It isn’t often that a pastor’s book tops a New York Times best-seller list, but that’s where Rick Warren’s “The Purpose-Driven Life” landed April 27, moving to number 1 on the hardcover advice list.
Warren is the pastor of one of Southern Baptists’ largest churches – Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and he’s also the originator of the Purpose-Driven Church paradigm, a model for church health embraced by thousands of churches nationally and internationally.
Released by Zondervan in October 2002, “The Purpose-Driven Life” debuted on the Times best-seller list at number 14 in early January. Sales for the book now total more than 2.7 million copies.
Instrument for change
“When I wrote ‘The Purpose-Driven Life,’ I had my local congregation, Saddleback Church, in mind and all of the people in Orange County, Calif., Warren said.
“But I also-in faith- believed the book could be an instrument of transformation across the nation, and then the world,” he said. “I am excited to see how God is transforming lives through this book.”
“The Purpose-Driven Life” teaches that God created individuals with five distinct purposes in mind: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and missions.
When “The Purpose-Driven Life” was introduced, it coincided with a six-week emphasis at Saddleback called “40 Days of Purpose.” During those 40 days, the church baptized 671 new believers, added almost 1,200 new members and increased its average attendance by 2,000.
“We were so blessed by the results that we launched a national pilot, joining with more than 1,500 other churches in all 50 states to lead their people through ’40 Days of Purpose,’ “Warren recounted. “Hundreds of pastors and lay leaders wrote us, saying, ‘Our church will never be the same.’”
A second national 40 Days of Purpose campaign began April 12, and a third campaign is planned for October.
Zondervan also reported “The Purpose-Driven Life Journal,” an accompaniment to the book, is currently ranked number one on the Christian Booksellers’ Association (CBA) gift book best-seller list for the month of May. “The Purpose-Driven Life” has been CBA’s number one best-selling book for five months.
(BP)
Share with others: