and watered all the land. 7And the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person.
8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created. 9And the Lord God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush. 14The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates.
15The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. 16But the Lord God gave him this warning: "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden 17except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die."
18And the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." 19So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21So the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam's ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.
23"At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." 24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
"Multiply and fill the earth
22Then God blessed them, saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." 23This all happened on the fifth day.
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."
27So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day.
2:1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the Lord God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6But water came up out of the ground
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."
27So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day.
2:1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the Lord God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6But water came up out of the ground
Saturday, November 27, 2010
masters over the fish
22Then God blessed them, saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." 23This all happened on the fifth day.
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."
27So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day.
2:1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the Lord God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6But water came up out of the ground
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."
27So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day.
2:1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the Lord God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6But water came up out of the ground
Thursday, November 25, 2010
the heavens and the earth
Genesis 1:1-50:26 (NLT)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day.
6And God said, "Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." 7And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8And God called the space "sky." This happened on the second day.
9And God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear." And so it was. 10God named the dry ground "land" and the water "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And so it was. 12The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13This all happened on the third day.
14And God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. 15Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was. 16For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater one, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19This all happened on the fourth day.
20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 21So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day.
6And God said, "Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." 7And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8And God called the space "sky." This happened on the second day.
9And God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear." And so it was. 10God named the dry ground "land" and the water "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And so it was. 12The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13This all happened on the third day.
14And God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. 15Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was. 16For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater one, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19This all happened on the fourth day.
20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 21So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Unjust Judge
The Power of Persistence in prayer.
The story of the unjust judge is the case of a woman that would not give up. This story illustrate the need for constant prayer and that we must never give up.
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Always praying means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for him day by day, believing he will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope.
Isa. 1.24-,1 Samuel 24:12 --
Sunday, November 14, 2010
human schemes
scheme
1 Samuel 26:19 (NLT)
But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For you have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord's people and worship as I should.
Jeremiah 2:33 (NLT)
"How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most experienced prostitute could learn from you!
2:1-3:5 In this section, the marriage analogy sharply contrasts God’s love for his people with their love for other gods and reveals Judah’s faithlessness. Jeremiah condemned Judah (he sometimes called Judah “Jerusalem,” the name of its capital city) for seeking security in worthless, changeable things rather than the unchangeable God. We may be tempted to seek security from possessions, people, or our own abilities, but these will fail us. There is no lasting security apart from the eternal God.
Ezekiel 38:10 (NLT)
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
Micah 7:3 (NLT)
They go about their evil deeds with both hands. How skilled they are at using them! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with money and influence pay them off, and together they scheme to twist justice.
7:1ff This chapter begins in gloom (Micah 7:1-6) and ends in hope (Micah 7:8-20). Micah watched as society rotted around him. Rulers demanded gifts; judges accepted bribes; corruption was universal. But God promised to lead the people out of the darkness of sin and into his light. Then the people would praise him for his faithfulness. God alone is perfectly faithful.
7:1-4 Micah could not find an upright person anywhere in the land. Even today, uprightness (honesty, integrity) is difficult to find. Society rationalizes sin, and even Christians sometimes compromise Christian principles in order to do what they want. It is easy to convince ourselves that we deserve a few breaks, especially when “everyone else” is doing it. But the standards for honesty come from God, not society. We are honest because God is truth, and we are to be like him.
James 4:2 (NLT)
You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it.
4:1-3 Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful. James explains that these quarrels result from evil desires battling within us—we want more possessions, more money, higher status, more recognition. When we want badly enough to fulfill these desires, we fight in order to do so. Instead of aggressively grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask God to help us get rid of our selfish desires, and trust him to give us what we really need.
4:2-3 James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1 John 3:21-22).
4:3-4 There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that he wants us to enjoy (James 1:17; Ephes. 4:7; 1 Tim. 4:4-5). But having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at others’ expense or at the expense of obeying God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God’s rich bounty is good.
4:4-6 The cure for evil desires is humility (see Proverbs 16:18-19; 1 Peter 5:5-6). Pride makes us self-centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need. We can be released from our self-centered desires by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that all we really need is his approval. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this world’s seductive attractions are only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.
4:5 This verse may mean that because of our fallen nature, we have a tendency toward envy. James is not quoting a specific verse or passage—he is summing up a teaching of Scripture. See Romans 6:6-8 and Galatians 5:17-21 for more on the human tendency toward envy and discontent.
Romans 6:6 (KJV)
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:6 The power and penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. Our “old self,” our sinful nature, died once and for all, so we are freed from its power. The “body of sin” is not the human body, but our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Though our body willingly cooperates with our sinful nature, we must not regard the body as evil. It is the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our body that is defeated. Paul has already stated that through faith in Christ we stand acquitted, “not guilty” before God. Here Paul emphasizes that we need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ (see Galatians 2:20).
Romans 6:8 (KJV)
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:8 Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers need never fear death. That assurance frees us to enjoy fellowship with him and to do his will. This will affect all our activities—work and worship, play, Bible study, quiet times, and times of caring for others. When you know that you don’t have to fear death, you will experience a new vigor in life.
Galatians 5:19 (KJV)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:19-21 We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them— Galatians 5:24). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.
1 Samuel 26:19 (NLT)
But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For you have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord's people and worship as I should.
Jeremiah 2:33 (NLT)
"How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most experienced prostitute could learn from you!
2:1-3:5 In this section, the marriage analogy sharply contrasts God’s love for his people with their love for other gods and reveals Judah’s faithlessness. Jeremiah condemned Judah (he sometimes called Judah “Jerusalem,” the name of its capital city) for seeking security in worthless, changeable things rather than the unchangeable God. We may be tempted to seek security from possessions, people, or our own abilities, but these will fail us. There is no lasting security apart from the eternal God.
Ezekiel 38:10 (NLT)
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
Micah 7:3 (NLT)
They go about their evil deeds with both hands. How skilled they are at using them! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with money and influence pay them off, and together they scheme to twist justice.
7:1ff This chapter begins in gloom (Micah 7:1-6) and ends in hope (Micah 7:8-20). Micah watched as society rotted around him. Rulers demanded gifts; judges accepted bribes; corruption was universal. But God promised to lead the people out of the darkness of sin and into his light. Then the people would praise him for his faithfulness. God alone is perfectly faithful.
7:1-4 Micah could not find an upright person anywhere in the land. Even today, uprightness (honesty, integrity) is difficult to find. Society rationalizes sin, and even Christians sometimes compromise Christian principles in order to do what they want. It is easy to convince ourselves that we deserve a few breaks, especially when “everyone else” is doing it. But the standards for honesty come from God, not society. We are honest because God is truth, and we are to be like him.
James 4:2 (NLT)
You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it.
4:1-3 Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful. James explains that these quarrels result from evil desires battling within us—we want more possessions, more money, higher status, more recognition. When we want badly enough to fulfill these desires, we fight in order to do so. Instead of aggressively grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask God to help us get rid of our selfish desires, and trust him to give us what we really need.
4:2-3 James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1 John 3:21-22).
4:3-4 There is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. God gives us good gifts that he wants us to enjoy (James 1:17; Ephes. 4:7; 1 Tim. 4:4-5). But having friendship with the world involves seeking pleasure at others’ expense or at the expense of obeying God. Pleasure that keeps us from pleasing God is sinful; pleasure from God’s rich bounty is good.
4:4-6 The cure for evil desires is humility (see Proverbs 16:18-19; 1 Peter 5:5-6). Pride makes us self-centered and leads us to conclude that we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. It creates greedy appetites for far more than we need. We can be released from our self-centered desires by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that all we really need is his approval. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this world’s seductive attractions are only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.
4:5 This verse may mean that because of our fallen nature, we have a tendency toward envy. James is not quoting a specific verse or passage—he is summing up a teaching of Scripture. See Romans 6:6-8 and Galatians 5:17-21 for more on the human tendency toward envy and discontent.
