Rick Warren
Author of The Purpose-Driven™ Life and The Purpose-Driven™ Church

Dr. Rick Warren is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Purpose-Driven® Life, which has sold over fourteen million copies since October 2002, making it the bestselling hardback nonfiction book in history. The Denver Post reports it has ignited a spiritual movement in countless communities around the world. Rick is also the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches.

The Purpose-Driven® Life reached #1 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice list, #1 on the Publishers Weekly Religion Hardcover Bestsellers list, #2 on The Wall Street Journal Hardcover Nonfiction list, #1 on the Christian Booksellers Association Bestsellers list, #5 on Amazon.com, and #14 on the USA TODAY top-50 best-selling list. It was named Book of the Year by the Christian Booksellers Association.

Over 20,000 churches, representing 80 different denominations and a dozen countries, have participated in 40 Days of Purpose, a six-week spiritual journey developed by Rick. It takes an entire congregation through The Purpose-Driven Life and focuses on the question: What on earth am I here for? The book teaches that God created everyone for five purposes and that we must keep these five purposes in balance.

Rick is also the author of The Purpose-Driven Church, which has sold over one million copies in 21 languages. Winner of the Gold Medallion it is used as a textbook in many universities and was selected as one of the 100 Christian Books that changed the 20th Century. Forbes magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard called it "the best book on entrepreneurship, business, and investment."

Rick and his wife, Kay, began Saddleback Church as a small group in their home in January 1980. The church now averages over 20,000 in attendance each weekend and lists over 80,000 names on the church roll.

At Saddleback, Rick created and pioneered the Purpose-Driven Church paradigm of church health, which teaches the purpose of the church is to help people fulfill God's purposes for their lives. More than 320,000 pastors and church leaders from over 120 countries have attended Purpose-Driven Church seminars in 18 languages, and tens of thousands of churches have adopted the PDC strategy. Peter Drucker, the dean of American management, calls Rick "the inventor of perpetual revival" and Saddleback's mega-church model "the most significant sociological phenomena of the second half of this century."

The church has also started 34 daughter churches, inspired thousands of other new churches to be started, and sent nearly 5,000 of its members on mission projects around the world. Rick's teaching tapes have been distributed in 112 countries.

In addition, Rick is the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community which serves and mentors those in ministry. Currently, 115,000 pastors subscribe to Rick Warren's Ministry ToolBox, a weekly email newsletter; and the Pastors.com website attracts between 60,000 to 100,000 pastors daily with news, chat forums, sermons, and other resources for those in ministry.

Rick was born in San Jose, Calif. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Other honors include the Biblical Preaching Award, and two honorary doctorates.

References to Rick Warren's ministry in the Media:

• The Weekly Standard - "...clearly among the two or three most influential Americans working from the West Coast." (Jan. 29, 2003)
• Books and Culture - "Rick Warren's Saddleback is America's most fascinating megachurch." Alan Wolfe, Boisi Center for American Public Life (Dec. 2003)
• Forbes - "Were it a business, Saddleback Church would be compared with Dell, Google or Starbucks." (Feb 16, 2004)
• Christianity Today - named Warren "The Most Influential Pastor in America." (Cover story, Nov. 8, 2002)
• Fox News - "Warren's 40 Days of Purpose has sparked a nationwide spiritual revival... It has given churches a strategy for reaching the disenchanted." (Nov. 19, 2003)
• Denver Post - "Purpose Driven Life: The book that inspired a movement." (Front page, Nov.3, 2003)
• New Man Magazine -"The most influential pastor in America." (Cover, Feb. 2003)
• Church Executive Magazine - "# 8 in a list of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America" - after President Bush, Attorney Gen. Ashcroft, Justice O'Connor, Billy Graham.
• Ministries Today - "One of 20 Top Influencers of the Church Today." (Jan. 2003)

Rick and his wife, Kay, live in Trabuco Canyon, Calif. They have three children.