Customer Reviews

Purpose Driven Church Itpe

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

There has been a movement among missionaries and mission boards to encourage indigenous churches rather than merely exporting our culture to the rest of the world. The argument runs that the Gospel must always be enfleshed or embodied in a people and its culture. We cannot deny that the Good News of Jesus Christ must be spoken in particular human languages. Forcing Africans to worship like Scotsmen, does a disservice to African culture and the Gospel.

As I read Rick Warren's book, the Purpose Driven Church, I thought about this current trend in mission. Whether we like it or not, Rick Warren's Saddleback Church is a church indigenous to Southern California at the end of the twentieth century. Warren has attempted to translate the Gospel into the language of young, suburban professionals. As Paul quoted Stoic poets on Mars Hill, Rick Warren can comfortably quote Peter Drucker and utilize the marketing techniques of Starbucks. Anyone interested doing ministry in this culture can learn something from this book, especially if we take Rick Warren at his word--"Read this book like you'd eat fish: Pick out the meat and throw away the bones" (pg 71).

That being said, there is a danger. As the Gospel is expressed in culture, it must also critique the culture. Our sinfulness is pervasive, and the Gospel should expose the evils of our culture for what they are. Rick Warren subtitles his book, "Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission," but on several instances he compromises the Good News to the culture.

For example, we live in a self-segregated society. We routinely segregate white from black, rich from poor, and young from old. The Purpose Drive Church perpetuates these separation by slavishly focusing on target audiences. A church filled with only Saddleback Sams and Samanthas are a betrayal to Pentecost where "your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 1:17-21). Rick Warren may suggest that Saddleback is only part of the greater Church. Others may be called to evangelize other target audiences. He states, "I feel right at home with entrepreneurial businessmen, managers, and professions. In fact, I've noticed that they are attracted to my ministry. It's nothing I planned, it's just the way God wired me" (pg 176). Perhaps that is true, but it reminds me of an observation that a friend made in seminary, "Isn't amazing that God calls so many people to pastor affluent, white suburban churches?"

We also live in a competitive culture which is inherently results-oriented. On occasion Rick Warren seems to replace the grace of God with a works-righteousness preached by the culture. In the beginning of the book, the author writes, "Only God makes the church grow" (pg 14). Later however, he uses the Bible's teaching on fruitfulness as a guilt trip. He states, "God expects both faithfulness and fruitfulness" (pg 62). Although he quotes from John 15, nothing is made of Jesus' admonition: "He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing." Fruitfulness grows out of faithfulness. Moreover, Rick Warren exclusively defines fruitfulness as conversions: "The fruit of a believer is another believer" (pg 63). There is no mention of the fruit of the Spirit. Rick Warren seems to imply that churches which are not growing, must not be bearing any fruit.

Rick Warren does have some important things to say. I appreciate his desire to move Christians beyond membership and into ministry and mission. Three cheers for his statement: "I believe that you measure the health or strength of a church by its sending capacity rather than its seating capacity" (pg 32). Nonetheless, while reaching out to the culture, the Purpose Driven Church should beware becoming too much like the culture.

I see alot of churches popping up based off this book and I have even attended. But I've noticed that many are trying to be "pop" churches, some to the effect of making the church seem cheap. And they are all looking more to this book than the actual Bible, which should be the real insperation for church building.

I could only read an hour of this. I really liked, 'Purpose Driven Life' but this is hardly as good.

I've been in the ministry for 12 years and most of that time felt lost in terms of allowing God to grow His church. I would pray and seek His face, but it just seemed that when things would happen, it would kinda happen haphazardly.

Purpose Driven church gave me the tools to think through and be intentional about the purposes of the church. It provided an important model for me to be proactive in helping the church do what it is called to do. Thanks Rick!

P.S. (...)

It's sad that a lot of people will read Warren's Purpose-Driven Life book (and they should) and get so much out of it, and then they might even pick this one up but then... they may put it back thinking it's for a Deacon board but not for the average Christian.

WRONG!

Yes, this entire book is about building a church. yes, a Pastor will richly receive incredibly useful, hands-on advice on the best way to grow a congregation, but what often is overlooked here is that the congregational members should ALSO understand how to grow the church! The church IS the congregation!!!

I assure you that if you are a church member and hold no position of authority in that church, and if you are the ONLY one who reads this book, you STILL will be able to grow your church in many ways. Wouldn't it be nice to know that you helped to increase the congregation, NOT to add to numbers but to add to God's Kingdom?

Maybe I found this book to be a gift from God because it met my needs. I carefully read this book 3 times cover to cover before attending Rick Warren's seminar in Va. Oct.'03. Two things stood out: 1) The book is great but one should follow up with seminar to get the most out of it. There are gaps in the book that the seminar takes care of. 2) Do NOT attend a seminar till you have first the book or you will be lost. I have read many church growth books over 30 years and can say that this is finally a balanced approach to the subject. A balance between God's Word; man's methods and the Holy Spirit leading.

One of the first things presented in this book is that the principles that work at the Saddleback Church, may not work everywhere. The name Rick Warren gets tossed around by those who praise him and by those who blame him. But he declares right away that these are not universal principles.

That said, this is a well written book that reads smoothly and provides a fresh approach to evangelism. This is a book for church leaders. My fear is that church members will decide their pastor is not doing his job because he doesn't practice the Purpose Driven Church principles.

If a person wants their pastor to consider the things presented in this book, buy the book for him, but don't read the book yourself and then try to implement the practices described inside.

Church's that begin as Purpose Driven Churches will be much more effective in applying these principles than a church that is already established.

Read this book with caution and don't change churches because you think this sounds exciting.

Many of the negative critiques I've read of this book show that the author of the critique didn't read it very well. Rick's first statement is that the Gospel cannot be comprimised. Everything else is fair game. For those who don't believe this, I assume then that your church services are preached in hebrew, aramic and ancient greek as it was written? Cultures change and the method for spreading the word must as well. The purpose driven church is a road map for your church to execute powerfully the great commision.

Rick's book gives a powerful, refreshing insight into how to build a healthy, loving church and fulfill the great commision and execute the two greatest commandments.

Warren no doubt has a passion for bringing the "unchurched" into the church. That certainly is not where I would critique Warren's thinking. Nor would I offer a critique on the fine points of Warren's method. What I would ask readers to take into account is the overarching system of thought that is foundational to Warren's method. Understanding that the Church in North America exists in a consumer society, Warren suggests a marketing plan that, in his view, will most effectively spread the Gospel message. The most troublesome notion here is that the Gospel is reduced to something that the Church is out to market, instead of the Gospel being the driving force behind the life, practice and theology of the Church. Instead of the Gospel itself informing the practices of the Church, a marketing plan, inherent to Warren's five purposes, shapes the vitality of the Church. While Warren's passion to spread the message of Jesus is most admirable, a note of caution to readers should be sounded. The Church may very well be a body of believers who should see the Gospel as a way to live, letting the message of Jesus shape life among the believers and thus being a witness to those on the outside, instead of making the Gospel something to market to the outside, losing sight of the method that is found within the Gospel itself.

Why is everyone rushing to start big churches with thousands of members? How can you possibly have fellowship with thousands of people? I can only know a handful of people. I hate big churches with big crowds and loud, unmemorable music. There is no room for silence or getting to know anyone.