- Source of Wealth: Pastor, Author
- Nationality: United States
The Megachurch pastor appeared on many lists of top evangelical Christian leaders in the early 21st century, aided by the popularity of his books, The Purpose Driven Church (1995) and the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life (2002). His books, studied across denominational lines, encouraged people and churches to discern and be motivated by God’s purpose for them, as opposed to guilt, anger, fear, materialism, tradition, finances, programs, buildings, and so forth. By 2005, he was publicly urging evangelicals to get involved in solving world problems, including poverty and AIDS. Obama sparked controversy when he asked Warren to give the invocation at the presidential inauguration in January 2009.