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Purpose Driven Church

By David Beer.

The following article is unusual for Ministry Today because it actively and enthusiastically promotes one particular way of developing church or parish life and ministry. Because of the writer's commitment to and involvement in the programme, he is rather uncritical of it. Ministry Today would be glad to publish in a future edition a corresponding article offering a critical and theological evaluation of Purpose Driven Church by someone who has experience of the programme. Please send your article to: ministry.today@tiscali.co.uk Purpose Driven Church may be a comparatively recent paradigm for church health, but the principles behind it are not new. Any church will recognise the importance of worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and mission - the five purposes of the church identified by Rick Warren in his book Purpose Driven Church. These can be described using other words with which Christians and churches are familiar: worship, teaching, belonging, serving and sharing. These are New Testament principles that every Christian leader and every Church would recognise as part of being a church. So what is new? In 1903, the Kent and Sussex Baptist Association was discussing “Why are conversions rare?” Frank Buffard’s history of the Association records: “There is concern at the slow increase in membership. Methods of making worship more attractive to the unchurched are debated.” Where have we heard that before? So this is a debate has been going on for over 100 years! Therefore what is new about Purpose Driven? 1. An emphasis on ‘purpose’ As Rick Warren points out early in his book, every church is driven by something, whether it be tradition, programmes, personalities, events, finance, buildings. There are many forces other than purpose. Being purpose driven, or purpose led, as some would prefer to call it, means a church discovering, or rediscovering, a sense of purpose based on biblical and cultural principles. A Slovak pastor recently expressed the sentiments of many pastors: “I think we’ve lost our sense of purpose and the Purpose Driven vision could be the way to renew our movement.” 2. A process - or call it a strategy It is being intentional about giving equal attention to each of the five biblical purposes, something that many of us have neglected to do. Without this intentionality, churches may over-emphasise one or more principles of being church to the exclusion of others. Some churches have a major emphasis on worship, some on teaching and discipleship, some on evangelism, and some on social action. This often reflects the leader's own particular passion or gifting. If he or she has a heart for evangelism, it is likely that there will be a major emphasis on evangelism. If a pastor has a heart for discipleship, it is likely the focus will be on building a teaching church. This imbalance does not produce health any more than an imbalance in the systems of the human body produce health. The call for balance is not only made by Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of the Saddleback Church and author of Purpose Driven Church and Purpose Driven Life.  Christian Schwarz makes a similar appeal in his book Natural Church Development. Schwarz identifies eight “quality characteristics.” These are:

• Empowering leadership;
• Gift-orientated ministry;
• Passionate spirituality;
• Functional structures;
• Inspiring worship services;
• Holistic small groups;
• Need-orientated evangelism;
• Loving relationships.

Schwarz then adds, ‘No church wanting to grow qualitatively and quantitatively can afford to overlook any one of these eight quality characteristics.’[1] Balance is clearly biblical. Ephesians 4:11-12 says. ‘It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up’3. Practical implementation Time and again we read articles and hear seminars encouraging different ways of being the church. ‘We need to be churches without walls’; ‘we have to take the Good News out into the world’; ‘we need to step out into the community, instead of expecting the community to come to us’. We are told to ‘face up to reality’; ‘be prepared to pay the price of mission’; ‘we need to take risks’; ‘it’s time for a new missionary zeal’; ‘the churches need to step out of their comfort zone’. We may applaud such statements and feel motivated by the inspiration of the speakers and writers, but in a sense, it’s all been heard before, and the really big issue for many congregations and their leaders is, ‘Yes, but how?’ ‘We need a new confidence in taking the Good News out of the confines of the church and into the world!’ Yes, but how? ‘This is the time for social care initiatives and partnering with local authorities!’ Yes, but how?  ‘It’s time for radical church planting!’ Yes, but how?  ‘It’s time to change attitudes and buildings and practices in order to reach people for Christ!’ Yes, but how?  ‘The church must be serious about mission!’ Yes, but how? Purpose Driven is definitely not a quick fix. Anyone who thinks it is will be quickly disillusioned as they try to implement it in their church.  In my experience, those who refer to it as a quick fix have never tried to implement it. In contrast, it calls for a deep level of commitment to Christ and his Church. Having been willing to make that commitment, Purpose Driven offers a profound and well-proven practical strategy for building a healthy church.  In 1 Corinthians 3.6, the Apostle Paul writes: ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.’ Only God can make the church grow. But we need to apply the principles of health in order for growth to take place. The same practical principle is applied in the parable of the growing seed. Jesus said:

‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn - first the stalk, and then the ear, then the full kernel in the ear.   As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ (Mark 4:26-29)