Romans 6:6 (KJV)
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:6 The power and penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. Our “old self,” our sinful nature, died once and for all, so we are freed from its power. The “body of sin” is not the human body, but our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Though our body willingly cooperates with our sinful nature, we must not regard the body as evil. It is the sin in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our body that is defeated. Paul has already stated that through faith in Christ we stand acquitted, “not guilty” before God. Here Paul emphasizes that we need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots—we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Christ (see Galatians 2:20).
Romans 6:8 (KJV)
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:8 Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers need never fear death. That assurance frees us to enjoy fellowship with him and to do his will. This will affect all our activities—work and worship, play, Bible study, quiet times, and times of caring for others. When you know that you don’t have to fear death, you will experience a new vigor in life.
Galatians 5:19 (KJV)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:19-21 We all have evil desires, and we can’t ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them— Galatians 5:24). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM
1. Opening Prayer
2. Opening Hymn
3. Praise and Worship
4. Offering
5. Welcome address and introduction of guest ministers
6. Music Ministration
7. Prayer for the Church
8. Hymn 2
9. Drama presentation
10. Children Ministration
11. The Word
12. Ministers Offering
13. Announcement and introduction of other guest
14. Special Music Rendition
15. Cutting of anniversary cake
16. Closing hymn
17. Announcement
18. Benediction
19. Refreshment
Monday, November 8, 2010
THIS TIME
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (Psa 32:5)
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Psa 32:6)
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psa 32:7)
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psa 32:8)
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (Psa 32:9)
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. (Psa 32:10)
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psa 32:11)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thanksgiving
Four elements of true thanksgiving are found in this song (psalm): (1) remembering what God has done, (2) telling others about it, (3) showing God’s glory to others, and (4) offering gifts of self, time, and resources. If you are truly thankful, your life will show it
Several parts of this psalm are parallel to songs in the book of Psalms: 1 Chron. 16:8-22 with Psalm 105:1-15; 1 Chron. 16:23-33 with Psalm 96; 1 Chron. 16:34-36 with Psalm 106:1, 47-48.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Servant’s Role
Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. Each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together. Christians must avoid two common errors: (1) being too proud of their abilities, or (2) thinking they have nothing to give to the body of believers. Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News of salvation.
The Servant’s Role
(Luke 17:7-10)
What is your role? Jesus Christ describe the role of the servant here as one of service to his master. ‘which one of you having a servant after finishing the house work would say to that servant come and sit while I prepare your food’. Rather you will say go and prepare my meal and wait on me while I sup, afterward you can eat. Do you say ‘thank you’ to that servant for doing what you commanded? I don't think so. So likewise when you have done all those things commanded you, don't say I don't get any reward for all my effort, it is your duty to perform.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
David Struggle
11:1ff In the episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin. (1) David abandoned his purpose by staying home from war (2 Samuel 11:1). (2) He focused on his own desires (2 Samuel 11:3). (3) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it (2 Samuel 11:4). (4) He sinned deliberately (2 Samuel 11:4). (5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (2 Samuel 11:6-15). (6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (2 Samuel 11:15, 17). Eventually David’s sin was exposed (2 Samuel 12:9) and punished (2 Samuel 12:10-14). (7) The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching, affecting many others (2 Samuel 11:17; 2 Samuel 12:11, 14-15).
David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.
David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tools for evaluating local play provision:
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
8
1.2 The technical guide
This guidance has been prepared to provide local authorities with a clear
understanding of the performance indicators for play. It provides clear
descriptions and definitions of the indicators, data sources and methods for
collecting and analysing the data. In detail the guidance:
.. explains the purpose of the performance indicators and the
performance information system
.. ensures that the definitions are precise but practicable
.. explains what should be measured
.. explains how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data should be collected
.. provides data collection forms to ensure that it is possible to match data
that comes from different sources
.. explains the technical properties of each indicator, example, with
respect to sampling scheme, response rate in surveys, and precision
.. provides the protocols on how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data will be analysed, and whether there will be any
adjustment for context
.. indicates how the results will be presented, including the protocols
whereby institutions or individuals may be named publicly
.. demonstrates how uncertainty will be conveyed to safeguard against
over-interpretation and misinterpretation.
The indicators and the process of collecting the necessary data have been
piloted by six local authorities. These were:
Chelmsford District Council A largely rural area in west Essex based on the
county town of Chelmsford but also covering a number of smaller villages.
Chelmsford is the only district to have participated and has provided valuable
pointers on the capacity of districts to deliver these indicators.
Kirklees Council A metropolitan council in West Yorkshire centred on the
large town of Huddersfield and also covering a range of smaller towns and
villages. Kirklees has a large range of play provision.
Manchester City Council An entirely urban metropolitan council covering a
large and diverse community which includes a major city centre and inner city
undergoing significant regeneration, and suburban areas.
Bolton Metropolitan Council Covering the large urban area of Bolton and its
immediate surroundings, northwest of Manchester.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea A West London borough
that has some affluent districts alongside wards that are included in the 10 per
cent most deprived in England (Indices of Deprivation, 2007).
Bristol City Council. A large unitary authority in the west of England that
covers a primarily urban area with a diverse population base.
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
9
We are very grateful to the many staff involved at each of these authorities for
their constructive and enthusiastic approach to piloting the indicators and to
their contribution to refining this guidance.
1.3 The local play indicators
The performance indicators for play provision are defined in Table 1.
Table 1: Local performance indicators
Indicator 1 Participation Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years (from all social and
ethnic groups, including those who are disabled),
who play out for at least four hours each week.
Household survey
Indicator 2 Access to a variety of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The percentage of children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years that have access to at
least three different types of space or facility
doorstep, local and neighbourhood), at least one
of which is a dedicated place for play and informal
recreation, which are all within easy walking or
cycling distance as defined in Table 3.
Open space and
play strategy
audits
GIS mapping
Indicator 3 Quality of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The proportion of play spaces and facilities with
high scores for location, play value and care and
maintenance as assessed using the Playable
Space Quality Assessment Tool.
Quality
Assessment Tool
Indicator 4 Satisfaction Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
(from all social and ethnic groups, including those
who are disabled), who think that the range and
quality of play facilities and spaces they are able
to access in their local neighbourhood is good/very
good.
Questionnaire
survey of children
and young people
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
10
1.4 Practical steps towards a successful data collection and
analysis
From the experience of other schemes, it is important that you try to ensure
that the following requirements are fulfilled.
Clear leadership is essential for good project management. In particular it is
important that you try to avoid split responsibilities. You will need a project
manager with the authority to drive it through. It is also important for you to
have a rapid replacement policy, should the local project manager become ill
or leave.
It is important to establish clear and unambiguous communications
procedures with internal teams, particularly regarding the protocols for data
collection.
It is essential for you to set a clear timetable for your responsibilities in the
procedures for data collection, data analysis and reporting of the results. This
should obviously be compatible with the timetable for data collection. Build in
some slippage time because it is inevitable that there will be delays in
obtaining or analysing some of the data.
Finally, the project manager needs to be clear on a number of things:
.. First, on the definitions of what you are measuring and reporting on. The
next section will help you on this. Any ambiguities remaining in these
definitions should be resolved by discussion with the consultants, not by
second-guessing what should be the right way or by dialogue with other
local authorities. It is vital that local authorities measure and report the
same data, for the reliability of performance measurement.
.. Second, on the procedures for obtaining the data needed to measure the
four performance indicators. You need to either implement these
procedures or monitor them being conducted by other organisations.
.. Third, on the desired outputs of the pilot, ie the measures of the four
performance indicators. These measures have to be consistently
presented by all local authorities.
1.5 Definitions
1.5.1 Designated and non-designated play places
Places where children play that may or may not be specifically designed for
play or informal recreation (designated or non-designated) and may or may
not be supervised by staff trained in playwork or other skills.
The play place grid (Table 2) give examples of the types of facility and space
which offer children and young people the best opportunities for play and
informal recreation and which should form the basis of provision where
children should be able to play freely and free of charge in their own
neighbourhoods.
