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Acclaimed author Jeff Sheler's Prophet of Purpose is an insightful biography of Rick Warren based on three years of research. Sheler observed Warren in contexts from training pastors in Africa to conducting Saddleback Church staff meetings. Warren Bird recently interviewed Sheler about his unique access to Rick Warren, Warren's staff, and Warren's family:
What does the Rick Warren story teach others, especially other church leaders, about the idea of innovation?
Rick's story certainly tells pastors and church
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leaders that they can be committed and faithful to the gospel, to spreading a timeless message, while remaining open to new approaches and methods of ministry. Warren talks about the five purposes that drive his ministry and his church: worship, service, evangelism, discipleship and fellowship. While those purposes never change for Warren, his programs and his methods do change. In fact, he would say that they must change as needs and circumstances require. So he's always looking for a better way, a more effective and innovative way of reaching people for Christ and ministering to their needs.
How would you describe the way he handles his staff as you observed it?
I have found him to be a delegator. He's definitely not a micromanager -- he is not detail oriented at all. People who work with him say, "Rick soars at the 30,000 foot level. He likes to look at the big picture and he leaves it for the people on the ground to work out the details." His staff know that he trusts them, he respects their abilities, and he respects their ideas. At the same time, sometimes in unexpected situations he will step in and shake things up. He'll say, "Let's stop this plan, let's change and go in this direction." And that can be very disturbing to people when their routine gets broken. His staff sometimes refers to him as "the chief disturbing agent."
Was he always a delegator with his staff?
I think he's certainly grown in empowering others. He has always been one to learn from others. He's always been one to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses and to have people around him who are strong where he is weak. And he takes pride in the fact that he doesn't do it all himself and that he has needed the help of mentors over the years and continues to seek out mentors. I think he has demonstrated this aptitude from the very beginning and continues to demonstrate it.
How does he allocate his time between church responsibilities and other initiatives?
Rick has felt called from the very beginning of his ministry to be the pastor of one church for his entire life and he has never lost that vision. He's stuck to it very carefully. He still sees himself primarily as the pastor of Saddleback Church. That remains his number one priority. But over the years, he and his staff have learned to have less of Rick Warren. When The Purpose Driven Life took off, and certainly. . .
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More Americans Choose Internet over TV |
For the first time, a slight majority of Americans would choose the Internet over TV if they were forced to make a choice to use only one of the two forms of technology according to the results of a recent study by Arbitron and Edison Research. Survey participants were presented with a choice to either never again watch television, or never again access the Internet. Just over 49% wanted to keep the Internet and just over 48% preferred to keep TV. The results were based on a national survey of 1,753 persons ages 12 and over. . .
Teen Birth Rates Fell in 2008 |
Teen birth rates in the U.S. declined in 2008, after increasing in 2006 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The 2008 numbers show that the rate declined by 2% among girls 15-19, with the largest decline occurring among 18- and 19-year-olds at 4%.
Pew Research Center analysis attributes the birth rate decline in all women of childbearing age to be linked to the recession. Their analysis suggests that the falloff in fertility coincides with deteriorating economic conditions, with a strong association between the magnitude of fertility change in 2008 across states and key economic indicators including changes in per capita income, housing prices and share of the. . .
US Teens Prefer Texting Over Talking |
Cell phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, while cell calling is a close second. Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. These phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens of all teens--or 88% of teen cell phone users--are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters. . .
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| SAGE: Wisdom from Those Who've "Been there, done that." |
Imagine sitting across the desk from some time-tested, well-seasoned ministry leaders. It's your chance to ask them the question, "What things have you done, that if given the chance, you would do differently?" You'll have that chance on May 19th!
In the tradition of THE NINES and AHA!, SAGE will be a totally online event... that means no travel arrangements, no days away from the office, and no hassle. And, you can attend for free!
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| OneHundredX Adds New Board Member |
| We are pleased to announce that Randal (Randy) Linville has joined the Board of Trustees of OneHundredX, parent organization to Leadership Network. Randy brings more than three decades of experience and success as a commodity market trader, international business executive and corporate board leader. He brings the foresight required to help growing companies and non-profits reach their potential. |
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You can peruse 100+ past issues of Leadership Network Advance and get valuable information on a variety of ministry topics in our Archives. Select VIEW FULL ARCHIVES LIST to see what's there.
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