Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” today announced Andy Wood, current Lead Pastor of Echo.Church in the San Francisco Bay Area, will transition into the role of Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church.
The announcement, which was unanimously confirmed by the Saddleback Elders, comes exactly one year after Rick Warren shared his calling to become the leader of the Finishing the Task global coalition of nearly 1,600 denominations and ministries, after 43 years of serving as Senior Pastor of Saddleback.
“Kay and I believe so much in this couple. We love them so much, and we are confident that God has prepared and chosen them to take up the baton and run the next leg of the Saddleback marathon,” said Rick Warren. “We truly, deeply, confidently and unreservedly endorse this couple to take our church to the next level of growth and impact.”
Rick and Kay Warren founded Saddleback in January 1980.
What began with just six people in the living room of a small apartment today has grown to 40,000 members attending 19 different campuses on four different continents around the world. Under the leadership of the Warrens, the church operates more than 500 care and support ministries and groups ranging from HIV/AIDS to grief care to mental health. The church has also baptized more than 56,000 new believers, sent 26,869 members to serve in 197 nations, and given more than $1 billion to Christian causes. During COVID-19, more than 18,000 Saddleback members volunteered to provide groceries to over 600,000 out-of-work Southern California residents, and the Saddleback Hong Kong campus distributed over 1 million masks in that city.
In a video message to the Saddleback community, Rick Warren shared the process of this decision, which came after discussions with nearly 100 potential purpose-driven pastoral candidates, interviews and countless prayers. Rick Warren noted all along he was looking for someone who had proven leadership and was a true lover of people, who exemplified the biblical qualities that are described in the books of 1 Timothy and Titus, and who also embodied a list of specific characteristics needed to lead a church of Saddleback’s size, scope and platform.
“In March, I invited a young purpose-driven pastor to preach our weekend services who fit all of the qualifications on our list,” Rick Warren said. “Fourteen years ago, he had planted a purpose-driven church in the San Jose-Silicon Valley area. Andy and Stacie Wood grew that church to around 3,000 people in one of the most difficult places in America to start a church. I am so proud of what they’ve accomplished there.”
Andy Wood holds a master’s degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary, the same seminary that Rick Warren attended. He is passionate about reaching unbelievers, teaching God's Word in relevant ways, training leaders, and creating environments where those far from God come to know Him personally.
Propelled by a vision to start a church that communicated the timeless truths of Scripture in a way that could be practically applied and understood, even for those who felt irreligious and far from God, Andy and Stacie Wood moved across the country in 2008 to found Echo.Church (previously called South Bay Church) in San Jose, California. Today, the church has three physical campuses across the San Francisco Bay area and streams services online for thousands of individuals each week.
“One of the things we say often at Echo is that we exist to urgently lead people to say ‘yes’ to Jesus and passionately follow him, and that mission is core to our hearts,” said Andy Wood. “For decades, we have admired and respected Pastor Rick and Kay Warren and their work through the Purpose Driven Church model has been critical.
“We’ve been so blessed by their friendship, and after months of prayer and seeking counsel from others, we believe that God has called us together to step into serving at Saddleback Church,” Andy Wood continued. “We have deep compassion and love in our hearts for our Echo.Church community, and while there is a lot of sadness to leave, we know that the greatest ‘yes’ in our life is our ‘yes’ to Jesus. It is with great humility, excitement and honor that we step into this new season of ministry at Saddleback Church. We feel privileged to build upon the incredible foundation and continue the mission which Pastor Rick and Kay Warren established.”
The Woods have been married 19 years and have three children, ages 8, 13 and 15.
On Father’s Day Weekend, June 18 and 19, the Warrens will interview the Woods as a part of the weekend worship services at Saddleback.
The Woods’ final Sunday at Echo.Church will be June 26, during which they will commission Pastor Filipe Santos as Acting Lead Pastor of Echo.Church. They will move to Orange County in July and attend Saddleback in August during Rick Warren’s final preaching series. Saddleback will celebrate the Warrens’ 43 years of service at Saddleback on the weekend of September 3 and 4, and the following weekend, September 10 and 11, Andy and Stacie Wood will be commissioned into their new roles. Andy Wood’s first official day as the new Senior Pastor of Saddleback will be September 12.
For more information, visit Saddleback.com.