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What is Purpose Driven? What is Purpose Driven’s vision? What is the basis of the Purpose Driven model? How does Purpose Driven help church leaders? What will the Purpose Driven approach do for my congregation? What kinds of churches use the Purpose Driven model? Where do you find Purpose Driven churches? What characteristics are common to Purpose Driven congregations? What does it mean to build a church from the outside in? What does Purpose Driven believe? Is it true that … Purpose Driven is just for churches following the latest style? Is it true that … Purpose Driven is limited to ‘Boomer’ seekers? Is it true that … Purpose Driven is a ‘seeker-sensitive’ approach? Is it true that … Purpose Driven just fits a certain worship style? Is it true that … Purpose Driven is only for bigger churches? Is it true that … Purpose Driven only works in certain locations? Is it true that … Purpose Driven needs to be denominationally approved? What role does Saddleback Church play in Purpose Driven? Why does Pastor Rick use so many different Bible translations? Is Pastor Rick marketing Christianity – and compromising the message of repentance in the process? Does preaching to the “felt needs” of unbelievers water down the gospel? Has Purpose Driven been influenced by New Age ‘theology’? What does Pastor Rick teach about sin, the need for regeneration, and the necessity of repentance?
What is Purpose Driven? Purpose Driven is a church health model that provides pastoral teams with a unique, biblically based approach to establishing, transforming, and maintaining a balanced, growing congregation that seeks to fulfill the God-given purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions. Return to FAQs
What is Purpose Driven’s vision? To see a worldwide movement of healthy churches producing purpose driven lives. We want to see the Church: - Healthy and balanced
- Creating life-changing communities around the world
- Fulfilling the biblical purposes
- Encouraging the salvation, growth, and development of one another
- Fully aware and fully mobilized to fulfill God’s intentional design and mandate for a purpose driven church
- Encouraging other churches in their growth Return to FAQs
What is the basis of the Purpose Driven model? The foundation of the Purpose Driven model is the Bible – with an intentional emphasis on the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). These two passages combine to create the essential elements of a healthy, growing, biblically based church: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions. Return to FAQs
How does Purpose Driven help church leaders? Purpose Driven helps church leaders: - Establish or re-establish the core purposes of their church
- Design an intentional discipleship process
- Build an “outward-in” perspective to growth and evangelism Return to FAQs
What will the Purpose Driven approach do for my congregation? The simple approach of Purpose Driven helps your pastoral team lead the members of your congregation toward a common focus that includes a foundational understanding of the Bible and a clear method for measuring their own spiritual growth and the church’s overall growth. Return to FAQs
What kinds of churches use the Purpose Driven model? The Purpose Driven model is used by congregations around the world, including those large and small, denominational and non-denominational, charismatic and noncharismatic, new plant and well-established, urban and rural. Return to FAQs
Where do you find Purpose Driven churches? More than 400,000 church leaders in 22 languages have been directly trained, and there are now Purpose Driven congregations in a large majority of countries worldwide. Return to FAQs
What characteristics are common to Purpose Driven congregations? Purpose Driven congregations: - Create a purpose statement describing their commitment to building the church around the five New Testament purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.
- Are intentionally purpose driven in their strategies to fulfill their purpose statement.
- Organize around a purpose driven structure – keeping a balanced and equal emphasis between all five New Testament purposes.
- Develop ministry strategies by purpose.
- Staff by purpose.
- Are led by pastors who preach by purpose.
- Form small groups on purpose.
- Calendar by purpose.
- Budget by purpose.
- Build by purpose.
- Evaluate by purpose.
- Are best built from the outside-in, rather than from the inside-out. Return to FAQs
What does it mean to build a church from the outside in? The traditional approach to beginning a new church is to build from the inside out, turning a core group into a crowd. This approach says, “Build a committed core of mature believers first and then start reaching out to the community.” This line of thinking often leads to little growth because the core believers are uncomfortable reaching out to non-believers. It’s far easier to turn a crowd into a core – to build a church from the outside in. To do this, reach out to the unchurched in your community; bring them into your church and introduce them to Christ. Then teach them first to worship, then to fellowship, and, next, to engage in discipleship and then ministry. Next, send them into the community to introduce others to Christ and bring them into the church. By focusing on one level of commitment at a time, you build a healthy, multi-dimensional ministry. Return to FAQs
What does Purpose Driven believe? - God is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine.
- The Bible is God’s perfect guidebook for living.
- Jesus is God showing himself to us.
- Through his Holy Spirit, God lives in and through us now.
