Rick Warren Talks About the Church and Christians

 Is your church healthy or unhealthy? What about your pastor?   

Rick says that “most” pastors are incompetent, but that  “healthy” pastors listen to him because he has greater insight than most people and most pastors.  In case you do not know, it is pride and arrogance which says (boasts) such things...

Rick says:

“I probably have the largest library of books on preaching in America. I've read over 500 books on preaching. Maybe some seminary might come close to that, but I am sure that no pastor comes close to 500 books on preaching. And as I've read them, the vast majority doesn't really understand that preaching is about transformation, not information.”

Purpose-Driven Preaching: An Interview with Rick Warren

“I find most pastors do not understand the power of preaching. But even more important than that is they don't understand  the purpose of preaching.”

Purpose-Driven Preaching: interview by  Duduis 

“Now most people think of the word of repentance they think of sandwich signs, turn or burn, or they think repentance means stopping all my bad actions. That is not what repentance is…. Repentance, metanoia, simply means changing your mind.  And we are in the mind changing business. Preaching is about mind changing. Society’s word for repentance, by the way, is "paradigm shift …. And repentance is changing your mind at the deepest level of beliefs and values.”

Rick Warren-  Purpose-Driven Preaching: Interview by M. Duduit

“What is needed today are churches that are driven by purpose instead of by other forces. "

 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, page 80.

“What do Finney, Wesley, Calvin, Spurgeon, Moody, Billy Graham, Jesus, Peter, and Paul all have in common?  None of them were verse-by-verse, through the book teachers. Not one of them.

Rick Warren-  Purpose-Driven Preaching: Interview by M. Duduit

Please read:

Joshua 8:35; Romans 15:4; Rev. 1:3 Rev. 2:22 ; Acts 26:20; Acts 2:38

Why does Rick talk down pastors who preach "verse by verse" or "through the book"?  (And by "the book" does he mean bible?)

Rick says, statistically, you are probably in an unhealthy “traditional” church with immature, self centered, uncommitted, half-hearted, lazy people… who have been taught wrong and are greatly lacking :

 “Most churches lack balance…The truth is that growth is a result of a combination of many factors and the secret of a healthy church is balance”!

Ad for the Purpose Driven Conference 2005

“The problem is that many believers want to love God half-heartedly.

HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?  by Rick Warren

"It's unfortunate, but many churches assume that spiritual maturity happens automatically, so they have no real plan for helping their members grow in Christ. That’s why I encourage churches to be purpose driven”

Helping Members Grow To Maturity by Rick Warren

“Very few Christians I know live a truly God-centered life on a daily basis.”

A Purpose Driven Phenomena An Interview With Rick Warren
Modern Reformation

“Most Christians do not behave the way they claim

to believe…The typical believer never shares

his faith, never helps the poor, never visits

those in prison, and never does many of the

other things Jesus commanded us to do”

A Purpose Driven Phenomena Interview Modern Reformation magazine

“Why do churches have so many people on their membership rolls who give little or no evidence of Christian commitment or even conversion? “

Church membership covenant: Expect what the Bible expects
Aug 19, 2002   By Rick Warren

Rick has a lot to complain about when it comes to the church.  You would almost think he does not like Christians very much. 

Who,  does the bible tell us, is the "accuser of the brethren?"