Ministry News

Warren Asks, Saddleback (Gives and) Receives

Details

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 16:22

Rick Warren has preached from John 16:24—"Ask, and you shall receive"—countless times, yet this past Sunday Jesus' words undoubtedly took on a new meaning.

Last Wednesday, the senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., informed congregants of a $900,000 budget deficit and sent out an e-mail asking members to reach deep into their pockets to cover ministry expenses as 2009 ended. Warren assured recipients the shortfall wasn't because of mismanagement but purely because of a low Christmastime offering stemming from poor attendance on the Sunday immediately following Christmas services.

By New Year's Day—only two days after Warren's plea—Saddleback members had given a whopping $2.4 million in what Warren dubbed during his weekend sermons as "The Miracle." The megachurch will now begin 2010 with an unexpected surplus that leaders say will help further reach the surrounding community and world.

"This is pretty amazing," Warren told members during a Sunday service that announced the surplus with 24 volunteers each holding $100,000 signs. "I don't think any church has gotten a cash offering like that off a letter."

Yet despite a mammoth donation from the church family, of which 10 percent is currently unemployed, Warren isn't in shock.

"I wasn't surprised by this offering, as Saddleback is famous for radical generosity," Warren said, and later added in a news statement, "I say without fear of contradiction that I don’t know of a more generous church."

Saddleback leaders also pointed out that most of the donations were less than $100. "It came from thousands of ordinary people," Warren said. "This was not one big fat cat." [AP, 1/3/09; latimes.com, 1/2/10]