- Nothing in creation “just happened.” God made it all.
- Grace is the only way to have a relationship with God.
- Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
- God has allowed evil to provide us with a choice. God can bring good even out of evil events, and God promises victory over evil to those who choose him.
- Heaven and Hell are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end.
- The Church is to serve people like Jesus served people.
- Jesus is coming again. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven is just for churches following the latest style? Purpose Driven is about being biblical and eternal. The five purposes, rooted in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, will never go out of style and are based on the commands Jesus said were essential to the church. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven is limited to ‘Boomer’ seekers? Purpose Driven is not about a particular style; rather it’s about balancing the purposes and establishing a target group to evangelize. There are literally thousands of varieties of PD churches: post-modern, ethnic, language group, cowboy, singles-focused, artists, surfers – and even traditional. There are PD churches targeted for the “Builder” generation, “Boomers,” “Gen-Xers,” and “Millennial Gens” – and these congregations are located all around the world. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven is a ‘seeker-sensitive’ approach? Purpose Driven is not a seeker-sensitive approach. It does use a seeker-targeted strategy for evangelism (one of the five New Testament purposes), but PD does not require any specific method for evangelism or even a seeker-oriented worship service. There are thousands of PD churches that DO NOT have seeker-oriented services. It is a very flexible church health model that allows congregations to employ a variety of formats for evangelism. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven just fits a certain worship style? Purpose Driven is not about a particular worship style. Your church can be liturgical, traditional, contemporary, country, charismatic, multi-sensory, or casual. The Purpose Driven model supports you as your church matches the worship style of those you are targeted to reach in the community. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven is only for bigger churches? Purpose Driven is one of the most effective church planting strategies being used today. And that means that many, many PD congregations are very small in the beginning. But our research shows that successful PD churches come in all shapes and sizes. The Purpose Driven strategy focuses on balance, health, and strength, not size. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven only works in certain locations? Purpose driven churches are located in all sorts of settings: rural, small town, suburban, urban, inner city, jungle, and even war zone. Return to FAQs
Is it true that ... Purpose Driven needs to be denominationally approved? Purpose Driven’s strategy dovetails easily into the polity of many denominations. We often describe it as a computer chip that can be used in any form of computer. Purpose driven churches exist in more than 100 different denominations and associations. Return to FAQs
What role does Saddleback Church play in Purpose Driven? Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., is the home congregation for our ministry and models the Purpose Driven vision of church health. Saddleback serves as a laboratory in which Purpose Driven innovations are developed and tested. Return to FAQs
Why does Pastor Rick use so many different Bible translations? Translating the Bible out of the original Hebrew and Greek languages is a complex challenge. Most Bible translations are the work of a large committee of highly trained scholars. When Pastor Rick speaks or writes, he deliberately chooses the translation that will best communicate God’s Word to that specific audience. This allows him to benefit from the work of many biblical scholars who have worked for years to bring God’s Word into modern English. As an evangelist, Pastor Rick is constantly looking for ways to build bridges that will lead people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes the wording of one translation is better suited for reaching someone with the Gospel than the other translations. The point is to draw his readers and listeners into the Gospel message, knowing that once they begin the process of discipleship, they will become immersed in the Bible and be able to determine which translation is best for them. In addition, many people – believers and nonbelievers – have become so accustomed to hearing certain Scripture passages that a different translation may give them a fresh understanding of their favorite Bible verses. They can take this fresh understanding and return to their preferred biblical translation with a renewed passion for God’s Word. New or updated translations of the Bible become necessary when people no longer understand the language of another time and place. As we stand at the beginning of the 21st century, language is changing at an incredible speed. That’s why you’re seeing so many new and updated translations in use. Return to FAQs
