Steve Gladen has been pastor of small groups at Saddleback Church since 1998. He oversees more than 3,500 adult small groups at Saddleback and loves seeing a big church become small through true community developed in group life. He is the author of Small Groups with Purpose and the coauthor of 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups, Building Healthy Small Groups in Your Church, and Don't Lead Alone. Steve and Lisa have been married since 1989. They and their two children, Erika and Ethan, live in Orange County, California. Stay in touch with Steve through www.stevegladen.com.
Evangelical pastor Richard Duane "Rick" Warren was born in San Jose, California on January 28, 1954. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked at the Texas Ranch for Christ before founding the megachurch Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California in 1980. He has written or co-written several books including The Purpose Driven Church, The Purpose Driven Life, and The Daniel Plan Cookbook: Healthy Eating for Life. He has lectured as a theologian at many universities and seminaries and was chosen in 2008 by… President-elect Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration ceremony.