Word: warrens
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...Warren found his own purpose at the end of 1980, when he was the young minister of a 150-member congregation that had no church home and held services in whatever high school gym he could rent. Disillusioned and burned out from trying to keep his flock together, Warren collapsed in the middle of his sermon one Sunday and fell into a depression. He spent the next year soul-searching for a way to meet all his obligations without getting overwhelmed again. "I needed to figure out what mattered and how to do it and not worry about the rest...
...Purpose-Driven philosophy offers instruction for individuals and churches. Warren writes in his book that God has five purposes for people's lives: to bring enjoyment to him, to be a part of his family, to behave like him, to serve him and to act as his missionary. The payoff for abiding by these precepts, Warren promises, is reduced stress, sharper focus, simplified decision making, greater meaning to life and better preparation for eternity. For Purpose-Driven church leaders, he has developed an "evangelism strategy" that includes a casual dress code, convenient parking, bright lights, live bands, short prayers...
...critics say Warren's plan may not be the best prescription for every person's long-term spiritual growth. And some argue that he's using the Lord's name for commercial gain. "The Purpose-Driven ministry is a marketing strategy," says Dennis Costella, pastor of the Fundamental Bible Church in Los Osos, Calif. "We believe the Bible tells us to present the word of God without packaging it for a contemporary cultural context." What his detractors call commercialism and marketing, Warren calls evangelism. "I believe I have the key to meaning and purpose in life with...
Remarkably, Warren has managed to spread his approach to the gospel without extensive national media coverage or a TV ministry. He turned down an invitation from Oprah to be on her show, though he says he'd like to meet her someday. "Too many ministers start out as servants and end up as celebrities," he says. "I want to use my influence to do some good, and I can get more done out of the limelight...
...Much of Warren's outside proselytizing is done at churches across the country in weekly gatherings at which small groups are schooled in Purpose-Driven living. At one of those churches, Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Gulf Breeze, Fla., there have been as many as 110 such groups. Before the Purpose-Driven philosophy came along, says the Rev. Chris Nelson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn., "the idea was for ministers to proclaim the gospel and let people figure out what to do with it in their daily lives. Now we are far more application oriented." When Bethlehem...