Notice the connection. As Christian Schwarz points out in his book Natural Church Development:  ‘This parable clearly shows what people can and should do, and what they cannot do. They should sow and harvest. What they cannot do is this: they cannot bring forth the fruit. I understand this principle to be the very essence of church growth.’[2]

One of the strengths of Rick Warren is that he shares only what he has already tried and tested in his own local church. Warren says he knows what it is like to pastor a church of fifteen members, because Saddleback started with just five members. He knows what it is like to pastor a church of 50 members, or 100 members, or 250 members, because Saddleback has passed through all these levels of growth. He says that people look at Saddleback church today and forget how it all started as a new church plant. Rick Warren would be the first to say that Purpose Driven is not the only way to build a church, but it is one way and it offers congregations and their leaders a process by which to achieve their dreams. There are examples and models of being church that can make us think differently and broaden our horizons, but they do not always answer the question, ‘Yes, but how?’ They can provide inspiration, but I have met literally hundreds of clergy and leaders in the UK, who ask, “How can I do this? Where are the tools? How can I motivate my congregation?” All too often, almost in desperation, some churches have tried to copy other ‘successful churches’, only to discover that what works in one place may not work in another. Purpose Driven Church pleads for us not to try to copy the methods of the Saddleback Church, but ‘to look beneath the methods to see the transferable principles on which they are based.’[3] The principles are transferable, of that there is no doubt. There are now far more churches outside the United States built on Purpose Driven principles than there are inside the United States. Warren would say that the principles are transferable because they are biblical. We find these principles in such passages as Acts 2.42-47. As already stated, the principles are not new, but the process is new, or at least has been rediscovered. One Minister wrote publicly, “The tears? The bewilderment that , after 39 years of pastoral ministry, with just 2 years to go to an enforced retirement, I discover this devotional dynamite. Why so late Lord? Couldn’t I have had this earlier?”4. Tools Purpose Driven offers tools to help churches build on the principles of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry (serving) and mission. The tools include conferences and campaigns. The Purpose Driven Church Conferences offer a strategy to leaders to help them teach every member of the congregation the principles of being church, and help pastors and leaders build healthy churches. The Campaigns such as 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community bring a sharp focus to the purpose of life as well as the purpose of the church. The same five purposes that define the church’s mission are the same five purposes that God wants every believer to live for. 40 Days of Purpose helps to answer the question, “What on earth am I here for?” 40 Days of Community helps the church to answer the question, “What on earth are we here for?” Both campaigns include six weeks of special worship services. The message is then taken deeper through study and discussion in small groups, and deeper still through individual reading of a forty-day devotional book.   Thousands of churches all over the world have found benefit from these campaigns. Nearly 1,000 churches of different denominations in the UK have already used the 40 Days of Purpose campaign. Almost 100 per cent report a greater sense of unity in the church, an increase in the number of people attending small groups, an increase in the number of small groups, an increase in attendance at weekend worship services, an increase in the number of people involved in the life and work of the church, plus in many instances, new believers, baptisms and church membership. The best selling book, Purpose Driven Life, which is the heart of the 40 Days of Purpose, helps people to think about the purpose of their own individual lives, and reminds Christians that the purposes of the church are their life purposes as well. We were created to worship God, to grow in character and in our relationship with God and others, to serve God by serving others, and to share God’s love. Purpose Driven Life has sold over 25 million copies in 23 languages, with 56 more languages in process. This is evidence that the principles behind Purpose Driven are not American, but they are transferable, biblical principles, and are effective in every culture. As well as teaching conferences and local church campaigns, there are other tools for reaching the uncharted, discipling new believers, and helping them to discover their ministry and mission. ‘Preaching for Life Change’ is one such tool.  This course has changed the preaching of many pastors helping them to apply biblical passages in a contemporary way that is practical and relevant to everyday life. There is also close scrutiny of language. As an example, compare the following two outlines. A textual outline on the story of Zacchaeus might have the following points:

·        Though he was rich, yet he was poor.

·        Though he was sought, yet he was found.

·        Though he was hated, yet he was loved.

·        Though he gave, yet he received.

Warren says, ‘That may be poetic but it isn’t personal and life changing.  It is a typical text-based message that alliterates, or describes, the text but doesn’t transform.’ An application-based outline on Zacchaeus could have these points:

·        No matter how insignificant I feel, Jesus notices me.

·        No matter what others say about me, Jesus affirms me.

·        No matter what I’ve done, Jesus wants me.