8
1.2 The technical guide
This guidance has been prepared to provide local authorities with a clear
understanding of the performance indicators for play. It provides clear
descriptions and definitions of the indicators, data sources and methods for
collecting and analysing the data. In detail the guidance:
.. explains the purpose of the performance indicators and the
performance information system
.. ensures that the definitions are precise but practicable
.. explains what should be measured
.. explains how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data should be collected
.. provides data collection forms to ensure that it is possible to match data
that comes from different sources
.. explains the technical properties of each indicator, example, with
respect to sampling scheme, response rate in surveys, and precision
.. provides the protocols on how the data will be checked and audited
.. explains how the data will be analysed, and whether there will be any
adjustment for context
.. indicates how the results will be presented, including the protocols
whereby institutions or individuals may be named publicly
.. demonstrates how uncertainty will be conveyed to safeguard against
over-interpretation and misinterpretation.
The indicators and the process of collecting the necessary data have been
piloted by six local authorities. These were:
Chelmsford District Council A largely rural area in west Essex based on the
county town of Chelmsford but also covering a number of smaller villages.
Chelmsford is the only district to have participated and has provided valuable
pointers on the capacity of districts to deliver these indicators.
Kirklees Council A metropolitan council in West Yorkshire centred on the
large town of Huddersfield and also covering a range of smaller towns and
villages. Kirklees has a large range of play provision.
Manchester City Council An entirely urban metropolitan council covering a
large and diverse community which includes a major city centre and inner city
undergoing significant regeneration, and suburban areas.
Bolton Metropolitan Council Covering the large urban area of Bolton and its
immediate surroundings, northwest of Manchester.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea A West London borough
that has some affluent districts alongside wards that are included in the 10 per
cent most deprived in England (Indices of Deprivation, 2007).
Bristol City Council. A large unitary authority in the west of England that
covers a primarily urban area with a diverse population base.
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
9
We are very grateful to the many staff involved at each of these authorities for
their constructive and enthusiastic approach to piloting the indicators and to
their contribution to refining this guidance.
1.3 The local play indicators
The performance indicators for play provision are defined in Table 1.
Table 1: Local performance indicators
Indicator 1 Participation Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years (from all social and
ethnic groups, including those who are disabled),
who play out for at least four hours each week.
Household survey
Indicator 2 Access to a variety of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The percentage of children and young people
aged from birth to 16 years that have access to at
least three different types of space or facility
doorstep, local and neighbourhood), at least one
of which is a dedicated place for play and informal
recreation, which are all within easy walking or
cycling distance as defined in Table 3.
Open space and
play strategy
audits
GIS mapping
Indicator 3 Quality of facilities and spaces Method of
generation
Description The proportion of play spaces and facilities with
high scores for location, play value and care and
maintenance as assessed using the Playable
Space Quality Assessment Tool.
Quality
Assessment Tool
Indicator 4 Satisfaction Method of
generation
Description The percentage of all children and young people
(from all social and ethnic groups, including those
who are disabled), who think that the range and
quality of play facilities and spaces they are able
to access in their local neighbourhood is good/very
good.
Questionnaire
survey of children
and young people
Tools for evaluating local play provision: A technical guide to Play England local play indicators
10
1.4 Practical steps towards a successful data collection and
analysis
From the experience of other schemes, it is important that you try to ensure
that the following requirements are fulfilled.
Clear leadership is essential for good project management. In particular it is
important that you try to avoid split responsibilities. You will need a project
manager with the authority to drive it through. It is also important for you to
have a rapid replacement policy, should the local project manager become ill
or leave.
It is important to establish clear and unambiguous communications
procedures with internal teams, particularly regarding the protocols for data
collection.
It is essential for you to set a clear timetable for your responsibilities in the
procedures for data collection, data analysis and reporting of the results. This
should obviously be compatible with the timetable for data collection. Build in
some slippage time because it is inevitable that there will be delays in
obtaining or analysing some of the data.
Finally, the project manager needs to be clear on a number of things:
.. First, on the definitions of what you are measuring and reporting on. The
next section will help you on this. Any ambiguities remaining in these
definitions should be resolved by discussion with the consultants, not by
second-guessing what should be the right way or by dialogue with other
local authorities. It is vital that local authorities measure and report the
same data, for the reliability of performance measurement.
.. Second, on the procedures for obtaining the data needed to measure the
four performance indicators. You need to either implement these
procedures or monitor them being conducted by other organisations.
.. Third, on the desired outputs of the pilot, ie the measures of the four
performance indicators. These measures have to be consistently
presented by all local authorities.
1.5 Definitions
1.5.1 Designated and non-designated play places
Places where children play that may or may not be specifically designed for
play or informal recreation (designated or non-designated) and may or may
not be supervised by staff trained in playwork or other skills.
The play place grid (Table 2) give examples of the types of facility and space
which offer children and young people the best opportunities for play and
informal recreation and which should form the basis of provision where
children should be able to play freely and free of charge in their own
neighbourhoods.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Why is the resurrection so important?
Why is the resurrection so important?
(1) Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming.
(2) Because of the resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
(3) The resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!
(4) The resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us.
(5) The resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the resurrection gives us hope for the future.
(6) The resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not legend; he is alive and real.
(7) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for him in an evil world.
Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, life-style, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rose from the dead! (For more on the importance of the resurrection, see 1 Cor. 15:12-58.)
(1) Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming.
(2) Because of the resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
(3) The resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!
(4) The resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us.
(5) The resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the resurrection gives us hope for the future.
(6) The resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling his kingdom. He is not legend; he is alive and real.
(7) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for him in an evil world.
Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, life-style, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians—Jesus Christ rose from the dead! (For more on the importance of the resurrection, see 1 Cor. 15:12-58.)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
An Analysis of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose Driven Life
An Analysis of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose
Movement
by
Mike McMullen, University of Houston-Clear Lake
and
William Kilgore, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Presented at:
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Portland, Oregon
October 20, 2006
Introduction
What would Jesus do? The Left Behind series. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the
Christ movie. The Prayer of Jabez. American evangelicals, at any given moment, have
minds and hearts captured by one Christian fad or another. It is not unusual to see
carefully crafted evangelical-authored books on the secular best-sellers list. Rick
Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life deserves its place at the top of the list of resources
captivating an evangelical audience.
Warren’s book, however, goes far beyond the above-mentioned fads. Yes, the
book has captivated great numbers of evangelicals and even cornered its share of an
expanding secular market for spirituality. Yet it has also spawned the “40 Days of
Purpose” campaign, a program that has been used by churches across denominational
cleavages. This paper will briefly discuss Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, the “40
days of Purpose” campaign, and provide preliminary analysis of a phenomena that has
managed to introduce an evangelical perspectives into churches of all types. Thus far,
there has been no academic research on Warren or his Forty Days of Purpose (FDP)
movement.
Rick Warren: Ecclesiastical Change Agent
Warren pastors the 20,000 member Saddleback Community Church, an
innovative Southern Baptist congregation that sits on 120 acres in Lake Forest, California
(Saddleback, 2005). He is the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Church and The
Purpose Driven Life, the mastermind behind the popular “40 days of Purpose” campaign,
and is now spearheading P.E.A.C.E., a worldwide Christian-based effort to end hunger
and poverty (Abanes, 2005: 22-26; Morgan, 2005). In 2002, Warren was nominated as
“America’s most influential pastor” (Abanes, 2005: 66). Most recently, Warren has been
called “America’s Pastor,” and compared with Billy Graham in influence, actually
ranking second (26%) only to Graham (34%) in a recent poll of pastors to identify those
having “the greatest influence on American churches and church leaders” (“Pastors,”
2005).
