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Summary: BEST BIBLICAL BOOK ON THE CHURCH! LIFECHANGING!
Review: This book changed my life, my ministry, and our church exploded with a new depth, health,and growth. I wish I'd had this book 25 years ago when I began my ministry. I'd never heard of Rick Warren but when I saw the list of "Who's Who" of Evangelical Leaders all endorsing this book as a classic (inside the cover) I bought it. I have to agree. I've read maybe a hundred books on church and ministry but none was as Scriptural, passionate,balanced, and practical as this book. Almost every pastor I talk to says this book changed their ministry for better. It's a seminary education in one volume. Get it, read it, and apply it. I've heard that it has exceeded a million copies in print in about 20 languages. It doesn't surprise me. There is no other book on ministry that can help you more.
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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.
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Summary: The Best Method for Church Growth without abandoning the Bib
Review: This book represents the best method of our generation for building a solid New Testament Church. For those who say that the message is not biblical, give me a break. It is not a theological treatise. It is a method that ASSUMES that you already have good theology. It is, simply put, a set of principles for "doing church" in a post-modern, often antagonistic, culture. I have been to Saddleback and found the Church to be refreshing, very well grounded in solid biblical theology but unencumbered with the traditional trappings of "Church-ianity." If you want to be the Pastor of a 1950's style church, don't bother reading this book. If you want to suffer from the "We've never done it that way before" disease, then don't read this book. If you want principles for a modern church that preaches a timeless message, THIS IS THE BOOK THAT WILL TEACH YOU THE PRINCIPLES!
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Summary: Church Growth Saddleback Style
Review: I enjoyed reading Rick Warren's book, but a closer reading suggests that it suffers from the same problem that plagues much church-growth literature: a faulty assumption. "A healthy church will grow," is the fundamental assumption underlying Warren's book. But what theological warrant do we have for this assumption? In John 6, Jesus speaks to a large crowd about their need to "eat his flesh and drink his blood." This truth-telling (i.e. seeker-oriented?) approach to ministry actually led many of Jesus' followers to abandon him (John 6:66). The pressing question for the church-growth movement in America is whether it believes that the church's misson to be a truth-telling people will of necessity lead to an increase in numerical growth. I, for one, am skeptical. Further, there is a continuing need for reflection on the theology of worship and theology of preaching underlying Warren's book. Such a task is beyond the scope of this present review.
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Summary: Biblical principles for reaching an increasingly pagan world
Review: This book goes beyond "contemporary versus traditional" worship issues and addresses the greater question: how can we reach a lost world that is increasingly pagan and diverse? Warren uses the Bible as a reference point, rather than the traditions of the 1900's church models, to build a ministry model capable of communicating the gospel to a modern day world whose decadence and world view is becoming more and more like that of the pagan nations that surrounded the early Christians of the first century.
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Summary: The most biblical lesson about how yo love your people
Review: Sorry. My English is poor...(I'm suffering now) But I can say that this book give me a biblical imotion, And my life-purpose be changed from the survival to the realization distinct vision on God's surf. In spite of my terrible English, I'm happy because I can say somthing about this lovely book. Thans to Jesus our saviour & Rick. La, la, la~
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Summary: Throw This and Other "Church Growth" books in the Trash Can
Review: This book like others in the Church Growth fad are not biblical. How about this title for a book instead..... "The Bible Driven Church". The basic premise of this book is that churches should be places that we bring our friends to have the hired gun preacher give them the gospel. This is not biblical. The Church is the local body of believers and a place to equip them and send them out. Please don't be taken in by the hype. Use your bible. All that we need for the Church is within those blessed pages.
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Summary: A Proven Model for Church Health
Review: In the Purpose Driven Church Rick Warren explains the Saddleback model of ministry. It includes both the underlying philosophy and the nuts and bolts practical methods. The Purpose Driven Church is a proven model for modern day church ministry. Since 1992, our church has used the general philosophy of the model with exceptional results. The book is enjoyable to read, full of practical methods and based on Biblical principles.
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Summary: BEST BOOK ON THE CHURCH - A CLASSIC
Review: This book is a rare treasure of godly wisdom, totally scriptural, inspired by the Spirit, and born of practical experience. These principles will revolutionize and energize any church to reach its full potential. Every pastor MUST read this book. It is destined to become a classic. Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
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Summary: "The Principle Built Church" would be a better title
Review: Rick Warren provides good information, but the purpose of the church is clearly to reconcile humans to God, i.e., to get people into a personal relationship with God. What Rick has identified is not purposes for the church but rather principles on which to build this ministry of reconcilation. The five "purposes" Rick espouses are actually building blocks for us to 1) grow closer to God 2) learn to know Him better 3) draw people to God and 4) demonstrate our love for God by loving one another. If a reader makes this transition in their minds, this is an excellent book. If not, this book can be deceiving. I give it a conditional three stars.
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