Rick Warren, lead pastor of Saddleback Church didn’t always lead the way by healthy example…
This mega-church pastor had an epiphany one day while he was baptizing 858 people. After dipping the 500th body into the water, Rick Warren’s aching arms led him to conclude, “We’re all fat.” He concedes that it wasn’t a very spiritual thought for a pastor to have, but he also thought, “I’m fat, too. I’m as out of shape as everyone else is.” From this moment, he decided to create a health program with leading experts such as Dr. Oz, that Christians could follow by writing a book named the “Daniel Plan.” On this plan, the pastor himself has lost over 30 pounds. And although some have questioned Warren’s mix of church and health, he says: “You think that God is only interested in your soul? No, he is interested in your body, mind and soul. Jesus went into each village teaching, preaching and healing. The Daniel Plan has to do with healing.” Rick also made our Top 10 Fittest Religious Leaders in the U.S. list. His church, Saddleback, also made our Top 50 Fittest Mega Churches in America list.