Rick Warren’s beginnings are fairly simple. Coming from a long line of
ministers, including one ancestor who trained under Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892),
Warren was the son of an influential Southern Baptist minister who spent his life
evangelizing and planting churches (Abanes, 2005: 35-38; Mair, 2005: 27-45; Parks &
Stafford, 2003). The Warren household was one that took their faith seriously, and
prioritized their lives accordingly. This is important, as it provides insight into Warren’s
passion to see Christians live out their faith in day-to-day life. By all accounts, his father
represented an example of such a faith throughout young Warren’s life. Both of
Warren’s parents literally died in Christian service: his father passed away while
repeating “One more for Jesus” over and over, while his mother had a heart attack in the
kitchen practicing the hospitality she was so known for (Mair, 2005: 43)
Even as a teenager, Warren was practicing evangelism in a way that was
culturally relevant, which in the 1960s meant growing his hair long and strumming a
guitar (Mair, 2005: 34). While attending a Bible college in California, several Christian
leaders influenced Warren significantly. None of these affected him more than W.A.
Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, at the time one of the largest churches
in existence (Abanes, 2005: 40; Mair, 2005: 53). In fact, Warren met Criswell during
those days after hearing him preach:
The pastor didn’t just shake Rick’s hand – he looked at Rick and
proclaimed, “I feel I need to lay hands on you and pray!” Criswell then
said, “Father, I ask you to give this young preacher double the portion of
Your Spirit. May the church he pastors grow twice the size of the Dallas
church. Bless him greatly, O Lord” (Mair, 2005: 54).
It is this moment that Warren identifies as his moment of calling, an intense clarification
of his life’s mission, “inspired by God” (Stafford, 2002). While Saddleback Church
received intense criticism from traditional pastors in the early days, Criswell offered his
unwavering support for the remainder of his life (Abanes, 2005: 53).
After graduating from a Bible college, Warren attended Southwestern Southern
Baptist Seminary (Abanes, 2005: 41; Mair, 2005: 54-56). While there, he was self-
engaged in research on church growth (Mair, 2005: 56, 65-68). Warren’s philosophy of
ministry was already coming together during those early days; he was discovering
principles such as the fact that growth requires change and that only a permanent pastor
can be truly effective in a local church (Abanes, 2005: 17, 43-45; Mair, 2005: 60-61, 69).
Warren had chances after seminary to pastor a large church the easy way. Yet he
was compelled to build a church from scratch (Stafford, 2002; Abanes, 2005: 43-44).
After careful demographic research to determine where he would find an abundance of
unchurched people, Warren and his wife secured permission to begin a new church in
Orange County, California in 1979 (Abanes, 2005: 45; Mair, 2005: 68-70). After
arriving, he conducted a door-to-door survey to determine what type of church would
appeal to his local market (Abanes, 2005: 47-48).
Saddleback Church began in Warren’s mind and heart as a very specific vision. It
was fifteen years and seventy-nine different locations before what people know today as
“Saddleback Church” existed (Mair, 2005: 39, 77). After holding several small meetings
in his home while promoting a kind of “grand opening,” over 200 people showed up for
the Easter service in 1980 (Mair, 2005: 75-76). Warren announced right away that he
intended to grow this church to twenty thousand members occupying fifty acres of land
(Mair, 2005: 76). From the very beginning, the church was “purpose-driven,” Warren’s
goal being “to create a religious community that would extend beyond the established
limits of the Christian population to reach ‘the unchurched’” (Mair, 2005: 137).
Twenty-five years after that first Easter service, Saddleback Church indeed has
twenty thousand members, but sits on 120 rather than 50 acres. Warren preaches simple
to understand, intensely practical messages that meet people where they are, a method he
perfected early in his pastorate (Mair, 2005: 75). His sermons are typically around 45
minutes in length, broken up into 15 minute segments punctuated with contemporary
music – this is done both to appeal to people attending, and to enable Warren to rest a
physical condition that causes him pain when he preaches (Abanes, 2005: 48-49; Mair,
2005: 78). Saddleback also features an intricate small group system with groups for
every conceivable interest and/or issue that meet at various times throughout the week.
Integrity has characterized Warren’s ministry. He has shunned publicity,
especially television ministry (Mair, 2005: 180). He and his wife give abundantly to
charity and even refuse to take a salary from Saddleback (Mair, 2005: 80). In fact, the
Warrens are “reverse tithers,” giving away 90% of their income while living on only 10%
(Abanes, 2005: 19-20).
It has been estimated that Warren has impacted over 180,000 pastors with his
methodology (Mair, 2005: 208). Warren’s church growth principles are also
disseminated over the internet through a website designed specifically for that purpose:
Pastors.com. Much of this has been done through Purpose Driven Church conferences:
People from all fifty states and thirty foreign countries have attended the
Purpose-Driven Ministries conference held at Saddleback, including 3,800
for the May 2002 conference. Many of these churches report an increase
in church enrollment of at least 30 percent, while others report
significantly higher increases (Mair, 2005: 208-209).
Despite his focus on church-growth, Warren strives to downplay the “mega-church
pastor” image as much as possible (Parks & Stafford, 2003):
I dedicated The Purpose-Driven Church to bivocational pastors – the guy
who’s working a 40-hour job and then trying to pastor a small church on
the weekend. Those are the guys I care about – not the big megachurch
pastors. Those are the kinds of churches I grew up in – little churches
(Abanes, 2005: 18).
The Purpose-Driven Life—The Curriculum and Methods of the Movement
Warren’s first major book as pastor of Saddleback Church was entitled The
Purpose Driven Church, and explained in detail the methodology that was responsible for
the growth and success of Saddleback. It was an instant best-seller and has influenced
pastors all over the world. His second book, The Purpose Driven Life, has influenced far
more people and has sold multi-millions of copies in twelve languages (Mair, 2005: 8,
140). In fact, it spent 99 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list (Caldwell, 2005).
The Purpose Driven Life is organized around five purposes: worship (“You Were
Planned for God’s Pleasure”), fellowship (“You Were Formed for God’s Family”),
spiritual growth (“You Were Created to Become Like Christ”), service (“You Were
Shaped for Serving God”), and mission (“You Were Made for a Mission”). Brief
chapters (from 5-8 pages each), one for each of the forty days, amplify the topic of each
section. The daily chapters include teachings concerning prayer, the local church, coping
with suffering, dealing with temptation, and discovering spiritual gifts. Clearly, Warren
designed the book for reflection and group discussion (Warren, 2002). Warren has
basically repackaged conservative, evangelical doctrine in a way that is accessible to the
ordinary Christian, and is attractive even beyond evangelicals (more on this below).
Beyond the theological factors, and the book’s interdenominational appeal, an
additional note is in order on the growth vs. spirituality debate. Given the amount of
criticism Warren (as well as others) has received for his ideas on “church growth,” such
ideas are conspicuous by their absence in The Purpose-Driven Life (unlike The Purpose-
Driven Church). Warren has claimed to care more about church “health” than growth,
with most of the churches he reaches having between 100 and 200 members (Abanes,
2005: 26-27).
The book is not without its critics, secular and Christian. Secular critics, mainly
journalists, have hinted that Warren is selling a lucrative product in his brand of
spirituality (Mair, 2005: 179-180). Christian critics have been much more numerous and
can be found especially among Reformed Christians and even among Warren’s own
Southern Baptist denomination. It is most interesting that virtually all of them are
evangelicals, given that Warren has successfully managed to get many in mainline and
liturgical churches to embrace evangelical concepts.
In general, Warren’s book contains basic evangelical theology and principles for
life. It is simplified greatly, and some critics complain it waters down conservative
theology. More agree that it is a systematic, if not a bit formulaic, presentation of
conservative evangelical Christianity. Yet, Warren stresses preaching the biblical gospel
entails “life application” as well (Abanes, 2005: 55). Most of the criticisms coming from
his fellow evangelicals concern what Warren chose not to put into the book, or what are
considered to be poor methods of presentation for the material (Abanes, 2005: 69-85)
(such as his use of multiple Biblical translations when quoting from scripture—such as
The Amplified Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word Translation, King
James, Living Bible, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century
Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard
Version, etc.).
If you live in a fairly well-populated area, you have probably seen the big blue
banners hanging outside of churches: “40 Days of Purpose” in large lettering, with a
smaller question underneath, “What on Earth am I here for?” This banner indicates that
the church in question is participating in a “40 Days of Purpose” campaign based on
Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. Local churches may participate individually at
any time, or as a part of a geographically-organized campaign involving several churches
across denominational lines.
