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Summary: a must read
Review: You don't have to accept everything he proposed in this book but I do like the fact that he is straight to the point and is very helpful. Personally I didn't accept it all, but this book is very very very helpful, and I will use many of the things that I learned from this book... I recommend this book to the leaders of the church. for me the book worth more than 20 dollars it costs.
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Summary: The carnal mind...
Review: I have to agree with the negative critiques previously submitted. It is indeed an expression of the Laodicean Age's religiosity and teeters on heresy. Too strong? I don't expect nonChristians to understand Christian terminology, concepts, precepts, etc., any more than someone studying accounting for the first time understands accounting terminology. The true accounting however will come from the expressed expectations given to the Church to teach new believers proper dogma and appropriate spiritual behaviors. No wonder the Church in the Laodicean Age has become so pathetically weak and ineffective unless applying business principles of sales, marketing, and management techniques. Nothing new under the sun. I've heard this nonsense before. And the consequences follow the victims forever...
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Summary: Important book for church leaders
Review: This is one of the most important books a pastor or church leader will ever read. Rick Warren has provided remarkable insights about how to effectively lead a local church in order to reach people. Whether you lead a traditional congregation or are starting a contemporary church, the principles provided are valuable and solid...
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Summary: More Garbage by Rick Warren
Review: Seriously folks, somebody just HAS to stop this money hungry wolf before he spiritually rapes his flock! This stuff is just LOUSY!
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Summary: Great Book on the Church
Review: This is a great book for anyone looking to be involved in God's instrument for reaching a lost world- the church. The author points out that as individualistic Westerners, we have neglected the importance of the local church. We should have God's purposes in planting and establishing local churches. The book is centered on what the author believes are the five purposes of the local church; worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. The book is written in a clear, easy-to-read, and relevant style. As a missionary in training who hopes to plant churches cross-culturally in the future, I appreciated the principles given in the first few chapters of the book. The rest of the book is focused more on how to apply these principles to church planting in a Western context. I am going to take some of these principles and apply them to how I do church planting in Asia, but I will not be able to follow most of the models and examples given in the book. Again, this is a great book for anyone wanting to be involved with the local church (especially in America). I would recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: Warren's Strategy For a Successful Ministry
Review: In his book, The Purpose-Driven Church, Rick Warren offers a comprehensive model of evangelizing a community through a principle-guided approach to planting and growing a church. His writing is well organized and easy to understand. The tone of the book is both instructive and inspirational as Warren speaks in a friendly, engaged tone.
The strength of the book is its clear vision and step-by-step process to aid a minister to think biblically and to strategize his approach. His approach begins with a simple concept to develop a vision and a purpose for the Church. In various ways, Warren demonstrates how a minister also acts as a guide for the church by first communicating a vision and purpose for the church, gaining the members' enthusiasm for this vision, and then calling for their commitment to serve the purpose of the church.
Warren provides a biblical basis for the importance of strategizing with Paul as his role model. He believes Paul's example of ministry was strategic because he "allowed his target to determine his approach" (Warren, 197). The Purpose-Driven Church expresses that having a strategy for evangelism is vital for successful ministry. Identifying one's target audience provides greater accuracy for ministry. A research of the geography and demographics of a community helps describe the residents. Although Warren recognizes the need for researching the intended target audience, he warns against spending too much time on research alone (Warren, 163).
Once a community is researched and the target audience is identified, Warren then explicates on the organization of the services offered within the church for members as well as visitors. He offers the model of the "5 Circles of Commitment" to describe the purpose of the church to draw in new Christians, and the model of "the Life Development Process" to communicate the purpose of transforming visitors into committed members (Warren, 130). He suggests the implementation of "Seeker Services" provide a better opportunity to evangelize the community with specific times set aside for visitors. The Seeker service centers its message on the needs of visitors (Warren, 142).
The model of Saddleback provides a realistic and plausible account of one church's growth from only a few members to a growth to more than 10,000 members. Rick Warren provides the Saddleback model for other ministers to learn from. The drawback for using Saddleback as a model is the danger of applying this model to an already established church. Churches that have had a faithful handful of members may not share the same excitement for Warren's approach. The Saddleback Model begins with new Christians who are open to change. Many churches today are loyal to their established tradition of worship. Perhaps a minister eager to implement some of Warren's suggestions might overlook the need to be sensitive to the needs of faithful members, thus applying these suggestions to a church with some destructive results. Although Warren includes some cautionary words, it would be more helpful if he expanded upon the need for caution, and focused a whole chapter on the subject.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to serve ministry by encouraging ministers to seek the vision of God, and to consider the application of strategies for church growth.
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Summary: Author, "Maybe God Is Trying To Tell You Something..."
