioned to act, it was the breath of God that brought the bones to life. I recommend this book not only to individuals who plan on planting a church, but to any individual interested in planting Christ.
Rating:
Summary: Want more than theory?
Review: After having read several books on church ministry in the city, I must say that this book has finally satisfied my thirst. I recommend this book to pastors and church leaders, aspiring leaders, or just to Christians who want new and refreshing ideas that they can apply tomorrow if they want, in their own churches. If you really have time on your hand, I recommend reading other books before this one such as Conn and Ortiz's "Urban Ministry" or Ron Sider's "Good News and Good Works" so that you can get a better idea of the theology of church ministry and better understand Rick Warren's reasoning behind his strategies. Without such foundational reading, parts of Warren's book may seem too practical and not biblical enough, or too methodical. But, as an individual who is working in a ministry I found Warren's book so helpful in part because it is methodical, it gives practical strategies for better serving a church and its community. If you are a pastor who is looking for ways to better reach your neighbors and engage your own community then this is a priority for your reading list. Theory is wonderful, it makes for a strong foundation, but once you have that, you need practical writers like Warren who are writing from experience.
Warren speaks from experience after having started his own church in the suburban community of Saddleback in Orange County, Southern California. The church grew from 200 members at its inaugurating service, to over 15,000 members today. In this book he shares how he and his team, through God's grace, were able to reach these people and how they are able to keep so many members happily involved serving God. If you have ever had doubts about how a megachurch can ever be effective in reaching out to the individual, read this book. Through small groups and a strong biblically founded ministry, all members at Saddleback, it is safe to say, are actively involved in their church.
This book has practical tips on topics ranging from how to welcome people to your church to how to organize your service so that visitors want to come back. He gives advice on how to preach to new people, so that the word of God not only makes sense but also is not boring. He gives advice on how to structure even your worship music to be understood by visitors and yet still appreciated by your members.
Warning: Do not be discouraged of reading this book merely on the fact that Warren is speaking from the context of a suburban, middle-class community and your community does not fit the prototype. He repeats quite often, to not take a method and put it in your church without tweaking it so that it fits your context. This is really important for a pastor and leader to remember. I also recommend having a pen ready and not being afraid to use it! This book is full of practical treasures! I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Ecclessiology Demonstrated
Review: As I began this read, I was immediately aware that his choice of Scripture quotations would constantly be switching English translations, usually using the poorest of them, i.e. The Living Bible, TEB. Therefore, I immediately started jotting down next to Warren's a solid translation, e.g. NASB, and found considerable doubt being shed on Warren's whole premises for "the purpose driven church" as he postulates it.The church is not purpose driven to recruit more people for the pews, it is for the purpose of saving souls, of justification. This Warren, many would argue, is exactly what he writes about, but the truth be known, it is anything but this. Forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ's gospel must be at the core and center, and it must have prominence and dominance over everything else. Warren permits and promotes other needs to circumvent and override this. Then as the kicker, he even relates that copying what Saddleback has done is not to be followed, that it won't work in every other setting. What is going on here? Where is the assurance that if we preach and teach the truth of God's Word purely that He will bless? This is shame and shamble of this whole movement to consumerism and leadership by sayings and principles that are not Biblical. Check them out in a good English translation, such as New American Standard. Better yet, find yourself a pastor who can work in the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) and he'll tell you that NASB is head and shoulders superior to the ones Warren puts all his case upon. The church of Jesus Christ needs only turn to its Lord and continue to faithfully proclaim His desire: that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the peoples (Luke 24:47). That and only that message clearly and purely proclaimed in all the church will and can grow the church and God's kingdom.
Rating:
Summary: Saddleback Sam: Soul or Customer?
Review: As the book which launched the celebrity of a California "mega-church" Baptist preacher, this includes all the elements needed to get an instant readership in our paradoxically technocratic but fanatical times-a simply stated, pop-culture-anecdote-laden, "can't miss" manual that promises "sure-fire" results-very much a management-theory treatise in religious garb. But in fact, Warren is merely distilling and condensing much of the ink spilled from the 1970s onward in both mainline and evangelical Protestant circles (chiefly the former) when declining worship participation and actual membership set off alarms, thereby prompting the creation of a sort of cottage industry within theological seminaries and denominational bureaucracies-the "church growth" phenomenon.