The “40 Days” materials are designed to lead an entire church through a
processing of The Purpose Driven Life. Workbooks are available, in either “small group”
or “Sunday school” versions, that are designed to go along with a video curriculum in
which Warren himself offers brief 15 minute talks before each session (Purpose Driven,
2003, Small Group: 2). The overarching goals of the curriculum are to create a hunger
for Scripture, build community, and get people focused on God’s purpose (Purpose
Driven, 2003, Small Group: 3). Warren attributes the power of the campaign to “five
transforming principles”: “Unified Prayer,” “Concentrated Focus,” “Multiple
Reinforcements,” “Behavioral Teaching,” and “Exponential Thinking” (Warren, 2005,
“Principles”).
Each session includes the five elements of fellowship, discipleship, ministry,
evangelism, and worship (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4-5). There is also a
memory verse of Scripture for each week (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4). Each
section is designed to process the main ideas from a week’s worth of reading in The
Purpose Driven Life. There are fill-in-the-blank sections that go along with Warren’s
video teaching, followed by a handful of discussion questions for the small group/Sunday
school class. Each workbook includes a directory to list group members and their contact
information, a “Health Assessment” test, a “Health Plan” to carry the person beyond the
forty days, and a section to log prayers requests and answers to prayer. The “small
group” and “Sunday school” versions are different colors, but are only slightly different
as to content.
Warren advertises that he is bringing conservative evangelical theology into
mainline and liturgical churches (Caldwell, 2005; Parks & Stafford, 2003; Nelson, 2005).
The official Purpose Driven website features directory pages for “Purpose Driven
Methodists,” “Purpose Driven Presbyterians,” and even “Purpose Driven Catholics”
(“Purpose Driven Churches,” 2005). Apparently, significant numbers of Seventh-Day
Adventist pastors are also attending Warren’s seminars and using his strategies, though
not without inter-denominational controversy (Kirkpatrick, 2005). Some of these groups,
encouraged by Warren himself, make slight changes to fit their own denominational
context (Nelson, 2005). However, we found in our research that while about 15% of
participating churches were not either Baptist or non-denominational, the vast majority of
responding clergy identify their congregations as either conservative or evangelical.
Warren’s Purpose Driven curriculum is also being used in other venues. For
instance, “Saddleback Church donates materials to any prison that agrees to incorporate
the plan into its rehabilitation regime” (Mair, 2005: 155). Likewise, Warren is now
working with the President of Rwanda to make the country “the first purpose-driven
nation” (Morgan, 2005).
Research Methods
Starting with Saddleback Church’s websites that includes listings of churches who
have participated in the 40 Days of Purpose (FDP) curriculum (see: http://www.saddleback.org/,
http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/, http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/, http://www.purposedriven.com/, and
http://www.pastors.com/), we compiled a list of Texas churches who reported having
participated in the FDP program between 2002 and 2006. We mailed out our
questionnaire to 403 Texas churches in April 2006 to be filled out by the
pastor/minister/priest, then sent a reminder email to those churches with email addresses.
Finally, in August 2006, we sent out a new paper copy questionnaire to those who still
had not responded. In total, 142 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate
of 35.2%.
Results
While this research is only preliminary, several interesting patterns have thus far
emerged in our analysis. We found that most churches surveyed conducted the FDP
program in 2004, just two years after Warren published his book The Purpose Driven
Life. Table 1 gives a summary of the motivations for the church’s leadership to
implement the PDL curriculum.
Table 1. Motivation for a local clergy to have a FDP campaign in their church (check all
that apply).
Motivations for Percentage
Using PDL Respondents
Local minister read Warren 63%
Contact with other local ministers
Who used PDL 36%
Organized campaign in area 19%
Encouragement of
Denominational Leaders 8%
Denominational literature 6%
As can be seen in Table 1, by far the most influential reason for using the FDP
curriculum was an individual minister’s contact with Rick Warren’s book (reported by
almost 2/3 of respondents), and then contact with other local clergy who read The
Purpose Driven Life (another 1/3 of respondents).
Table 2 gives a summary of data that indicate the ways in which the local minister
advertised the FDP program to the church congregation.
Table 2. Ways local minister advertised the FDP program to congregation (check all that
apply).
Advertisement Percentage
Methods Respondents
Weekly church bulletin 97%
Word of mouth 88%
Posted flyers 85%
Weekly sermon 85%
Church newsletter 84%
Mailout to church families 61%
Other advertisements 30%
As can be seen in Table 2, clergy made ample use of multiple advertisement methods to
let parishioners know about the FDP campaign.
Of the churches who responded to our survey, overwhelmingly most were
theologically conservative. Table 3 indicates that only 19% of responding ministers said
their church was theologically moderate, and just over 2% were either “somewhat
liberal” or “very liberal.”
Table 3. Theological Outlook of Congregation as reported by clergy.
Theology Percentage
Reported by clergy Respondents
Very Conservative 26%
Somewhat Conservative 53%
Moderate 19%
Somewhat or Very Liberal 2%
Table 4 reports the number of respondents who self-identify using the following
theological/social labels. By far the most often reported label to describe the congregation
was “Evangelical” at 70%.
Table 4. Theological Label of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that apply).
Theological Percentage
Label Respondents
Evangelical 70%
Mainline 39%
Liturgical 12%
Fundamentalist 6%
Table 5 reports the number of respondents who indicate various types of worship
styles for those utilizing the FDP curriculum. As can be seen, there is an equal mix of
contemporary and traditional styles in participating churches (sometimes both found in
the same church).
Table 5. Types of worship style of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that
apply).
Worship Percentage
Style Respondents
Contemporary Worship Style 58%
Traditional Worship Style 57%
Other Worship Style 29%
Clergy reported that the median number of participants in FDP was 245, the
median size of participating churches was 600, and the median proportion of each
congregation’s members who actively participated in the FDP program was 60%. Table
6 gives a summary of some of the demographic characteristics of participating churches.
Table 6. Demographic characteristics of participating churches.
Demographic Percentage
Characteristic Respondents
Median weekly attendance 325
Median yearly church budget $500,000
Mean percentage members white 88%
Mean percentage members
with college degree 45%
Mean percentage who conduct services
in language other than English 9.9%
When asked if their church’s participation in the FDP program encouraged
additional activity in their church’s life, nearly 80% of responding clergy indicted it had.
The comments overwhelmingly indicated that internal small group activity accelerated in
the aftermath of FDP. Over 85% of the comments indicated that small groups were
formed such as Bible studies, home study groups, Stephen Ministry programs, adult
Sunday school classes, support groups (singles, divorced, etc.), visitation programs for
shut-in church members, and other spiritually-oriented Christian courses, such as the
Alpha Course. Several respondents noted that their congregation was planning to conduct
Forty Days of Community, the follow-up program also developed by Rick Warren. Less
than 5% of respondents indicated that FDP resulted in church growth or increased
membership. Finally, less than 10% of responding clergy revealed that FDP led to an
outward orientation of the church community. Only a few indicated that greater
evangelism activities intensified as a result of FDP, or that mission work or other service-
oriented activity (such as hospital visits or food pantry assistance) strengthened.
Discussion and Conclusion
This preliminary analysis of data is the first study we know of that analyzes the
impact of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose curriculum on the life of congregations who
participate. By and large, those churches which participate are medium-sized with
members who are predominantly white, middle-class, and identify as evangelical
Christians. In this sense, the curriculum of FDP fits well with an evangelical worldview,
emphasizing personal spirituality and a congregation’s inward-looking concerns. No
responding clergy indicated that greater political activity resulted from FDP programs,
reinforcing Warren’s contention that his mission is spiritual development, not political
activism.
Additional comments provided by responding ministers frequently used terms like
“engaging and inspiring,” “transformational” (for the individual), “rejuvenating,”
creating “vision and unity of purpose,” “generating excitement and enthusiasm” and
“deeper commitment” among participants, and was comparable to an “effective revival.”
