Good Seed Receives 2005 Church Health Award From Pastor Rick Warren and Purpose Driven Ministries

Eighty congregations from 37 American states and 15 other nations received Church Health Awards during the 2005 Purpose Driven Church Conference at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

"These awards emphasize church health -- balance and strength -- over size," said Rick Warren, Saddleback's pastor and founder of Purpose Driven Ministries. "There is no correlation between the size of a church and its strength.

"These congregations understand that the healthy church maintains a balance between the five biblical purposes -- worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission," Warren said. "These congregations have embraced purpose-driven principles to grow not only in numbers but -- more importantly -- to grow in health."

2005  list of award winners demonstrates that the Purpose Driven model is used by congregations around the world, including those large and small, denominational and non-denominational, charismatic and non-charismatic, new plant and well-established, urban and rural.

Congregations in the United States that are being recognized this year range from Good Seed Ministries, Chicago, Il. to First Baptist Church in Smyrna, Tenn., and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Norfolk, Neb. The international congregations include Tin Chung Alliance Church in Tin Shui Wai, China; Ostervra Baptist Church in Ostervra, Denmark; Centro deTeoterapia Critiano in Guapararo, Venezuela; and Maadi Community Church in Maadi, Egypt.

You can view the awards presentation in the media player above