(LOS ANGELES TIMES) — Rick Warren, the founder of a sprawling megachurch, a bestselling author and one of the most influential figures in American evangelicalism, is retiring as lead pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County.
In a video service streamed to thousands of congregants on Sunday, Warren explained that he will take the title of “founding pastor,” and that the church he has led for over 40 years will soon begin a search for a successor.
“This isn’t the end. It’s not even the beginning of the end. It’s the beginning of the beginning,” Warren, 67, said in the video. “But we’re going to start looking for the next-generation pastor who will replace me and lead our family into the future.”