So Warren is not so much a pioneer as he is a popularizer. Whether the popularity of the book indicates a growing concern on the part of the average church member about the subject or, rather, the growing power of aggressive personalities in many pulpits who intimidate their parishioners into dealing with the subject can likely never be proved.
And it becomes sadly apparent that his lifestyle-oriented evangelistic tactics cannot really be dissociated from his conservative evangelical theology and ideology. One signpost of this is the final sentence in the second paragraph in chapter 9, "Who Is Your Target?": "Bringing people to Christ is too important a task for us to have such a casual attitude toward it." As most people well know, the demand to "win souls for Christ" usually crowds out other legitimate concerns in evangelical settings. And what is more, the burden is placed upon human effort in persuading people to accept the Gospel and/or join the church, with little or no reference to the role of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have a classic statement of Pelagianism, works righteousness.
Continuing with the premise that "there is not a local church anywhere that can reach everybody. Because human beings are so different, no single church can possibly reach everyone," we have the first in a set of commonplaces, ideas which are so much accepted at face value that no one bothers to examine their validity. The reason Warren espouses those particular views is that his heritage is sectarian; that is to say, he conceives of a particular congregation being self-sufficient and complete in itself, not necessarily needing the guidance or fellowship of other churches, even those identical in practice and outlook. His seeming embrace of "diversity" is in fact a mask for a more basic homogeneity, as it is all but certain that he does not approve of widespread theological dissent within a congregation. All is pragmatic, in other words.
Then, the analogy of radio stations makes clear his views about much of American life as matters of preference. One gets the notion that Warren regards demographics as sacred, as something that cannot be questioned. His five categories on page 163 (age, marital status, income, education, occupation) are followed by an emphatic, unequivocal declaration: "Each of these factors will influence how you minister to people and how you communicate the Good News." For an evangelical, Warren astonishingly does not bother to subject the criteria to "biblical" proof-texting. What that means is that he can proceed with formulating his methods, his "how", without a truly constant and frequent reminder of the "why".
Should "Saddleback Sam" (pages 169-172) really strike anyone as very different from a "Joe Six-Pack" or other fantasy-ideational constructs that corporate managers populate their very lives with daily? Did it ever occur to Warren that Sam might in fact not be among God's elect? Could not one imagine that Sam is none other than the rich young ruler who rejected Jesus' demand that he sell his possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) or even the wealthy man who left Lazarus outside his gate to die? (Luke 16:19-30) The fact that Warren does not broach the matter indicates one thing to this writer: Sam is a customer, not the "lost soul" that revivalists of an earlier day would have perceived.
Further, the remaining chapters of the third part of the book are predicated upon locating as many Saddleback Sams in a church's neighborhood as can be found and essentially resorting to a marketing strategy indistinguishable from, say, promoting a new nightclub. Just add a little pious language and much "seeker-friendly" language and it becomes quite appetizing. But is it nutritious? Does it really strengthen one for taking up the cross and foregoing the convenient, the pleasing, even the safe? (Mark 8:34-36)
All in all, Warren and the moguls of the mega-church movement basically betray their collaboration with the dominant culture: winning is everything, the ends justify the means ("law" is acceptable, but not a disciplined ethics), the church must prove God's majesty by gaining influence among the "principalities and powers" (hence the rise of not only the Religious Right as a partner in the coalition that presently governs the U.S., but the pathetic and feeble attempts to emulate their success by white liberals and African-American preachers). America's true religion is not Christianity, really; it is the mythology of "success". And much of what passes as "Bible-believing" these days is mainly a projection of the values of our late-capitalist (it must be stressed that we are not talking about the ethos described by Max Weber), consumerist ideology upon the institutions and myth-structures of historical Protestant churches. If the historic churches offer any resistance, then new ones may be built without any guilt.
In summary, the few valuable insights Warren affords about method, which mainly concern targeting and promotion are not original; they mainly serve to justify natural tendencies of an institution to perpetuate itself-why does one need to spend money on a book just to have a sounding-board for things one plans to do anyway? Likely the answer is "everybody's doing it."
