Pastor Rick Warren returns to pulpit at Saddleback Church

Pastor Rick Warren is back in the pulpit Sunday at Orange County’s Saddleback Church, nearly four months after the suicide of his son.

Warren, author of the bestselling book “The Purpose Driven Life,” was scheduled to preach at 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., said Kristin Cole, a spokeswoman for the church. Warren also presided over services on Saturday.

Saddleback announced Warren’s return on its website with a simple, “HE’S BACK!”

His sermon will be part of a new series, “How to Get Through What You’re Going Through,” according to the website, and Warren’s wife, Kay Warren, was expected to join him for a portion of each service.

Warren’s son, Matthew, who fought with mental illness all his life, committed suicide in early April. He was 27.

On his Facebook page, Warren wrote that in his 43 years as a minister this was the longest he had gone without preaching. He said three TV networks were sending trucks to the church, “so I need your prayers.“ The sermons, he wrote, will be streamed online.

Warren has been on the cover of Time magazine and gave the invocation at President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. He founded the church, located in Lake Forest, in 1980. About 20,000 people attend weekend services.

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jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com