Kay Warren (born Elizabeth Kay Lewis; February 9, 1954) is an American author, international speaker, Bible teacher and mental health advocate. She is the co-founder of the sixth-largest evangelical megachurch in the United States, Saddleback Church.Top 100 Largest Churches in America at Sermon Central; published 2017; retrieved 2019Inspired With Kay Warren at NBC News; published June 9, 2014; retrieved 2019 Her ministry is headquartered in Lake Forest, California.
Personal life Warren was born in San Diego, California, to Reverend B. LaVern and Bobbie Lewis.The Birth of Elizabeth Lewis at California Birth Index; retrieved 2019 She attended California Baptist College in Riverside, California, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles in 1976.
Warren married Rick Warren on June 21, 1975, and has three children:
Ministry
Saddleback Church launched with seven people as a Bible study group in 1980. During that same year, the first service took place in a high school gymnasium on Easter Sunday. In 2017 the church attendance was 22,000 people.U.S. evangelicals strive to change attitudes on AIDS at Reuters.com; published November 28, 2007; retrieved 2019Rick Warren Reports Double Rise in Saddleback Easter Attendance, Hundreds Turning to Christ in Tears at Christian Post; published April 17, 2017; retrieved 2019
In 2004, Warren founded both the HIV/AIDS and orphan care initiatives at Saddleback Church.Kay Warren on God: ‘There are times that I feel it’s all a big cosmic joke’ at The Washington Post; by Sally Quinn; published August 7, 2012; retrieved 2019 Through global summits about HIV/AIDS and civil forums held at the church, Warren and her husband promoted HIV prevention, treatment and care, as well as advocating for orphaned children. Warren became an advocate for people living with mental illness and suicide prevention when her son, Matthew, took his life in 2013. Warren founded the Hope for Mental Health Initiative at Saddleback Church in 2014 and serves as an executive committee board member for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
Selected bibliography
References
External links Kay Warren website Saddleback Church website