Robert Schuller Claims To Have Played A Major Role Rick Warren's Life

 

WARREN AND JERRY FALWELL
Many independent Baptist churches are being influenced by Warren's teaching. Rick Warren and Jerry Falwell (who affiliates both with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Bible Baptist Fellowship) are partnering for a Purpose-Driven "SuperConference" in October [2003]. It will be held on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Simultaneously, a Rick Warren "40 Days of Purpose" campaign will be shown by telecast in more than 4,000 churches, including Falwell's church.http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/visit-saddlebackchurch.html
 
WARREN, BILL HYBELS AND ROBERT SCHULLER
A church ministry based on a market-study of the unregenerate, rather than a study of the Scriptures: When Rick Warren began his church, he started out using the very same methodology of Robert Schuller and Bill Hybels. Not surprisingly, Schuller praises the book inside the front cover, and Hybels highlights the book on his Willow Creek Internet web site!
http://www.salembible.org/biblestudies/purposechurch.htm
 
ROBERT SCHULLER PROFOUND INFLUENCE OF RICK WARREN
During his last year in seminary, he and Kay drove west to visit Robert Schuller's Institute for Church Growth. "We had a very stony ride out to the conference," she says, because such nontraditional ministry scared her to death. Schuller, though, won them over. "He had a profound influence on Rick," Kay says. "We were captivated by his positive appeal to nonbelievers. I never looked back." Imitating Schuller, Warren walked the (then unincorporated but fast-growing) town of Lake Forest, asking what kept people from going to church. He recruited a Bible study group that met at the Warrens' condominium; its members helped stamp and address letters to 15,000 households. "At last!" the letter began. "A new church for those who've given up on traditional church services!" More than 200 people showed up for an Easter service at Laguna Hills High School. Watching them stream in, Warren marveled, "This is really going to work!" http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/012/1.42.html
Thus Hybels does not seem too particular about those with whom he keeps company. In 1989 'Christianity Today' photographed him with Robert Schuller and C. Peter Wagner at Schuller's Crystal Cathedral.
http://www.banner.org.uk/apostasy/cell-church8.htm
 
WARREN SPOKE AT THE "SCHULLER INSTITUTE FOR SUCCESSFUL CHURCH LEADERSHIP" WHERE 80+ GAY/LESBIANS WERE IN ATTENDANCE
Schuller Trains Homosexual Pastors?--The Spring '97 Evangelicals Concerned RECORD newsletter said, "More than 80 gay and lesbian pastors and lay leaders from the Metropolitan Community Churches participated in this year's Robert Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership at Schuller's Crystal Cathedral. The speakers included Bill Hybels, John Maxwell and Rick Warren." http://www.llano.net/baptist/schullern&v.htm
 
WIMBER, HYBELS SPEAK AT SCHULLER EVENT
Listed faculty for The Robert Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership,Jan.27-30,at Crystal Cathedral campus included: Schuller, John Wimber (Vineyard "signs and wonders" guru), Bill Hybels, Charles Blake (Church of God),Walt Kallestad, John Maxwell, and Rick Warren. Ken Medema was at piano (9/16 CT). Hybels, Wimber, and David Cho were 1994 speakers. Tony Campolo and Jack Hayford were listed as 1995 speakers. http://home.hiwaay.net/~contendr/3-15-97.html
 
