Rev. Rick Warren, the internationally known author of the Purpose-Driven Life and Purpose-Driven Church, spoke to the General Assembly of the African Evangelical Association (AEA) via livestream on Wednesday, calling on African evangelical leaders to lead the completion of the Church’s global mission.
Speaking to evangelical representatives of African countries who gathered from California in Nairobi, Warren highlighted Africa’s central role in the future of Christianity, urging continental churches to advance global leadership.
“There are more Christians in Africa than people in the US,” Warren said. “Africa is currently the most Christian continent on the planet, with over 430 million followers. The African churches must guide the rest of us.”
Warren, the founder of Saddleback Church in California, sent missionaries to all countries around the world, measuring his vision to complete tasks, a global initiative that he promised to complete the Great Committee in 2033 with the Church’s 2000th anniversary.
Experience in South Africa that changed Warren’s ministry courses
Warren spoke about the moment he fundamentally reconstructed the moment in South Africa 20 years ago.
“I was in Johannesburg to teach a pastor,” Warren said. Over three days he provided training to his leaders. It was streamed live to various sites across the continent. “But when it was finished, I asked to see a typical South African church,” he continued.
He was taken to a remote village on the main road (where there was no electricity or running water) where a small congregation was meeting under the tent.
“They had a garden where they fed the kids, and some school books, but no beds. The kids slept in their tents at night,” he said. “And I realized that this little African church is doing more to alleviate suffering than my large, well-funded church in America.”
That moment thrusts his heart. “I cried,” he said. “And I repented. I trained a training leader for years and didn’t care enough about those suffering.”
A young local pastor, 25 years old, approached him and said, “I know who you are. You are the pastor Rick. I downloaded your sermons every week at the post office.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Warren said. “This young man would walk two hours a week to download sermons and walk back to teach his congregations, and that moment changed me forever.
That night, Warren sat in the red African soil beneath the stars, reading the Gospels and asking God to show him a strategy to reach the world. From then on, prayer and reflection were able to be rooted in the “peace plan,” a five-part approach rooted in Jesus’ ministry: proclaiming the gospel, equipping leaders, helping the poor, caring for the illness, and educating the next generation. That model has since been adopted by thousands of churches around the world.
“God revealed a peace plan to me in Africa,” he said. “So, in many ways, I have become an African. I have double citizenship. I work for the Rwanda Presidential Advisory Board.”
Today, some of Europe’s largest churches are led by Africans
Over the last century, Warren continued to explain how the Christian centre had shifted from the global north to the global south. “100 years ago, 95% of all Christians lived in Europe and North America,” he said. “Today, 95% live in Africa, Latin America and South Asia.”
The future of the church can be summarised in three terms: “South, the city, the young.”
“Half of the world is under 30,” he added. “If we reach the world in the Gospels, we must reach the youths of the southern part of the world and the cities of the world.”
Warren also highlighted the global influence of African Christian leaders. “The biggest churches in Britain, Paris and Moscow are all led by pastors from Africa,” he said. “You are not just the future. You are the present.”
Equip local churches for global missions
An important point in Warren’s message was the empowerment of the local church. He spoke about how the Saddleback Church mobilized its members to implement “peace plans” in every country in the world. “Our goal was to prove that the church could do this, not just the mission institution,” he said.
Warren emphasized that past efforts to fulfill the Grand Committee have failed. Because they are often created by several individuals from the West, and churches in the southern part of the world and local congregations are rarely involved. “It was not a huge success, but out of 700 previous plans to complete the Grand Committee,” he said. “And no one includes the whole church.”
Warren said the strategy is comprehensive and supportive now that he is finished with the task, and focuses on local churches. “A church of 10-20 people can do this,” he said. “It’s about equipping all our followers to do their part.”
Warren concluded by encouraging African leaders to demonstrate global mission leadership. “I truly believe that God was called to lead the church in Africa,” Warren said. “The task is urgent. Africa is ready.”
