Rick Warren, Four Years After Stepping Down: At 72, He Still Hosts a Daily Devotional
(California) Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the global bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, stepped down as lead pastor in 2022; four years on, the 72-year-old has not faded from public view. He continues to preach as founding pastor and hosts a daily devotional program, remains at the center of the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) dispute over whether women may serve as pastors, and, on the health front, there has been no reported worsening of the autoimmune condition he disclosed in 2023.
Warren was born on January 28, 1954, in San Jose, California. In 1980, he and his wife, Kay Warren, started a home Bible study group in Orange County that grew into Saddleback Church, headquartered in Lake Forest and now one of the largest churches in the United States, with weekly attendance of about 20,000.
His best-known book, The Purpose Driven Life, was published in 2002. According to publisher Zondervan, it has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, with translations in more than 100 languages, and has long ranked among the best-selling nonfiction hardcovers in history; its theme of life's purpose became familiar to Chinese churches around the world.
In June 2021, Warren announced his retirement plan and the search for a successor. On June 2, 2022, Saddleback announced that Andy Wood would succeed him; on August 28, 2022, Warren preached his final sermon as lead pastor; and on September 12, 2022, Wood formally took office. Warren became founding pastor and, since 2022, has also served as executive director of Finishing the Task, a global missions coalition working toward goals for 2033 that include a Bible translation in every person's heart language, training for every believer in evangelism, and a church within reach of everyone.
His health draws the most outside attention. In 2023, Warren publicly disclosed an autoimmune condition, describing it as "debilitating but not life-threatening" and expected to last three to five years. As of September 2026, there had been no reports of new hospitalizations, surgeries, or medical emergencies, and Warren has not released further details; his current health status remains private.
His daily devotional broadcast and podcast, Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, continues to release new episodes daily, including on October 21; in mid-October, sermon platforms were still posting new installments of his "A Faith That..." message series.
Kay Warren continues her mental-health ministry. The couple's youngest son, Matthew, died by suicide in 2013 at age 27 after a long struggle with mental illness; the Warrens have since become among the best-known advocates for mental-health awareness in the church. In 2024, Kay founded Hope for Brighter Tomorrows, which supports parents of children with mental illness and still holds regular online prayer and support calls.
What has kept Warren in religion headlines in recent years is the women-pastors dispute. Warren has said that after three years of re-studying Scripture before his retirement, he changed a position he had held for 43 years, concluding that passages including the Great Commission (Matthew 28), Pentecost (Acts 2), and Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene show that women are also authorized to teach and lead. He explained the shift in detail on theologian Russell Moore's program. In February 2023, the SBC Executive Committee ruled Saddleback "not in friendly cooperation"; in June 2023, SBC messengers voted 88.46% to uphold the church's removal. The dispute has not settled: in June 2026, the SBC annual meeting approved, with 74.66% in favor, an amendment that would write the office of pastor as limited to men into the convention's constitution; under SBC procedure, it must be approved again at the 2027 annual meeting to take effect, and Warren's stance continues to be cited alongside the vote in U.S. religion coverage.
He also continues to speak on public issues. On September 18, 2026, Warren was among 120 Christian leaders who signed a letter urging the Trump administration not to withhold global health funding. Religion News Service reported that the letter concerned roughly $1 billion, including maternal and child health, malaria prevention, and nutrition programs; Christianity Today put the total amount of funding involved at $1.35 billion. The letter appealed on behalf of "the last, the least, and the lost."
From preaching weekly to 20,000 people at a megachurch to speaking through broadcasts, a podcast, and public letters as founding pastor, Warren's public schedule has continued through the four years since he stepped down. The next milestone in the dispute will be the SBC's second vote on the amendment at its 2027 annual meeting.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 马鞍峰教会 Lake Forest 总部园区（资料图，非华理克近照）。摄影：Manutdglory，公共领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Saddleback Church Lake Forest campus (file photo, not a recent portrait of Rick Warren). Photo by Manutdglory, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