Rating:
Summary: The Bible Driven Church
Review: Dr. John MacArthur's new book, The Bible Driven Church, reminds us that it's not new programs or styles that makes for a successful church, but adherence to the preaching and teaching of the pure word of God. Gimmicks do not belong in the operation of the church.
Rating: 
Summary: Church Growth: Traditional vs. Upstart
Review: I found this book to be quite useful and in depth in the field of church growth. This book however is not for everyone. This book should only really be considered for those who are willing to take risks in their own, already established, churches and those who are looking to start a church of their own. This book is not for those who feel that a change in their church would destroy the whole infrastructure and cause a split in their church. Rick Warren does stress the fact that one should only challenge the traditions of the church if they really feel they are being called by God to do so. For those who are about to start a church themselves, this book contains many useful ideas. Those who are not restrained by tradition and history of a church can look at this book for guidance. It contains great ideas for a church and many great ideas of how to help your church grow. If you are looking for a practical outlook on how to start a church then this is the book for you.
I did have several problems with the book however. Warren seems to not give the Holy Spirit enough credit. Warren tells those who read this book that they must reach out to those who are most like them. He makes it sound as if you can not reach out to those who are different, not relying on the Holy Spirit to work through you. He also relies a whole lot on you changing and fitting your church for the needs of others rather than relying on the Holy Spirit to move them. This brings me to another problem I have with the book. Nowhere in the Bible do you find a church having separate church services for non-believers. When Paul speaks of church in his Epistles he speaks of it as believers and non-believers communing together. The whole point of church for him is to edify and build up the believers and through that non-believers themselves would be edified. Warren relies strictly on separating his believers from non-believers. Warren's relaxed attitude toward believers also worries me. It seems at times that does not worry about whether he keeps or loses his members but is only focused on gaining more.
Once again this book works fine for those who are just starting a church. It gives great ideas for how one can go about this. I would not recommend it for churches already well established however for Warren does not give much attention to current members and to edifying them. There is definitely a leaning toward churches that are just starting because that is what Warren knows.
Rating:
Summary: This is a concerning book
Review: I read this book to try to understand Purpose Driven Life. Warren's use of Psychological methods, software watching, and even contracts. Where is this in scripture? This is concerning.
Warren heavily uses the Living Bible. I can understand some Paraphrasically type translations in Life. But, Church is written to Elders and Pastors.
Warren as in Life misuses scriptures. He treats transfer members differently than new converts. Where is that biblical. Maybe the people had a good and scriptural reason to leave. He works them harder. Since God is not a respector of persons we are supposed to be?
The final and most disturbing thought. Is the Kool-Aide mentality of don't question or make waves. In fact tells the pastors to either marginalize or publically humiliate the discenters regardless of if they are right or not. This is dangerous and unscriptural. We must be faithful Bereans and check for ourselves.
Warren is after the money plain and simple. This is the new Prayer of Jabez etc... It will come and go. I just hope not doing too much damage as churches have split over these books. All I can say is Woe to the shephard who doesn't care for the sheep.
