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Saddleback Church Conferences and Resources: A Gift for Developing Tools to Change the World Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, whose life goal is “punching holes in darkness,” has stated he has the gift of “developing tools to change the world.” His job is not to merely create, but to “capture, enhance and extend.” He has also gone to great lengths to avoid being territorial, instead making his un-copyrighted sermons and resources available to other pastors – many of whom are international or bi-vocational without time for ministry preparation. In addition to messages, materials and methodology he has made available to Purpose Driven churches, one of Pastor Warren’s greatest strengths has been his ability to make the Gospel message relevant to Post-modern audiences and individuals of other faiths. Pastor Warren has stated, “I will never deny what I believe, but I need to share it in a way that makes sense to people outside the church by creating new terms that bring conversations about God and faith into the Public Square.” The “purpose driven life” to which he refers is what Jesus called the “abundant life”; King David returned to his “pastoral” roots when he wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd..,” while Pastor Warren challenges corporate America that, “The Lord is my CEO.” Purpose Driven Summits/Radicalis One of Pastor Warren’s primary passions is the training of pastors, understanding that each year numerous clergy leave the ministry because of burnout and difficulty. Part of Warren’s heart and mission is to help pastors obtain knowledge and resources to carry out their calling. The publication of “The Purpose Driven Church” in 1995 spawned a movement, based on the model of church health focused on the biblical purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and missions. The purpose driven model shifts the focus from programs and personalities of the leader to people-development. “If you concentrate on building people, God will build the church,” Warren says. In order to help pastors understand how the Purpose Driven model works, Warren began hosting the annual Purpose Driven Summits to challenge pastors with a manifesto for personal, relational, missional, cultural and structural renewal in the church. During the 2008 Summit, more than 1,700 select influencers from ministry, business and government representing every state and 38 countries assembled for renewal and a roadmap for global action. Warren unveiled PEACE 2.0 during the event, launching the PEACE Coalition, a “network of networks” built of churches, businesses, denominations, NGOs, governments and individuals acting as peace partners, peace patrons and peace ambassadors. In 2010, Warren morphed the Purpose Driven Summit into the first-ever “super” conference, Radicalis. A Latin term meaning “of roots,” Radicalis is a unique hands-on, comprehensive experience with a purpose of enhancing each ministry leader’s team role and build and inspire them to serve God. Unlike past Purpose Driven conferences, Radicalis provided information for entire ministry teams, rather than simply senior pastors. Radicalis combined 12 conferences in one and included topics of the Radical Church & the PEACE Plan; Preaching for Life Change; Radical Youth Ministries; Radical Children’s Ministries; Radical Small Groups; Worship; Leading Through Change; Developing Emotionally Healthy Leadership; HIV/AIDS; Orphan Care; and Celebrate Recovery. In addition, Kay Warren led a special conference on Life as a Pastor’s Wife. Well-known faith leaders joined Warren and other Saddleback ministry leaders in encouraging and equipping attendees. With more than 2,000 pastors who attended the 2010 conference, Radicalis 2011 took place from February 22-25. Global Summit on AIDS and The Church Around the same time Pastor Warren formed the PEACE Plan, Kay Warren became what she calls “seriously disturbed” about the issue of HIV/AIDS. She developed a passion for sharing the love of Christ with those infected and affected by this pandemic and helping to fight the stigma of HIV/AIDS within the global Church. Her husband Rick soon began to share her passion, and he encouraged her to found the Saddleback Church HIV/AIDS Ministry in 2004. Recognizing the Church has the widest network and the biggest volunteer force on the planet, larger than any country, government, or business, in 2005 the Warrens organized the Saddleback Global Summit on AIDS and The Church to coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1. The Summit was strategically and historically unique, as no other HIV/AIDS conference has ever been built entirely around a practical “local church-based” strategy designed to mobilize millions of congregations around the world for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The event was such a success, that Saddleback also hosted Summits in 2006 and 2007. These conferences featured global keynote speakers and informative sessions led by experts in business, government, medicine, non-profits and ministry who are working locally and globally in an attempt to end AIDS. Participation from key influencers increased with each Summit, as did the national and international media exposure. The Daniel Plan In 2011, Pastor Warren, along with leading medical experts Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, developed The Daniel Plan, a 52-week journey, based on the prophet Daniel who chose healthy eating instead of the king’s rich foods. The Daniel Plan is part of Saddleback’s Decade of Destiny, the church’s spiritual growth and expansion plan for the next 10 years. The plan aims to equip church members in seven key areas: spiritual, physical, financial, relational, vocational, emotional and mental. This program was designed to help congregants get physically healthier, using a monthly conference call to encourage those participating in the plan, small groups and a website offering tools and resources from the medical experts. Saddleback Civil Forums As Saddleback continued to grow, so did the influence of Pastor Warren as a cultural leader. Understanding the great responsibility that comes with leadership, Pastor Warren began the Saddleback Civil Forum series in 2008 to promote civil discourse and the common good, encouraging leaders in business, education, the arts, entertainment, government, health and the military to speak on subjects of interest and concern to the entire community. The first Forum, held at Saddleback Church in April 2008, and attended by 2,000 participants, hosted four Holocaust survivors and the daughter of a survivor sharing their life-changing stories. While this was a significant event, it was not until later that year that the Civil Forums would garner international attention. In August 2008, the second event, titled the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency, captured the attention of the nation – and the world. Held at the Church, the Forum became the first joint appearance by the presumptive presidential nominees, Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), to discuss issues of leadership. The two-hour event presented an opportunity for each candidate to separately discuss their philosophies of leadership in a conversational Q & A format with Pastor Warren before an international television audience. More than 550 media representatives were covered credentialed on-site, and many Americans claimed it was the most authentic and insightful event of the entire election season, though done independently of formal debates. Just a few months later, the Warrens once again captured media attention when they hosted the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health, coinciding with World AIDS Day, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. During the Forum, Pastor and Kay Warren presented President George W. Bush with the first “International Medal of PEACE” from the Global PEACE Coalition in recognition of his unprecedented contributions through worldwide health initiatives. The Warrens also engaged both President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush in candid conversation regarding past accomplishments and future priorities on global health issues – including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. “In addition to my primary calling to proclaim the Gospel message, these Civil Forums further my three other life goals: helping individuals accept responsibility, helping the Church regain credibility and encouraging our society to return to civility,” Warren said. Additional Civil Forums include the Saddleback Civil Forum on Reconciliation welcoming President Kagame of Rwanda and Yale professor Miroslav Volf in September 2009; Saddleback Civil Forum on the Persecuted Church in November 2009; the Saddleback Civil Forum on Orphans and Adoption in May 2010; and the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Service with President George W. Bush in November 2010.
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