Review: Many people live their lives so caught up in obtaining the things that serve to satisfy themselves, that they never take the time to fully analyze Rick's question. I recently discovered my purpose(s) and this book confirmed that I truly heard from God. One of those purposes was the book I recently completed, "Maybe God Is Trying To Tell You Something". We are all here to serve one another and to help each other through this journey we call life. It's not about "us" and the things that make "us" happy. Sure, that's part of it. But God has a much bigger plan in mind. How sad it is to spend our entire lives going after things. How shallow it is to think we need certain relationships to feel whole and complete. What happens after we've acquired the "things" and we're still miserable? What do we do when we've gotten that special someone and after time, realize the relationship is not what we thought we wanted? Rick's book will cause you to re-evaluate not only "who" you are, but "why" you are. This is a must read!
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Summary: Cancer grows fast, too.
Review: The principles of consumer marketing can fill a building once a week for almost any purpose: fish fries, rock concerts, mud wrestling, you name it. The purpose of *evangelism* is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ: that the Way of the Cross is in fact the Truth and the Life. It is not surprising that no cross "obstructs the view" at Saddleback "Church." Sacrifice, voluntary suffering, and solidarity with the poor in the struggle for justice don't make it in the door at this megachurch. I give this book two stars because there are some useful pointers in how to lift up a vision that will motivate a congregation to take risks in faith for the sake of those who have not heard the gospel. For the *content* of that gospel, run, do not walk, towards writers who understand that it is the Lamb who was slain that we follow.
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Summary: A Layman's Perspective
Review: If you want to make a change in your congregation for the good of the Body of Christ, read this book. There are other reviews here that criticize Rick's book. That's fine, that is their perogative. But I ask you, if you want to make a difference in your community and share Christ's love with a hurting and dying world in a way that they will listen and hear what God's word says, the Purpose-Driven Model, as explained in this book, is fantastic. This is not a "get rich quick" book on church growth. Our church has successfully transitioned to being Purpose-Driven. It is not easy, it is often quite hard and painful, but how does our discomfort in being moved from our comfort zone compare to what Jesus went through on the cross for the people in our community who don't know him. The principles that are spelled out in this book allow you to tear down the walls that keep the unchurched out of your building. The Purpose-Driven Model works because it is Biblically based. If you think it is not, have your Bible beside you while you read this book and see if the point Rick is making is not only backed up by the Bible, but the translation he uses was picked to fit exactly with the point he is making. Rick, and any Purpose-Driven pastor, goes to great lengths to use just the right word, or phrase to illustrate a point. Why do they do this? Read the book and see wha Rick has to say about it. Maybe this is just rambling, but I can tell you this. Purpose Driven has worked in huge churches with gifted individuals as leaders(ie. Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Max Lucado), but more importantly it has worked in small churches with leaders who are less well known and with congregations who have a heart to bring Christ to their community. And it will work for you and your church.
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Summary: Confusion of Worship and Evangelism
Review: This is just another spin on Church Growth Movement which says find your spiritual niche and then organize completely around it. Thus, Warren fulfilled this in Orange County, CA. All telling is his use of some of the least reliable English translations of the Bible when he needs the largest amount of support for his program suggestions on how to grow the church. Suffice this major example for even learning new principles. Warren quotes from Living Bible (one of the most unreliable) on Prov. 18:15 "The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them." Sounds good to modern mind that wants to sweep away all traces of ties with historic, catholic church. But a reliable English translation, e.g. NASB has for this verse: The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Something totally quite different than Warren trumpets. One will find such careless use of poor Bible translation to make his case. Not all of quotes from poor translations, such as Living Bible, Today's English Version, and NCV are this far off, but many are in this book. Also, he hedges much of what he touts as the Lord's will, by saying that copying what he does will not guarantee growth, but following principles will. Statistics of those who have implemented such will not back this up. See Barna et al who now constantly say such as Warren have mislead the church. It is not increasing kingdom of Christ numerically at all, in fact it is hurting the church by moving sheep around. Serious misconception that evangelism is worship and thus need to divide worship services into different congregations, those on Sunday and those on Wed. Fractionalizing the church is not the Lord's idea. Certainly we are to fish for the lost, but not cater to them as we assemble together in the Divine Service. To do this he presents undocumented opinions which are mythical, e.g. Luther's "Mighty Fortress" came from popular song which cannot be documented, etc. Preaching which does not confront the unbeliever with the scandalon of the particulariity of Christ crucified has no power in it to save anyone. This kind of bait and switch, Hot-Tub Christianity is unbiblical. His Scripture does not support his opinions and pragmatism, no matter how he rails to the contrare. This is threatening to the flock, for it says that we have to cater to pagans and the apostate who will not permit the real transcendant God to be present among them to do what He desires, to forgive them their sins and cleanse them with the pure Gospel. This is revivalism gone amuck in progressive, consumer-driven, individualistic Orange County. Will Christ find true faith when He returns?
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