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Voted #15 by Premier Radio listeners as part of ‘The 100 Books That Changed the Church’ list curated by Premier Christianity magazine and Eden.
The opening sentence is a provocation: "It's not about you." In a culture saturated with self-help books promising to unlock your potential and maximise your happiness, Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life begins by pointing firmly in the opposite direction. Premier Christianity includes it among the books that have shaped the Church — and with over 50 million copies sold, it may be the most widely read Christian book published in the last quarter century.
Warren's framework is straightforward: he argues that every human life has five purposes — worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission — and that a life lived without awareness of these is fundamentally incomplete, regardless of how successful it looks by any other measure. The book was designed to be read in 40 days, one chapter per day, and was often used in churches as a community-wide study.
What gave it such extraordinary reach was its accessibility. Warren writes plainly and warmly, anchors every point in Scripture, and never condescends to his reader. It may not be the deepest Christian book on this list, but it is arguably the most practical — and for millions of people, it was the book that helped them understand what they were actually for.
Want to know more about the full list then read our blog article here.
About the Author: Rick Warren (born 1954) is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in California, one of the largest churches in America. He is also the author of The Purpose Driven Church and Daily Hope Devotional. He’s been a significant voice on global issues including HIV/AIDS, poverty and leadership development.
