“Purpose-Driven Church (Rick Warren) Is No More Th

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“Purpose-Driven Church (Rick Warren) is no more than management principle applied to church growth.” Discuss. Ⅰ Introduction What does it mean for a minister to be successful in his or her life? So many ministers all over the world want to have success in their ministry. Rick Warren is a pastor as being successful in his ministry. He started a church in 1980 when he was 25 years old. The church grew very fast in the area of Saddleback community. In 1995, it reached about 10,000 church members. There were some strong principles behind the story of such a growth. They were suggested by Warren in his book, The Purpose-Driven Church. However, many ministers who wanted to be successful in their ministry failed to grow churches like Salldeback. As Warren mentions, it is important to consider the context and the subculture for church planting. Besides this, it is necessary to ask the following question: “Why do Warren’s principles not work well?” I would like to give an answer to this question in terms of three problems: 1) Warren’s approach to church growth is not Biblical; 2) Warren’s church growth is based on man-designed management; and 3) His philosophical background for church growth is pragmatism. These issues will be discussed by examining his management principles for church growth. In this essay, comparison between Warren’s and McGavran’s principles for the growth of church will also be discussed, especially in terms of receptivity, style of church, and leadership. Ⅱ Seeker (the unsaved visitor) Sensitive Management and Homogeneous Units Rick Warren’s main concern is that churches should be healthy. He argues that church growth is the natural result of church health, and such a health brings success to ministry. To be successful in ministry, he insists it takes skill, timing, and the right tools. It seems that the success is based

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