BRIGHT, HAYFORD, SCHULLER AND MORE ENDORSE WARREN'S BOOK
"This book is a rare treasure of godly wisdom, totally scriptural, inspired by the Spirit, and born of practical experience. These principles will revolutionize and energize any church to reach its full potential. Every pastor must read this book! It is destined to be a classic."--Bill Bright, Founder, Campus Crusade for Christ International
"God has used Rick Warren as an effective instrument, and this book reveals why. He's kept grounded on eternal values and rooted in the Vine of ultimate truth?Christ Jesus."--Jack Hayford, Pastor, The Church on the Way, Van Nuys, Calif.
"Destined to be a classic, the key to the greatness of this book is its passion and balance. Every student in the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism will be required to read it."--Thom S. Rainer, Dean, Billy Graham School, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Rick Warren has been used to challenge my thinking in the area of church growth in an incredible way. This book is on the must-read list for every pastor."--Adrian Rogers, Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee
"I'm praying that every pastor will read this book, believe it, be prepared to stand corrected by it, and change to match its sound, scriptural wisdom. Rick Warren is the one all of us should listen to and learn from."--Robert H. Schuller, Pastor, The Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, California
"This is the best book I've ever read on how to do church in today's world."--Lyle E. Schaller, Parish Consultant.
"The church has been waiting for this book for a long time, and it is worth every minute we've waited. It is destined to become a classic in the literature of the new paradigm of church health."--Leonard Sweet, author, SoulTsunami http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook6935.htm
Warren's "PDC" book is on the supplemental reading list at Wagner Leadership Institute in Pastoral Ministries ( as well as three books by Ted Haggard)
Warren, Rick. Purpose Driven Church. Zondervan Publishing, 399 pp. A five-point strategy for attracting and spiritually maturing the unchurched, from the pastor of Saddleback Church
http://www.wagnerleadership.org/pdffiles/pastoral_reading_list.PDF
Warren's "PDC" book is on the supplemental reading list at Wagner Leadership Institute in Church Growth Movement
Warren, Rick. Purpose Driven Church. Zondervan Publishing House, 399 pp. A five-point strategy for attracting and spiritually maturing the unchurched, from the pastor of Saddleback Church http://www.wagnerleadership.org/pdffiles/church_growth_reading_list.PDF
Endorsements For Warren's "Purpose Driven Life"
"Timeless...Profound...Compelling...Transforming..."
- Bruce Wilkinson, Author, The Prayer of Jabez
"This book will guide you to greatness-through living the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Make sure you're not missing the point of your life-read this book!"
-Billy and Franklin Graham
"Destined to be a classic on the Christian life, I predict The Purpose-DrivenT Life will become the My Utmost for His Highest of the 21st century. Timeless, profound, compelling, and transforming, this book is a priceless gift for everyone who wants to know their purpose and fulfill their destiny. As The Purpose-DrivenT Church has had the most profound impact on the church worldwide of any book in this generation, Rick Warren's new, groundbreaking manifesto will set millions of people free to live the lives God intended for us on earth. This is the book we've all been waiting for!"
- Bruce Wilkinson, Author, The Prayer of Jabez.
"If you only read one book on what life is all about-make it this one! Rick Warren is absolutely brilliant at explaining our real purpose in the world and making the complex understandable. Read this book, then give it to everyone you care about. It is life-changing. Believe me, you'll never be the same after reading this!" What a gift!"
-Lee Strobel, Author, The Case for Christ
"Disoriented about your direction in life? Are decisions tough to make and steps hard to take? If so, Rick Warren has written a masterpiece of wise counsel for you. Whether you are a seeker, a new believer, or a seasoned saint, let God use these pages to place your feet firmly on the right path!"
-Max Lucado, author, Traveling Light http://www.parable.com/cbn/item_0310205719.htm&ct=Endorsements
Warren's "PDL" book is recommended reading at Trinity Western University in their Graduate Program in Counselling Psychology which is very much tied to Renovare. Suggested Readings on Spiritual Growth and Maturity. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren http://www.twu.ca/cpsy/spiritual_growth.asp
 
SADDLEBACK & MEGA CHURCHES ALL USING META MODEL FROM FULLER & C.PETER WAGNER
Perhaps the first rung of the ladder is the meta-church model. This model for transformation is led by Carl George and his books, in particular "Prepare Your Church for the Future" [Fleming H. Revell Company 1992]. The meta-church concept is an idea or philosophy, rather than a system and Carl George describes it in his book as both a change of mind and a change of form in the infrastructure of the Church. (p. 57) The term "meta" in this system supposedly means "change" although one supporter likened the word "meta" to "'metta' - the "Buddhist focus on developing loving-kindness". The Greek word "meta" can indeed mean a turn-around or transformation. Thus the meta-church model seems, once again, to be all about TRANSFORMING THE CHURCH Carl George is the former director of the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism & Church Growth which is affiliated with Fuller Theological Seminary and was founded in 1975 through the vision of C. Peter Wagner, then director of the Fuller Evangelistic Association. (John Wimber became the first director of the Institute, turning it over to Carl George in 1978.) C. Peter Wagner In his foreword to "Prepare Your Church for the Future" praises the book as "the most significant step forward in church-growth theory and practice since 1970." Many churches are experimenting with the Meta Model throughout the United States and it is an integral part of the Church Growth movement of C. Peter Wagner. In Carl George's most recent book, "The Coming Church Revolution", forty churches using the Meta Model are reviewed and analysed. These include churches like Willow Creek (Bill Hybels) and other seeker-sensitive or 'purpose-driven' church networks like Saddleback Church (Rick Warren), Cincinnati Vineyard and Fairhaven Alliance Church. http://www.banner.org.uk/apostasy/cell-church7.htm

 

