"[40 Days of Purpose] really raised in our church the awareness that we believe in the small group," Kinsella said. "When the hurricane came along, we already had this small group infrastructure."

The church raised $100,000 for hurricane relief in just three weeks, adopted families that moved to the Plano area following the hurricane, and donated a wealth of much-needed items to hurricane survivors.

"It was just an automatic reaction to so many people here," Kinsella said, noting the perfect timing of 40 Days of Purpose to prepare the congregation for what was to come.

One of the ways that Christ Church enhanced its 40 Days experience was by making it the focus of the church. A year earlier, the Christ Church staff was involved in the organization and hosting of a massive conference that garnered worldwide attention.

"In six weeks, we put together 'A Place to Stand,' a would-be 200-person meeting that grew to 2,000 people almost overnight," Kinsella said. "We managed that conference while trying to keep our church ministries running as scheduled, but it thoroughly exhausted our staff." We do have a purpose in mind when we start a program. It is to bring those who do not know Christ to the knowledge and love of Christ for the honor of his name.for the church.

As a result, staff members made a conscious decision to pause every other program in the church during the 40 Days of Purpose campaign so that every church member and staff member could keep their focus on the campaign alone.

"It proved to be a spiritual turning point in the life of our church," Kinsella said.

David Roseberry serves as rector at Christ Church and he noted in a letter written to other Episcopalian church leaders that Christ Church is Anglican through and through, but it is also purpose driven.

"Our services are recognizably from the Book of Common Prayer," he wrote. "Our music is a blend of the great hymns of the church, and the modern praise choruses of our generation. Our program of discipleship, evangelism, service, and fellowship is purpose driven. I admit it, and I am proud of it."

Kinsella said the church has always been a mission-driven church, but the purpose driven emphasis has helped to break the focus down further to give greater emphasis to the five purposes. The church has not only begun to view their lives as purpose driven, but their ministry at the church as well. The church's 40-member staff, she said, regularly meets to discuss new programs or emphases at the church to make sure that they are not only good in their nature, but also purpose driven.

"That just helps to give us a framework," she said. 40 Days of Purpose Let God reinvigorate your church around God's five biblical purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism) through the 40 Days of Purpose spiritual growth campaign. More than 30,000 churches have been introduced to the principles behind Rick Warren's best-selling book, The Purpose Driven® Life, through this six-week campaign.

And it has also helped to provide a framework for congregants who, in numerous cases, were able to see their role in the church in a new light. In one testimonial on the church's 40 Days of Purpose Web page, a member wrote: "For the first time in my life, I am actively looking for somewhere to use my gifts to fulfill God's purpose."

Many of the members at Christ Church learned this lesson as they participated in 40 Days of Purpose, Kinsella said, resulting in an increased awareness of the church's need to be on mission with God.

"We really tried to deliver the message that Christ Church is not a church where you are expected to be a passive member," she said. "You are encouraged to be an active part of the Body of Christ."

Roseberry planted the church 20 years ago with a desire to make his teaching and preaching biblical and relevant while breaking out of the typical church plant format. In the first years of the church plant, Roseberry attended a conference where Rick Warren was a featured speaker.

"Based on the kind of leadership I saw in him, I felt confident in breaking out of the typical church plant to do something unique," Roseberry said, noting that Warren also inspired him to blend the music format at his church, something which Christ Church still does to this day with a combination of traditional hymns and praise choruses.

Since that early start, Christ Church has grown steadily with a strong emphasis on its mission, which is the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

And it has grown in its understanding of its purpose.

"We do have a purpose in mind when we start a program," Roseberry said. "It is to bring those who do not know Christ to the knowledge and love of Christ for the honor of his name. Without ever knowing it, Rick Warren has been a kind of apostolic bishop to Christ Church." Recommended resources

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