Purpose Driven Church Ch 1 - The Saddleback Story

The story of Saddleback is remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that at several points along the way I have had to perform a quick reality check - "No way, did that really happen?"
But the reality is that Saddleback really exists, and as of the most recent figures it's a church of about 20,000 people (which makes it the eighth largest church in the USA!). And let's face it, churches have to start somewhere. Perhaps a remarkable story is what you would expect of such a group.
Here's a potted summary of what happened.

• Rick was prayed for by Dr Criswell in a way that seems to indicate forknowledge of the significant force that he was to become - yet the thing that Rick was challenged to do was to become the pastor of a local church!



• He became a reader of Don McGavran, who asked a very cogent series of questions which are worth considering in any church[1].



• He researched - he wrote to a number of large, growing churches and asked them what they were doing (to try to spot the common features).



• He did more research, looking for the place where he should found the church.



• He wrote to the relevant Baptist Churches Director of Missions, asking if he should consider Saddleback. At the same time that very person wrote to him asking if he'd consider founding a church in Saddleback!



• All kinds of "God-incidences" happened to ensure that the Warrens' bills were paid and that the church could start.



• He set up a Bible Study group, and told them of his plan to start a church. They were going to advertise the big start for Easter Sunday, but the leaflets went out a week early, so over 200 people came to their "dress rehearsal"!

It's worth mentioning that Rick describes much of what happened in the lead up to the building of the church at saddleback by comparing it with Indiana Jones' infamous "I'm making it up as we go along!" It's natural to think of it in terms of a big master plan, but that doesn't seem to fit what actually happened.

That's bad in one respect - if it wasn't the plan, the program, the technique, we can't copy it. But it's also good. It's fantastic to know that the big church at Saddleback was trying things and figuring out by trial and error what worked and what didn't - just like we do!

A few important notes, in no particular order:

* God wants His church to grow and His sheep to be found!

* Healthy, large churches are led by pastors who have been there a long time.

* Ecclesiastes 11:4 - "If you wait for the perfect conditions you will never get anything done."

* Rick was excited and audacious. When riding in a taxi, he told the driver he was going to start a church. When told the taxi driver didn't go to church, he said "Great! You can be my first member!"

* Saddleback did not want transfer growth.

* The fastest way to build a bridge with the unchurched is to express interest in them and show that you understand the problems they are facing.

* Saddleback met for fifteen years and grew to 10,000 people without a building of their own!!!!!!!!

[1] The eight questions are:

1. How much of what churches do is really biblical?



2. How much of what we do is just cultural?



3. Why do some churches grow and some die on the vine?



4. What causes a growing church to stop growing, plateau and decline?



5. Are there common features found in every growing church?



6. Are there principles that will work in every culture?



7. What are the barriers to growth?



8. What are the conventional myths about growing churches that aren't true any more (or never were)?