Rick Warren Biography
Richard Duane Warren is an American Southern Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Lake Forest, California.
Rick Warren Age
Warren is 69 years old as of 2023. He was born (Richard Duane Warren) on January 28, 1954, in San Jose, California, United States. Warren celebrates his birthday on the 28th of January every year.
Rick Warren Height
Warren stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 9 inches.
Rick Warren Family
Warren was born in San Jose, California, and raised in Ukiah, California. He was the son of Jimmy and Dot Warren His father was a Baptist minister and his mother was a high-school librarian. He has not shared any information about his siblings.
Rick Warren Wife
Warren is married to his better half Kay Warren. The two tied the knot on June 21, 1975. Together they have three adult children and four grandchildren.
Rick Warren’s youngest son
On April 6, 2013, his youngest son, Matthew, took his own life. This was after 10 years of struggling with mental illness. Warren says that, after the suicide, more than 10,000 people wrote to him about their struggles with mental illness within the church. He launched a ministry a year later to educate the church on its role to help people struggling with mental illness at The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church in March 2014.
Rick Warren Net Worth
Warren has an estimated net worth ranging between $10 Million – $30 Million which he has earned from his successful career as a pastor and author.
Rick Warren Education
Warren attended Ukiah High School and in 1972 he graduated with his Diploma in General Education. He founded the first Christian club on the school’s campus at Ukiah High School. From there, he joined California Baptist University in Riverside, California where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He also obtained a Master of Divinity in 1979 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to that, he also studied at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and earned a Doctor of Ministry.
Rick Warren Ministry/Career
His ministry began in his teenage. When he was 19 years old, he was called to full-time ministry at California Baptist University. He once skipped classes with one of his friends and drove 350 miles to hear W. A. Criswell preach at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco in November 1973. Warren waited afterward to shake hands with Criswell, who focused on Warren, stating, “I feel led to lay hands on you and pray for you!”
He worked at the Texas Ranch for Christ, a ministry facility of Billie Hanks Jr. during his time at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While there, he started writing books. He co-wrote two books, The Victory Scripture Memory Series and Twelve Dynamic Bible Study Methods for Laity, with Hanks and Wayne Watts.
Saddleback Church Rick Warren
Warren began a Bible study group with seven people and his wife at their Saddleback Valley condo in Orange County, California in January 1980. In April 1980, Warren held Saddleback Church’s first public service on Easter Sunday at the Laguna Hills High School Theater where 200 people attended. The church’s growth methods led to rapid expansion, with the church using nearly 80 different facilities in its 35-year history.
The church now averages nearly 20,000 people in attendance each week. He has been invited to speak at national and international forums including Time’s Global Health Summit, TED, Harvard Kennedy School, the Council on Foreign Relations, the African Union, the World Economic Forum in Davos, as well as the United Nations.
Warren was chosen by then President-elect Obama chose in December 2008 to give the invocation at his inauguration ceremony. The decision angered pro-choice and LGBT advocates and led to criticism of both Obama and Warren. The President defended his choice of Warren by saying, although he disagreed with the minister’s positions on abortion and same-sex marriage, there should be room for dialogue on such difficult social issues. More controversy ensued when it was announced that Warren would be the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service on January 19, 2009, the day prior to the inauguration. On January 20, 2009, Warren delivered the invocation, which was generally praised for its positive message.
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
During the launching of the Purpose Driven Connection in January 2009, Warren and the Reader’s Digest Association partnered. The partners announced that the magazine had not drawn enough paying members and would cease after the publication of the fourth issue that month. Warren was chosen to lead a prayer at the inauguration ceremony of the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame in 2010. He has been part of the latter’s Presidential Advisory Council since that date.
Rick Warren Retirement
Warren announced he would be retiring from the senior pastor position at Saddleback, but that he would stay on until his successor is appointed. he stepped down as lead pastor in 2022 while maintaining a founding pastor role.
Rick Warren Awards And Recognitions
Warren was named one of the “leaders who mattered most in 2004” by Time. In April 2005, he was named by Time as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”. In addition to that, U.S. News & World Report named him one of “America’s Top 25 Leaders” in October 2005. He was also named by Newsweek as one of the “15 People Who Make America Great” in 2006.
Books by Rick Warren
Warren is also an author, he has written several books. He co-wrote two books, The Victory Scripture Memory Series and Twelve Dynamic Bible Study Methods for Laity, with Hanks and Wayne Watts. In addition to that, he wrote;
- Journey with Jesus
- The Purpose Driven Life
- Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods
- God’s Power to Change Your Life
- God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions
- Words to Love By
- Open Doors: A Year of Daily Devotions
Rick Warren Devotionals
- Make Your Time Count – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 23, 2023
- How to Grow Your Relationship With God – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 22, 2023
- Spend Your Life Getting Ready for Eternity – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 21, 2023
- Envy Is a Sign That You Don’t Trust God – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 20, 2023
- Contentment Is a Sign of Spiritual Maturity – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 19, 2023
- Love Celebrates God’s Goodness to Others – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 18, 2023
- Comparing Is the Root of Envy – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 17, 2023
- Four Ways Envy Damages Your Life – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 16, 2023
- Four Reasons God Wants You to Show Mercy – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 15, 2023
- This Is How Much God Loves You – Daily Hope with Rick Warren – February 14, 2023