03 March

Zondervan celebrates the life of Celebrate Recovery co-founder, John Baker

Grand Rapids, Mich. (March 3, 2021)– Zondervan author and co-founder of Celebrate Recovery, John Baker, died on February 23, 2021 at age 72.

Baker co-founded Celebrate Recovery with Rick Warren out of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, after participating in Alcoholics Anonymous and desiring a Christ-centered 12-step program to help people overcome their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. According to the Celebrate Recovery website, since 1991, millions of people have participated in the Celebrate Recovery programs offered at more than 35,000 churches, prisons, and rescue missions in 21 different languages.

Zondervan first published the Celebrate Recovery Participants Guide Set by John Baker in 1998. Since that time, Zondervan has published Celebrate Recovery curriculums, Bibles, devotionals, and trade books with Baker, and all the resources have sold over 5 million copies.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of John Baker this past week. John was an amazing man who deeply loved God and his family and invested the last 30 years of his life in the life-transforming ministry of Celebrate Recovery,” said John Raymond vice president and publisher for Trade Curriculum at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “We count it a great privilege that we have been able to partner with John, and his son Johnny, in publishing the Celebrate Recovery resources that have transformed millions of lives throughout the world.”

Zondervan

Zondervan, a worldwide leading Christian publisher of books and Bibles, is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. Its publications include a variety of Bible translations for all ages; books in different  genres and subject areas for the general reader; curriculum for individual and group Bible study; books for children and young adults; academic resources including textbooks and reference books; ministry resources; and books on faith and culture. Zondervan is based in Grand Rapids, MI.  For more information, visit www.zondervan.com.

Contact:  Chelsea Taff, Manager

              Corporate Communications

              tel:   615.902.2137

              web: [email protected]