Saddleback Church raising $71 million for expansion

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Saddleback Church raising $71 million for its largest expansion yet
By Marsha West on June 10, 2015 in Purpose Driven



Pastor Rick Warren is asking people to donate their hard earned money to open 10 more Saddleback campuses in Southern California. Even teens are getting into the act as you will see in Orange County Register’s piece. They’re called PEACE centers and they’ll provide assistance locally with food, medical help and counseling, Helping people is what churches do, right? But is it prudent for God’s people to spend their money this way?

For those of you who haven’t read Rick Warren’s best-selling Purpose-driven books and are in the dark about what he does, you should know that it has been demonstrated time and time again that his teaching is not consistent with Scripture. Moreover, there is clear evidence that he has been hugely influenced by New Ager Robert Schuller (read more here) and NAR/Dominionist guru C. Peter Wagner. Both of these men are false teachers.

Rick Warren also has an ecumenical vision for Protestants and Catholics to work together to rid the world of poverty and disease. Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries informs us that he has been “leading a charge within evangelicalism for full Christian fellowship to be restored completely to the apostate Roman Catholic Church.”

In 2011 Rick Warren invited the former Prime Minister of the UK, Tony Blair, a Roman Catholic convert, to Saddleback to participate in a forum on “Peace in a Globalized Economy.” The Network of Purpose Driven Churches chose Blair as the recipient of the Third annual International Medal of PEACE. Blair, who founded the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, said that he wants to see a world “where people of different faiths can reach out and understand about someone’s faith that is different than their own.” Warren is on TBFF’s Advisory Board.

So now that you’re aware of a few of the concerns we have with Rick Warren, enjoy the glowing piece OCR wrote on his latest endeavor to spread his social justice gospel around the globe:

Saddleback Church has launched what leaders are calling its largest and most ambitious plan ever to expand the mega-church’s ministry.

Pastor Rick Warren describes The Daring Faith Campaign as the church’s most faith-stretching, world-impacting and God-honoring plan in 35 years.

“I’m going to stretch your faith, I’m going to challenge it,” Warren told his flock at the campaign’s launch 10 weeks ago. “We don’t grow in comfort. Growth is often uncomfortable. The result is blessing, maturity and answered prayers.”

A week ago, Warren’s congregation responded during his Victory Sermon at the church’s main campus in Lake Forest, pledging to raise $71 million over the next three years to take Saddleback’s reach beyond its already global impact. About $7 million has already come in as cash donations. The Children’s ministry – students from Kindergarten to 6th grade – raised $20,156 by donating more than 600,000 coins. The campaign is Saddleback’s eighth and largest.

“Seventy-one million dollars!” Warren said during the service, counting up lighted boxes that each represent $1 million. “That will reach thousands and thousands in Christ. Do you know anything bigger in your life? What’s more important than that? … We want to see people in heaven from every nation.”

Over the decades, Saddleback has grown to include 10 Southern California campuses averaging 27,000 weekly worshipers and 7,500 small groups meeting in homes, according to church statistics. Church leaders have trained more than 400,000 churches worldwide in the purpose-driven strategy. International campuses have sprung up in Berlin; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hong Kong; and South Manila, Philippines.

But the church has a new goal – 40,000 weekend worshipers by 2020, it’s 40th anniversary. They will open 10 more Saddleback campuses in Southern California. PEACE centers – such as the one on the Lake Forest campus providing assistance locally with food, medical help and counseling, are being planned at existing campuses such as Anaheim and Capistrano. In those areas the centers will work with nearby Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Mission Regional Hospital to provide care for local families in need.

Technology and member-know-how will be used to keep worldwide members and outreach connected. A three-story Global Training Center will be built at the Lake Forest campus. It will be sort of a mini-college where members will be schooled in the arts, music, seminary and leadership.

The church will reach out to an estimated 3,000 small tribes, mainly in places like Africa, South America, China and Russia to spread their message and bring them to God. Members will be mobilized and work with other churches to get the message of Christ out to those who have never heard it.

Continue reading at link.