Several ministers reiterated the impetus for the congregation to begin small group
ministries which focus on the needs of parishioners. Other respondents said that the FDP
program “gave our church a boost but the lasting effect is minimal,” and that “the book
was difficult to adapt because we are a liberal church.” Finally, one minister said that “25
percent of the congregation said it was life-changing, 25 percent said it was a good
experience but not life-changing, and 50 percent are just glad its over.”
Data indicate that in many ways FDP had an impact on individual participants,
but the activity generated by the campaign was inwardly-focused. This reaffirms what
social scientists from Wuthnow (1988) to Putnam (2000) have said about the core of the
small group movement: that it reinforces the individualism in much of American
Christianity. In fact, Putman (2000) says that evangelical churches are effective at
creating what he calls “bonding social capital” that reinforces ties to existing group
members, but tends to not generate “bridging social capital” that forms links between
church and the wider society. Given the characteristics of churches and their participants
revealed in this study, and the fact that according to these data, very few churches
actually grew as a result of FDP, it is not surprising that the effect of FDP in our sample
was limited for the most part to internal (inwardly-focused) small group development in
participating congregations, and had little or no effect on the outward looking mission of
the church.
References
Abanes, Richard (2005). Rick Warren and the purpose that drives him: An insider looks
at the phenomenal bestseller. Eugene, OR: Harvest House.
Allen, Jessica, & Jett, Cathy (2005). “More miracles of ‘The Purpose-Driven Life’.”
Christianity Today. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/global/printer.html?/tc/
2005/004/6.24.html>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Caldwell, Deborah (2005). “The man with the puepose.” Beliefnet. <http://
www.belief.net/story/162/story_16242.html>. Accessed 10 September 2005.
Christianity Today editorial (2004). “Forget your bliss: The success of The Purpose
Driven Life reveals a cultural opportunity.” Christianity Today. <http://
christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/003/35.29.html>. Accessed 21 September 2005.
Kirkpatrick, Larry (2005). “How present fads blockade present truth.” Great
Controversy. <http://www.greatcontroversy.org/gco/rar/kir-fads.php>. Accessed
17 November 2005.
Mair, George (2005). A life with purpose: The story of the man behind The Purpose
Driven Life. New York: Berkley Books.
Modern Reformation (2004). “A purpose driven phenomena: An interview with Rick
Warren.” Modern Reformation, 13(1), pp. 37-39.
Morgan, Timothy C. (2005). “Purpose driven in Rwanda: Rick Warren’s sweeping plan
to defeat poverty.” Christianity Today. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/
2005/010/17.32.html >. Accessed 15 November 2005.
Nelson, Chris (2005). “Rick Warren’s ministry toolbox: Purpose-driven for the mainline
church.” Pastors.com. <http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/
printerfriendly.asp?issue=123&artID=4605>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Parks, Ted, & Stafford, Tim (2003). “The shockingly ordinary purpose-driven life of
Rick Warren.” Christianity Today. <http:// christianitytoday.com/tc/2003/006/
4.16.html>. Accessed 10 September 2005.
“Pastors reveal major influencers on churches” (2005). The Barna Group. <http://
www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=178>.
Accessed 19 September 2005.
“Purpose driven churches” (2005). Purpose-Driven. <http://www.purposedriven.com/
en-US/ 40DayCampaigns/PurposeDrivenChurches/PDCHome.htm>. Accessed
10 November 2005.
Purpose Driven Ministries (2003). 40 days of purpose: Small group study guide. Lake
Forest, CA: Purpose Driven.
Purpose Driven Ministries (2003). 40 days of purpose: Sunday school study guide. Lake
Forest, CA: Purpose Driven.
Putnam, Robert D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Saddleback Church (2005). <http://www.saddleback.com/>. Accessed 26 October 2005.
Stafford, Tim (2002). “A regular purpose-driven guy.” Christianity Today. <http://
www.ctlibrary.com/print.html?id=8738>>. Accessed 27 September 2005.
Warren, Rick (2002). The purpose driven life: What on earth am I here for? Grand
Rapids: Zondervan.
Warren, Rick (2005). “Rick Warren’s ministry toolbox: The principles behind 40 Days
of Purpose.” Pastors.com. <http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/
printerfriendly.asp?issue=123&artID=4323>. Accessed 19 September 2005.
Wuthnow, Robert. 1988. The Restructuring of American Religion: Society and Faith
Since World War II. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Movement
by
Mike McMullen, University of Houston-Clear Lake
and
William Kilgore, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Presented at:
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Portland, Oregon
October 20, 2006
Introduction
What would Jesus do? The Left Behind series. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the
Christ movie. The Prayer of Jabez. American evangelicals, at any given moment, have
minds and hearts captured by one Christian fad or another. It is not unusual to see
carefully crafted evangelical-authored books on the secular best-sellers list. Rick
Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life deserves its place at the top of the list of resources
captivating an evangelical audience.
Warren’s book, however, goes far beyond the above-mentioned fads. Yes, the
book has captivated great numbers of evangelicals and even cornered its share of an
expanding secular market for spirituality. Yet it has also spawned the “40 Days of
Purpose” campaign, a program that has been used by churches across denominational
cleavages. This paper will briefly discuss Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, the “40
days of Purpose” campaign, and provide preliminary analysis of a phenomena that has
managed to introduce an evangelical perspectives into churches of all types. Thus far,
there has been no academic research on Warren or his Forty Days of Purpose (FDP)
movement.
Rick Warren: Ecclesiastical Change Agent
Warren pastors the 20,000 member Saddleback Community Church, an
innovative Southern Baptist congregation that sits on 120 acres in Lake Forest, California
(Saddleback, 2005). He is the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Church and The
Purpose Driven Life, the mastermind behind the popular “40 days of Purpose” campaign,
and is now spearheading P.E.A.C.E., a worldwide Christian-based effort to end hunger
and poverty (Abanes, 2005: 22-26; Morgan, 2005). In 2002, Warren was nominated as
“America’s most influential pastor” (Abanes, 2005: 66). Most recently, Warren has been
called “America’s Pastor,” and compared with Billy Graham in influence, actually
ranking second (26%) only to Graham (34%) in a recent poll of pastors to identify those
having “the greatest influence on American churches and church leaders” (“Pastors,”
2005).
Rick Warren’s beginnings are fairly simple. Coming from a long line of
ministers, including one ancestor who trained under Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892),
Warren was the son of an influential Southern Baptist minister who spent his life
evangelizing and planting churches (Abanes, 2005: 35-38; Mair, 2005: 27-45; Parks &
Stafford, 2003). The Warren household was one that took their faith seriously, and
prioritized their lives accordingly. This is important, as it provides insight into Warren’s
passion to see Christians live out their faith in day-to-day life. By all accounts, his father
represented an example of such a faith throughout young Warren’s life. Both of
Warren’s parents literally died in Christian service: his father passed away while
repeating “One more for Jesus” over and over, while his mother had a heart attack in the
kitchen practicing the hospitality she was so known for (Mair, 2005: 43)
Even as a teenager, Warren was practicing evangelism in a way that was
culturally relevant, which in the 1960s meant growing his hair long and strumming a
guitar (Mair, 2005: 34). While attending a Bible college in California, several Christian
leaders influenced Warren significantly. None of these affected him more than W.A.
Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, at the time one of the largest churches
in existence (Abanes, 2005: 40; Mair, 2005: 53). In fact, Warren met Criswell during
those days after hearing him preach:
The pastor didn’t just shake Rick’s hand – he looked at Rick and
proclaimed, “I feel I need to lay hands on you and pray!” Criswell then
said, “Father, I ask you to give this young preacher double the portion of
Your Spirit. May the church he pastors grow twice the size of the Dallas
church. Bless him greatly, O Lord” (Mair, 2005: 54).
It is this moment that Warren identifies as his moment of calling, an intense clarification
of his life’s mission, “inspired by God” (Stafford, 2002). While Saddleback Church
received intense criticism from traditional pastors in the early days, Criswell offered his
unwavering support for the remainder of his life (Abanes, 2005: 53).
