Which Comes First: Purpose-Driven Lives or Churches?

Warren Urges Individuals to Discover God’s Purposes for their Lives

Grand Rapids, Mich.—After more than one million copies of his 1995 The Purpose-Driven ^â Churchhave sold worldwide, Rick Warren has written the book he wishes he had written first—The Purpose-Driven^â Life (Zondervan, October 2002). Warren considers this new book to be his life’s message—with application for every person alive today. The author has already seen powerful results in his own church, where he has shared the book’s principles, and the publisherhe expects an equally amazing response when the book releases in October alongside a national “40 Days of Purpose” campaign.

“Self help books often suggest that you try to discover the meaning and purpose of your life by looking within yourself, but that is the wrong place to start,” asserts author Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, where 16,000 gather for worship each weekend. “You must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

Warren first introduced the material from this book three years ago during a seven-week “40 Days of Purpose” spiritual growth emphasis at Saddleback. The church saw incredible results in changed lives as people began to understand the purposes that God had created them for. During the 40 day emphasis:

§ 564 people accepted Christ

§ 1,065 new believers were baptized

§ 1,628 new members joined the church

§ 2,701 signed up to serve in a lay ministry

§ 5,465 were trained in personal evangelism, committed to a world missions project.

This fall, the 40 Days of Purpose campaign will be repeated at Saddleback, and more than 1,550 churches, representing all 50 states and nine foreign countries will join them. More than 500,000 churchgoers will view a Purpose-Driven Life satellite simulcast October 12^th, which kicks off the six-week emphasis in churches. Participants will read a chapter a day (for 40 days) from The Purpose-Driven Life, and their local weekend church service will include a sermon based on the material.

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After the introduction week, five weekly sermons will emphasize one of God’s five purposes for life, as described in The Purpose-Driven Life:

§ You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure—discovering the true meaning of worship and becoming best friends with God

§ You Were Formed for God’s Family—exploring the real meaning of fellowship and to develop life together with other believers

§ You Were Created to Become Like Christ—growing in true discipleship, through truth, trouble, temptation, and time

§ You Were Shaped for Serving God— redefining ministry, discovering how God has uniquely formed you to serve him and learning to think and act as Christ’s servant

§ You Were Made for a Mission—defining your life’s purposes, balancing your life and gaining a heart for the whole world.

“Rick believes The Purpose-Driven^â Life has greater potential for life impact than any of his previous books—and I agree with him,” comments Scott Bolinder, executive vice president and publisher at Zondervan. “I believe this book will be remembered as one of the landmark book releases of 2002.”

Zondervan has developed a massive marketing campaign for the promotion of Warren’s latest release, including:

§ Retail Promotions—email newsletter to retailers, promotional items and displays

§ Church Promotions—to support the “40 Days of Purpose” program

§ Consumer Promotions—a “40 Days of Purpose” radio campaign, consumer email campaign and national publicity campaign

§ Website Promotions—www.zondervan.com/purposedrivenlife will feature a video message from Warren, e-greeting cards, a screen saver, excerpts, and more

§ Music Promotions—Zondervan is partnering with Maranatha Music to create a companion CD of the same title with original music based on the book’s content.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, one of America’s largest and best-known churches. His previous book, The Purpose Driven Church won the Gold Medallion award and was named one of the 100 Christian Books that Changed the 20^th Century. Rick is also is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community that serves and mentors those in ministry worldwide. Over 60,000 pastors subscribe to Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, a free weekly email newsletter.

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August 12, 2002

The Purpose-Drivenâ Life

By Rick Warren

Release Date: October 2002 Price: $19.99 ISBN: 0-310-20571-9

Category: Christian Living/Spiritual Growth Pages: 336 Binding: Hardcover

Published by Zondervan

For more information, contact McClure Muntsinger Public Relations

Pamela@mmpublicrelations.com