Warren’s teaching on sermon construction is clearer than much that is taught today in theological and Bible college. He says, ‘Make your applications your points.  This is the secret weapon for preaching for changed lives.’ Purpose Driven seems to be a movement of the Holy Spirit in the 21st century with a strong emphasis on the local church rather than one well-known preacher or evangelist. A BBC journalist asked Rick Warren if he was bothered that the book was better known than the author. To which Warren replied, “Not at all, I much prefer it that way. I don’t know why God chose me to write the book.” 5. Stories The stories that have emerged seem almost endless. Here are quotations from some of the letters we have received.

• “Despite all the objections, our church did accept 40 Days of Purpose and the Purpose Driven paradigm. A sense of expectation and unity grabbed people’s attention. Then there was the personal obedience which the Holy Spirit stimulated in every small group, to be more aware of God and more committed to him.”
• “Our attendances on Sunday mornings have risen 10-15%. We increased the number of home groups by more than 50%. Ten people have become Christians with others on the way”.
• “The impact has been incredible. It helped church members realise that these five purposes were not just a church strategy but what God had called them personally to live out. The membership has increased from 76 to 101 and instead of five small groups we now have twenty.”
• “The immediate effect for us has been to double the number of house groups from eleven to 23.”
• We’ve moved from having 9 house groups with around 70 in regular attendance to 27 small groups with other 220 enrolled.”

6. The Global Vision At the July 2005 Baptist World Alliance Congress, Rick Warren outlined a global vision. He is keen to say that he is observing what God is doing around the world.  He correctly calls us not to think in terms of asking God to bless what we are doing, but to be involved in what God is already blessing. Having planted the Saddleback church in 1980, Warren decided to focus each decade on a different target: So the 1980s was the “local decade” where his entire focus was on building a healthy church to reach out to the local community.  By the end of the 1980s Saddleback church had grown to about 6,000 people.  The1990s was the “national decade” where the church began helping other churches across the United States to develop a Purpose Driven strategy in their communities. Now in the 21st Century, the focus is global - a commitment to help and assist sister churches all around the world.  Saddleback has continued to grow to over 23,000 in attendance. Because of what he sees happening in the world, Rick Warren believes in the possibility of a New Reformation in the Church and a New Spiritual Awakening in the world. The first reformation was about what the Church believes. The second reformation, he says, needs to be about how the Church behaves. Warren says “There needs to be a revolution of compassionate action in our communities”. He says, “Reformation in the Church and spiritual awakening will happen wherever God finds a group of individuals that are willing to be used in any way, anytime, anywhere.” In his global strategy, Rick Warren identifies five major issues in the world today. He calls them global giants.  They are:

·         Spiritual lostness

·         Lack of servant leadership.

·         Poverty.

·         Disease.

·         Ignorance.

To fight these global giants Warren has set in motion P.E.A.C.E.

·         Plant churches

·         Equip leadership

·         Assist the poor

·         Care for the sick

·         Educate the next generation.

The elements of P.E.A.C.E. are not new or different than traditional missions. The difference is not so much in what is done, but rather both how it is done and who does it. The acronym “P.L.A.N.S.” details some of the key values that make The P.E.A.C.E. Plan so revolutionary.Purpose Driven

• Based the five biblical purposes being expressed personally, through small group life, and the church.
• Committed to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
• Every member living “on-mission” through The P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

Led by small groups

• Small group driven: all small groups accept, support, and direct P.E.A.C.E.
• Every small group living out the five biblical purposes where “ Mission” is fulfilled through P.E.A.C.E.
• Reproducible methods and tools that everyone in a small group can be easily trained to utilize.

Attacks the global giants

• All five global giants are addressed holistically.
• All five Giants are attacked globally by local church members.
• Led by the Holy Spirit for the global glory of God.

Networks church to church

• Local church members to local church members.
• Believers modeling and equipping other believers for P.E.A.C.E.
• External help is intentionally short-term.
• Sustainability and reproducibility depends on utilizing local resources in the field.

Sends to the whole world

• Exponential thinking is required to be worldwide.
• Sending is for every church and every believer in their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to all peoples.
• Sends to unreached peoples and least-reached areas of the world.

<>Notice the emphasis is not so much on a grand plan but on church-to-church. In parts of the world where there is no school, hospital or clinic, there is often a church. Warren sees the church as the only answer to the world’s needs. No government will ever accomplish what the church has the potential to accomplish. For more information: www.purposedrivenuk.com

[1] Schwarz, Christian, Natural Church Development, Church Smart Resources, 1996

[2] Christian Schwarz, Natural Church Development, Church Smart Resources, Germany, 1996, page 12

[3] Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church, page 27