After graduating from a Bible college, Warren attended Southwestern Southern
Baptist Seminary (Abanes, 2005: 41; Mair, 2005: 54-56). While there, he was self-
engaged in research on church growth (Mair, 2005: 56, 65-68). Warren’s philosophy of
ministry was already coming together during those early days; he was discovering
principles such as the fact that growth requires change and that only a permanent pastor
can be truly effective in a local church (Abanes, 2005: 17, 43-45; Mair, 2005: 60-61, 69).
Warren had chances after seminary to pastor a large church the easy way. Yet he
was compelled to build a church from scratch (Stafford, 2002; Abanes, 2005: 43-44).
After careful demographic research to determine where he would find an abundance of
unchurched people, Warren and his wife secured permission to begin a new church in
Orange County, California in 1979 (Abanes, 2005: 45; Mair, 2005: 68-70). After
arriving, he conducted a door-to-door survey to determine what type of church would
appeal to his local market (Abanes, 2005: 47-48).
Saddleback Church began in Warren’s mind and heart as a very specific vision. It
was fifteen years and seventy-nine different locations before what people know today as
“Saddleback Church” existed (Mair, 2005: 39, 77). After holding several small meetings
in his home while promoting a kind of “grand opening,” over 200 people showed up for
the Easter service in 1980 (Mair, 2005: 75-76). Warren announced right away that he
intended to grow this church to twenty thousand members occupying fifty acres of land
(Mair, 2005: 76). From the very beginning, the church was “purpose-driven,” Warren’s
goal being “to create a religious community that would extend beyond the established
limits of the Christian population to reach ‘the unchurched’” (Mair, 2005: 137).
Twenty-five years after that first Easter service, Saddleback Church indeed has
twenty thousand members, but sits on 120 rather than 50 acres. Warren preaches simple
to understand, intensely practical messages that meet people where they are, a method he
perfected early in his pastorate (Mair, 2005: 75). His sermons are typically around 45
minutes in length, broken up into 15 minute segments punctuated with contemporary
music – this is done both to appeal to people attending, and to enable Warren to rest a
physical condition that causes him pain when he preaches (Abanes, 2005: 48-49; Mair,
2005: 78). Saddleback also features an intricate small group system with groups for
every conceivable interest and/or issue that meet at various times throughout the week.
Integrity has characterized Warren’s ministry. He has shunned publicity,
especially television ministry (Mair, 2005: 180). He and his wife give abundantly to
charity and even refuse to take a salary from Saddleback (Mair, 2005: 80). In fact, the
Warrens are “reverse tithers,” giving away 90% of their income while living on only 10%
(Abanes, 2005: 19-20).
It has been estimated that Warren has impacted over 180,000 pastors with his
methodology (Mair, 2005: 208). Warren’s church growth principles are also
disseminated over the internet through a website designed specifically for that purpose:
Pastors.com. Much of this has been done through Purpose Driven Church conferences:
People from all fifty states and thirty foreign countries have attended the
Purpose-Driven Ministries conference held at Saddleback, including 3,800
for the May 2002 conference. Many of these churches report an increase
in church enrollment of at least 30 percent, while others report
significantly higher increases (Mair, 2005: 208-209).
Despite his focus on church-growth, Warren strives to downplay the “mega-church
pastor” image as much as possible (Parks & Stafford, 2003):
I dedicated The Purpose-Driven Church to bivocational pastors – the guy
who’s working a 40-hour job and then trying to pastor a small church on
the weekend. Those are the guys I care about – not the big megachurch
pastors. Those are the kinds of churches I grew up in – little churches
(Abanes, 2005: 18).
The Purpose-Driven Life—The Curriculum and Methods of the Movement
Warren’s first major book as pastor of Saddleback Church was entitled The
Purpose Driven Church, and explained in detail the methodology that was responsible for
the growth and success of Saddleback. It was an instant best-seller and has influenced
pastors all over the world. His second book, The Purpose Driven Life, has influenced far
more people and has sold multi-millions of copies in twelve languages (Mair, 2005: 8,
140). In fact, it spent 99 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list (Caldwell, 2005).
The Purpose Driven Life is organized around five purposes: worship (“You Were
Planned for God’s Pleasure”), fellowship (“You Were Formed for God’s Family”),
spiritual growth (“You Were Created to Become Like Christ”), service (“You Were
Shaped for Serving God”), and mission (“You Were Made for a Mission”). Brief
chapters (from 5-8 pages each), one for each of the forty days, amplify the topic of each
section. The daily chapters include teachings concerning prayer, the local church, coping
with suffering, dealing with temptation, and discovering spiritual gifts. Clearly, Warren
designed the book for reflection and group discussion (Warren, 2002). Warren has
basically repackaged conservative, evangelical doctrine in a way that is accessible to the
ordinary Christian, and is attractive even beyond evangelicals (more on this below).
Beyond the theological factors, and the book’s interdenominational appeal, an
additional note is in order on the growth vs. spirituality debate. Given the amount of
criticism Warren (as well as others) has received for his ideas on “church growth,” such
ideas are conspicuous by their absence in The Purpose-Driven Life (unlike The Purpose-
Driven Church). Warren has claimed to care more about church “health” than growth,
with most of the churches he reaches having between 100 and 200 members (Abanes,
2005: 26-27).
The book is not without its critics, secular and Christian. Secular critics, mainly
journalists, have hinted that Warren is selling a lucrative product in his brand of
spirituality (Mair, 2005: 179-180). Christian critics have been much more numerous and
can be found especially among Reformed Christians and even among Warren’s own
Southern Baptist denomination. It is most interesting that virtually all of them are
evangelicals, given that Warren has successfully managed to get many in mainline and
liturgical churches to embrace evangelical concepts.
In general, Warren’s book contains basic evangelical theology and principles for
life. It is simplified greatly, and some critics complain it waters down conservative
theology. More agree that it is a systematic, if not a bit formulaic, presentation of
conservative evangelical Christianity. Yet, Warren stresses preaching the biblical gospel
entails “life application” as well (Abanes, 2005: 55). Most of the criticisms coming from
his fellow evangelicals concern what Warren chose not to put into the book, or what are
considered to be poor methods of presentation for the material (Abanes, 2005: 69-85)
(such as his use of multiple Biblical translations when quoting from scripture—such as
The Amplified Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word Translation, King
James, Living Bible, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century
Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard
Version, etc.).
If you live in a fairly well-populated area, you have probably seen the big blue
banners hanging outside of churches: “40 Days of Purpose” in large lettering, with a
smaller question underneath, “What on Earth am I here for?” This banner indicates that
the church in question is participating in a “40 Days of Purpose” campaign based on
Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. Local churches may participate individually at
any time, or as a part of a geographically-organized campaign involving several churches
across denominational lines.
The “40 Days” materials are designed to lead an entire church through a
processing of The Purpose Driven Life. Workbooks are available, in either “small group”
or “Sunday school” versions, that are designed to go along with a video curriculum in
which Warren himself offers brief 15 minute talks before each session (Purpose Driven,
2003, Small Group: 2). The overarching goals of the curriculum are to create a hunger
for Scripture, build community, and get people focused on God’s purpose (Purpose
Driven, 2003, Small Group: 3). Warren attributes the power of the campaign to “five
transforming principles”: “Unified Prayer,” “Concentrated Focus,” “Multiple
Reinforcements,” “Behavioral Teaching,” and “Exponential Thinking” (Warren, 2005,
“Principles”).
Each session includes the five elements of fellowship, discipleship, ministry,
evangelism, and worship (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4-5). There is also a
memory verse of Scripture for each week (Purpose Driven, 2003, Small Group: 4). Each
section is designed to process the main ideas from a week’s worth of reading in The
Purpose Driven Life. There are fill-in-the-blank sections that go along with Warren’s
video teaching, followed by a handful of discussion questions for the small group/Sunday
school class. Each workbook includes a directory to list group members and their contact
information, a “Health Assessment” test, a “Health Plan” to carry the person beyond the
forty days, and a section to log prayers requests and answers to prayer. The “small
group” and “Sunday school” versions are different colors, but are only slightly different
as to content.
