LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Saddleback Church baptized 800 people in a marathon three-and-a-half-hour ceremony March 28, after nearly 2,400 people attended a four-hour class for people interested in becoming members of the church.
Several hundred people made first-time professions of faith during the CLASS 101 session, according to a statement released by the Lake Forest, Calif., church’s public relations firm.
Senior Pastor Rick Warren said the new members class — the largest in the congregation’s 30-year history — could be related to the economic and social turmoil people are experiencing these days.
The new members class, which Warren taught himself for the first time in 10 years, introduces the fundamentals of Christian faith and Saddleback’s history. It explains that church membership requires commitment and accountability, including an expectation that members serve in ministry.
More than 35,000 people have completed CLASS 101.
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