WARREN'S LETTER REGARDING - P.E.A.C.E. PLAN
Dear Friends:
This weekend, I will begin teaching the most important series of messages we've ever taught in 23 years here at Saddleback church. We believe it is part of the beginning of a Spiritual Awakening, a Global Movement, a New Reformation.
During the five weekends of November, we'lll teach five messages on the P.E.A.C.E. plan: a strategy to have every small group in our church, and then tens of thousands of small groups in other churches, become engaged in solving the five biggest problems in the world: Spiritual Lostness, Lack of Godly Leaders, Poverty, Disease, and Lack of Education.
These giant problems are so big that neither the governmnent, nor all the NGOs (non-government organzations) can tackle them. There is only one group large enough to tackle these global issues-the Christian church in all its local expressions around the world. Nothing else can compare to the distribution channel of the millions of churches around the world.
Even in villages where you cannot find a clinic, a store, a school, or a post office, you can often find a church. The PEACE Plan will address these five "giant" problems by Planting new churches... Equipping leaders... Assisting the poor...Caring for the sick... and Educating the next generation.
These problems, and the answers, are not new. But the way we intend to tackle them using the small groups of local churches in large numbers is revolutionary.
Each week in November we'll explain one of the 5 parts of the plan in detail. We've be listening, praying, and preparing for this launch for about a year, and we've sought the advice of respected national Christian leaders around the world.
We have "tweaked" the plans often, and will continue to do so as we "learn by doing." Now we're ready to share the plan with our congregation, friends, and other interested congregations across America. The bottom line is that we intend to reinvent mission strategy in the 21st century. As I stated, this will be a new Reformation. The First Reformation returned us to the message of the original church. It was a reformation of doctrine - what the church BELIEVES. This Second Reformation will return us to the mission of the original church. It will be a reformation of purpose- what the church DOES in the world.
In the first century, mission strategy was always congregationally based. The first missionaries were sent, supported, and accountable to local churches. The church at Antioch was the first to do this. There were no mission societies, mission boards, or parachurch organizations. Local churches accepted the responsibility for Jesus' Great Commission and his Great Commandment, and the growth of the church worldwide was explosive. Today, most local churches are sidelined and uninvolved when it comes to missions. The message from most mission and parachurch organizations to the local church is essentially "Pray, pay, and get out of the way."
But in the 21st century, Kay and I intends to help thousands of other local churches to move back to the frontline in missions, in compassion, and in providing the social services that historically the church provided. I believe the proper role for all the great parachurch and relief organizations is to serve local churches in a supportive role, offering their expertise and knowledge, but allowing the local churches around the world to be central focus and the distribution centers. I deeply believe that any organization that marginalized or minimizes the local congregation's responsibility to "Go", or bypasses the local church's moral authority to fulfill the Great Commission, is out of sync with the strategy God intended, and modeled in the book of Acts.
 
TEN MILLION COPIES SOLD
The continuing sales of The Purpose Driven Life are quite amazing. We are almost at the tipping point where Purpose Driven Life becomes a national phenomena. It will hit 10 milion copies sold by the end of December and has been on the New York Times hardback bestsellers longer than any other book this year (40 weeks) A couple weeks ago I did 6 TV interviews including Fox News Live, ABC, NBC, and CBN, so this spiritual awakening is starting to get the attention of the media. I now believe that know why God is blessing this book in such an unusual way. It is more than just a message thatGod wants to get out to everyone(which is huge). I now also see that God is using this phenomena to expand the platform for us to mobilize thousands of local churches for global world missions through the PEACE plan. Right now about 5,000 more churches are doing the 40 Day of Purpose campaign, and now the program has been adopted by corporations (like Coke and Walmart) sports teams (like the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, NASCAR drivers, and the LPGA) schools, civic clubs, and even prisons. Last week, Paul Harvey told everyone to go buy a copy of PDL on his ABC radio broadcast. He said "This is one of the most insightful books I've ever read and I will read it again...and again...and again." In 2004 we expect over 15,000 more churches to participate. The influence of the book keeps amazing me everyday as I get requests for autographed copies. In today's stack: I signed books for 1) All the Supreme Court Justices 2) One for Fidel Castro (!) 3) One for the President of Peru (these last 2 were spanish editions), and I recently got a note saying that everyone on Air Force One was reading the book recently.
But all this is not about us. God's intention is much bigger than the book. It's all about the global glory of God! We intend to leverage the attention that the Purpose Driven Life has garnered to bring about a whole new way of thinking and acting in the church about our responsibility in the world. This is a stewardship we must be faithful to fulfill-with humility, generosity, and integrity.
If you'd like to watch the PEACE series on the internet, we've created a special webpage for you to do so without being needing a Saddleback membership code.All you need to do is click on this url www.saddleback.com/peaceplan . It will launch a page that will give you three options. 1. You can print an outline of the message. 2. You can watch one of our 6 weekend services online (times are given, and 3. You can watch the Archived services of any of the five services you miss in the PEACE plan series.
God bless you friends.
For the Global Glory of God!
Rick Warren - http://www.saddleback.com/home/todaystory.asp?id=6213
 
RICK WARREN ENDORSED ALPHA COURSE
"It's great to see how Alpha has been used to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, who wouldn't normally come to church. This resource is very complementary to helping seekers connect with The Purpose Driven Life."
Dr. Rick Warren
Sr. Pastor, Saddleback Church
http://www.resourcefoundation.org/Current/Alpha/endors.shtml

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