Is Pastor Rick marketing Christianity – and compromising the message of repentance in the process? One common misconception about evangelistic/seeker services is that they use a marketing ploy catering to consumers. But the truth is that every style of worship service caters to someone: A traditional service caters to those who grew up in that tradition, a formal service caters to formal people, and an emotional service caters to emotional people. If you want to know which “consumers” your church is currently catering to, just try changing your worship service next week. You’ll discover very quickly who they are! The real issue isn’t whether you target but who you target. We shouldn’t be surprised that most members never bring lost friends with them to church when everything we do in our services is geared to the long-time Christian who understands all the phrases and knows all the tunes. Even in churches that have evangelistic sermons, you often find every other part of the service is aimed at members. When we send mixed messages, we get mixed results. When Pastor Rick planted Saddleback Church, he deliberately decided to “niche” the services: one service for growing Christians, the other for non-believing friends. The evangelistic service is called “seeker-targeted.” The evangelistic services are designed so someone without any religious background can understand everything that takes place. They’re also designed so members can bring their non-believing friends to the service, knowing that the message will be focused on the Gospel. Our members are constantly on mission to bring their friends and neighbors to these weekend seeker services. As a result, we’ve baptized more than 1,000 new believers each year for the last decade. If a traditional church wants to start an evangelistic/seeker service, Pastor Rick’s advice is this: Don’t throw out your existing service. Instead, add an evangelistic/seeker service to which your members can bring their friends. This will assist your members in being on mission for Christ. Return to FAQs
Does preaching to the “felt needs” of unbelievers water down the Gospel? Jesus often established a beachhead for evangelism in a person’s life by meeting a felt need. He frequently asked people, “What do you want me to do for you?” The result was that people crowded around Jesus. They brought him all kinds of needs, and Jesus treated each one as important. He didn’t judge some needs as more legitimate than others, and he certainly didn’t make people feel guilty for coming to him with their needs. He built bridges by meeting needs. God uses all kinds of human needs to get people’s attention. Who has absolutely unselfish, unmixed motivations when we ask Christ to save us? We come when we realize he can meet our need. Does it matter why people initially come to Jesus? What matters is that they come to him! Once in his presence, he can work on their motives, values, and priorities. Ministry is meeting needs in Jesus’ name. We do not limit our ministry to so-called “spiritual” needs only. We believe God cares about every part of a person’s life. James had some strong words on the subject: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16 NIV) Meeting human needs, regardless of what they are, is being a “doer of the Word.” People everywhere feel the same emotional and relational needs: the need for love, acceptance, forgiveness, meaning, a place to express their abilities, and a purpose to live for. People also are looking for freedom from fear, guilt, worry, resentment, discouragement, and loneliness. If your church is genuinely meeting these kinds of needs, attendance will be the least of your problems. You’ll have to lock the doors to keep people out. Return to FAQs
Has Purpose Driven been influenced by New Age ‘theology’? Not at all. Purpose Driven is founded on the same beliefs that disciples of Jesus Christ have held for the last 2,000 years. Purpose Driven affirms: - There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Bible is his inspired, infallible, authoritative Word.
- The Lord Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, born of a virgin, sinless in his life, atoning in his death, bodily raised from the dead, ascended to the Father’s right hand, and personally coming again.
- Lost and sinful people must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit to be saved.
- The Holy Spirit indwells Christians, enabling them to live godly lives.
- One day, both the saved and the lost will be raised, the saved unto life and the lost unto damnation.
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In contrast, “New Age” is a catch-all label for a hodgepodge of primitive religious beliefs accepted by some people who are looking for salvation in something other than Christ. Many New Agers believe in pantheism – the idea that everything is God and God is everything. Notions of karma and reincarnation are fashionable in those circles. Some New Age groups teach that each person is a potential god, others that all religions are equally valid paths to one universal Ultimate Reality. “But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NLT) Return to FAQs
What does Pastor Rick teach about sin, the need for regeneration, and the necessity of repentance? Some people assume that a church with lots and lots of visitors must somehow be watering down the Gospel in order to attract such crowds. They apparently think it takes a Christianity-lite to draw crowds. But the New Testament records that Jesus drew enormous crowds (called “multitudes”) without compromising his message. He did it by being clear, practical, and loving. And he did it by speaking in ways that those listening to him could understand. That’s one reason Billy Graham has always drawn such large crowds to his evangelistic events. Being sensitive to unbelievers or the unchurched in no way means you have to compromise the message of Jesus. It simply means you think through ways to communicate with them that will help them understand eternal truth. In other words, you remove any unnecessary barriers – those not rooted in theology – that keep people from hearing and understanding the Good News. For example, you might add air conditioning to your church building – removing a barrier that would keep some people from coming to your church – but you still preach on the centrality of the cross – a non-negotiable element – even if some people view it as a barrier. When unchurched people are going to be present in a service, any wise preacher considers their struggles and asks God how to apply his Word to their lives. We’ve found that the unchurched aren’t asking for watered-down messages; they’re looking for practical truth to guide their lives. The purpose driven message is that our hope lies in Christ, who died for our sins and rose again, breaking the bonds of death forever – and that all who believe in his name shall have eternal life. This is not a watered-down Gospel; it is the Gospel! Return to FAQs
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