Rating:
Summary: A complete lack of faith in the Holy Spirit
Review: I was curious about this book because I heard of his prior book. When I got to the part about "pick your targets" i.e. niche marketing I became very turned off. Pick your target people to save by income, age, etc. REALLY??? This is so unscriptural it's unbelievable. Jesus mixed with tax collectors, prostitutes, rich people and poor people, sick people to show us that his saving grace is available to all -- not just a select demographic few. This book is taking business tactics and trying to apply them to saving souls. If Jesus were physically with us at this time we would once again see him with his whips chasing the "money changers" out from the church entrance. This book and the tactics it promotes demonstrates a complete lack of faith in the Holy Spirit's ministry on earth. One pastor I know gave a sermon about this and refused to comply with this approach and had the most growth in his church over the others. This is because it is God and not men and their strategies and tactics who saves souls. Jesus warned us "beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits... every good tree bears good fruit, but every bad tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:15-16
Rating: 
Summary: Western, business-based and deceivingly unbiblical at times
Review: I was given this book to read by my pastor as an elder of a church in Toronto. We are a vibrant growing church that seeks to discover how God would have us do His will. Therefore, may I say that I also believe that Rick Warren wants to do the same thing. He is an ernest believer who wants to help the Church grow. That does not preclude my right to criticize this book. May I first begin with the title. Are we to start "Purpose Driven" churches? Or are we Spirit driven? The idea of having a purpose is not without warrant, but I strongly caution the kind of terminology that is too often used. May I also quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Life Together: "God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious...God has bound us together in one body...long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients." WE do not make the vision for the church - we enter into God's vision. I should address my claim in my title that he is deceivingly unbiblical. While reading the book, especially in the "Vision" section, I noted how many different translations he had to employ as he quoted Scripture to try and show the use of the word "vision" in the texts. Moreover, many of these verses really do not refer to a "vision statement" which he implied, but a vision of taking part in God's vision for the world. In this way, Warren instead uses biblical text to support a vision statement approach that is in fact directly copied from taht of large corporations. Some of the ideas in this book are also very questionable. For example, he insists that the pastor should be there a long time, that he or she is the essential Sheppard of the flock. As a protestant who believes strongly in the priesthood of all believers, how can this be? Is it about getting a single charismatic leader that we all rely on? What happens when the person eventually DOES leave (death, goes somewhere else, etc.) If the church is not strong enough in its own lay leadership, then this is a truly unhealthy church based on a cult of personality. Finally, the concept of growth is a slippery one. Warren is admittedly careful not to say that this is what it is all about, but he says that if you are healthy you will grow. I want to echo a fellow Amazon reviewer who commented that the more hard truths Jesus spoke, the more people left! Let us not forget that sometimes the gospel is offensive to the world! On a personal level, it is hard to read this book. It is what I call an "exclamation mark" book, meaning it seems that almost every page has 2 or 3 exclamation marks and almost flippant comments without a lot of deep thought. Its writing style puts me off and makes me feel like I am reading a pop book and not a spiritual book. This is not to say that he did not make me think or that he did not challenge me to rethink my current view of the church. However, in comparison to Bonheoffer, I must say I have learned more from the latter.
Rating: 
Summary: Reaching the Unchurched
Review: Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Church, provides valuable ideas for church planters and those who take on leadership positions within the church. Many people are wary about the claims that Warren makes because he seems to leave behind traditional and sometimes biblical ideas of how a church should be run. These claims arise from his methods of developing his church services around the felt needs of the community, his separation of seeker and believer services, and his strict policies of obedience to membership covenants. While these issues are controversial, a careful reading of Warren's book shows that he deals delicately with each of these issues and has aimed to separate cultural tradition from biblical instruction to make church relevant to people of this day and age.
Warren's primary goal in developing Saddleback Community Church was to attract the unchurched from the surrounding area. His methods of beginning with researching the community and asking its members why they do not attend church is biblically sound. Jesus knew the needs of those he met before they even told him. Since people now do not have that ability, they must ask before they can begin to fill the needs people have. Warren presents a helpful strategy for creating a church that answers to the needs of the community. He also recognizes that each community will have different needs so the method of discovering and meeting needs will take different forms in each case.
Once people from the community enter the church family through membership they are encouraged to grow through several programs. The explanation of the process of leading people to greater spiritual maturity is a strength of this book. Too many churches allow people to become stagnant in their faith once they have committed their lives to Christ. Warren shows that even a big church can be personal enough to ensure that each member is growing.
While The Purpose Driven Church presents many helpful church strategies it is important not to read it as more than the lessons and wisdom of one man. Warren has been successful in leading thousands of people to Christ and developing them into maturing Christians. He has learned from his journey and those lessons are valuable to other people. However, as Warren even notes, no two journeys will ever look the same. Furthermore, there are some valid areas of concern in Warren's suggestions, such as his separation of seekers from believers, the way he caters to the needs of the unchurched, and his seeming lack of concern for those who leave the church. Therefore, as with any book, it should be read with a discerning mind and prayerful openness to discover what is useful and what should be considered more carefully. I would recommend that it be read by anyone wanting to plant a church or in some cases those who are looking to revitalize a pre-existing church.
|