Warren advertises that he is bringing conservative evangelical theology into
mainline and liturgical churches (Caldwell, 2005; Parks & Stafford, 2003; Nelson, 2005).
The official Purpose Driven website features directory pages for “Purpose Driven
Methodists,” “Purpose Driven Presbyterians,” and even “Purpose Driven Catholics”
(“Purpose Driven Churches,” 2005). Apparently, significant numbers of Seventh-Day
Adventist pastors are also attending Warren’s seminars and using his strategies, though
not without inter-denominational controversy (Kirkpatrick, 2005). Some of these groups,
encouraged by Warren himself, make slight changes to fit their own denominational
context (Nelson, 2005). However, we found in our research that while about 15% of
participating churches were not either Baptist or non-denominational, the vast majority of
responding clergy identify their congregations as either conservative or evangelical.
Warren’s Purpose Driven curriculum is also being used in other venues. For
instance, “Saddleback Church donates materials to any prison that agrees to incorporate
the plan into its rehabilitation regime” (Mair, 2005: 155). Likewise, Warren is now
working with the President of Rwanda to make the country “the first purpose-driven
nation” (Morgan, 2005).
Research Methods
Starting with Saddleback Church’s websites that includes listings of churches who
have participated in the 40 Days of Purpose (FDP) curriculum (see: http://www.saddleback.org/,
http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/, http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/, http://www.purposedriven.com/, and
http://www.pastors.com/), we compiled a list of Texas churches who reported having
participated in the FDP program between 2002 and 2006. We mailed out our
questionnaire to 403 Texas churches in April 2006 to be filled out by the
pastor/minister/priest, then sent a reminder email to those churches with email addresses.
Finally, in August 2006, we sent out a new paper copy questionnaire to those who still
had not responded. In total, 142 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate
of 35.2%.
Results
While this research is only preliminary, several interesting patterns have thus far
emerged in our analysis. We found that most churches surveyed conducted the FDP
program in 2004, just two years after Warren published his book The Purpose Driven
Life. Table 1 gives a summary of the motivations for the church’s leadership to
implement the PDL curriculum.
Table 1. Motivation for a local clergy to have a FDP campaign in their church (check all
that apply).
Motivations for Percentage
Using PDL Respondents
Local minister read Warren 63%
Contact with other local ministers
Who used PDL 36%
Organized campaign in area 19%
Encouragement of
Denominational Leaders 8%
Denominational literature 6%
As can be seen in Table 1, by far the most influential reason for using the FDP
curriculum was an individual minister’s contact with Rick Warren’s book (reported by
almost 2/3 of respondents), and then contact with other local clergy who read The
Purpose Driven Life (another 1/3 of respondents).
Table 2 gives a summary of data that indicate the ways in which the local minister
advertised the FDP program to the church congregation.
Table 2. Ways local minister advertised the FDP program to congregation (check all that
apply).
Advertisement Percentage
Methods Respondents
Weekly church bulletin 97%
Word of mouth 88%
Posted flyers 85%
Weekly sermon 85%
Church newsletter 84%
Mailout to church families 61%
Other advertisements 30%
As can be seen in Table 2, clergy made ample use of multiple advertisement methods to
let parishioners know about the FDP campaign.
Of the churches who responded to our survey, overwhelmingly most were
theologically conservative. Table 3 indicates that only 19% of responding ministers said
their church was theologically moderate, and just over 2% were either “somewhat
liberal” or “very liberal.”
Table 3. Theological Outlook of Congregation as reported by clergy.
Theology Percentage
Reported by clergy Respondents
Very Conservative 26%
Somewhat Conservative 53%
Moderate 19%
Somewhat or Very Liberal 2%
Table 4 reports the number of respondents who self-identify using the following
theological/social labels. By far the most often reported label to describe the congregation
was “Evangelical” at 70%.
Table 4. Theological Label of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that apply).
Theological Percentage
Label Respondents
Evangelical 70%
Mainline 39%
Liturgical 12%
Fundamentalist 6%
Table 5 reports the number of respondents who indicate various types of worship
styles for those utilizing the FDP curriculum. As can be seen, there is an equal mix of
contemporary and traditional styles in participating churches (sometimes both found in
the same church).
Table 5. Types of worship style of Congregation as reported by clergy (check all that
apply).
Worship Percentage
Style Respondents
Contemporary Worship Style 58%
Traditional Worship Style 57%
Other Worship Style 29%
Clergy reported that the median number of participants in FDP was 245, the
median size of participating churches was 600, and the median proportion of each
congregation’s members who actively participated in the FDP program was 60%. Table
6 gives a summary of some of the demographic characteristics of participating churches.
Table 6. Demographic characteristics of participating churches.
Demographic Percentage
Characteristic Respondents
Median weekly attendance 325
Median yearly church budget $500,000
Mean percentage members white 88%
Mean percentage members
with college degree 45%
Mean percentage who conduct services
in language other than English 9.9%
When asked if their church’s participation in the FDP program encouraged
additional activity in their church’s life, nearly 80% of responding clergy indicted it had.
The comments overwhelmingly indicated that internal small group activity accelerated in
the aftermath of FDP. Over 85% of the comments indicated that small groups were
formed such as Bible studies, home study groups, Stephen Ministry programs, adult
Sunday school classes, support groups (singles, divorced, etc.), visitation programs for
shut-in church members, and other spiritually-oriented Christian courses, such as the
Alpha Course. Several respondents noted that their congregation was planning to conduct
Forty Days of Community, the follow-up program also developed by Rick Warren. Less
than 5% of respondents indicated that FDP resulted in church growth or increased
membership. Finally, less than 10% of responding clergy revealed that FDP led to an
outward orientation of the church community. Only a few indicated that greater
evangelism activities intensified as a result of FDP, or that mission work or other service-
oriented activity (such as hospital visits or food pantry assistance) strengthened.
Discussion and Conclusion
This preliminary analysis of data is the first study we know of that analyzes the
impact of Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Purpose curriculum on the life of congregations who
participate. By and large, those churches which participate are medium-sized with
members who are predominantly white, middle-class, and identify as evangelical
Christians. In this sense, the curriculum of FDP fits well with an evangelical worldview,
emphasizing personal spirituality and a congregation’s inward-looking concerns. No
responding clergy indicated that greater political activity resulted from FDP programs,
reinforcing Warren’s contention that his mission is spiritual development, not political
activism.
Additional comments provided by responding ministers frequently used terms like
“engaging and inspiring,” “transformational” (for the individual), “rejuvenating,”
creating “vision and unity of purpose,” “generating excitement and enthusiasm” and
“deeper commitment” among participants, and was comparable to an “effective revival.”
Several ministers reiterated the impetus for the congregation to begin small group
ministries which focus on the needs of parishioners. Other respondents said that the FDP
program “gave our church a boost but the lasting effect is minimal,” and that “the book
was difficult to adapt because we are a liberal church.” Finally, one minister said that “25
percent of the congregation said it was life-changing, 25 percent said it was a good
experience but not life-changing, and 50 percent are just glad its over.”
Data indicate that in many ways FDP had an impact on individual participants,
but the activity generated by the campaign was inwardly-focused. This reaffirms what
social scientists from Wuthnow (1988) to Putnam (2000) have said about the core of the
small group movement: that it reinforces the individualism in much of American
Christianity. In fact, Putman (2000) says that evangelical churches are effective at
creating what he calls “bonding social capital” that reinforces ties to existing group
members, but tends to not generate “bridging social capital” that forms links between
church and the wider society. Given the characteristics of churches and their participants
revealed in this study, and the fact that according to these data, very few churches
actually grew as a result of FDP, it is not surprising that the effect of FDP in our sample
was limited for the most part to internal (inwardly-focused) small group development in
participating congregations, and had little or no effect on the outward looking mission of
the church.
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