This clarification has been sent out to news outlets and has been posted in several locations across the Internet:

I just landed in San Antonio and am getting ready to talk about missional church issues all day tomorrow with a couple hundred younger pastors in San Antonio. I will blog more on that tomorrow, but I just received Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox for the week.

Some interesting things this week:

Scott McKnight, professor and leading emerging church blogger, has an insightful article on evangelism and the importance of connecting the Great Commission to the Great Commandment. You can read it here.

Tim Keller is also quoted in the Toolbox:

"The theory that there is a God who made all of the world accounts for the evidence we see better than the theory that there is no God. Those who argue against the existence of God go right on using induction, language, and their cognitive faculties, all of which makes far more sense in a universe in which a God has created and supports them all by his power.�? - Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Dutton Adult, 2008)

Prediction: tomorrow, this newsletter will be cited on certain blogs as proof that Purpose Driven (Warren), Emerging (McKnight), and Missional (Keller) are really all the same heresy. Grin.
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Anyway, there is also an article there (in the fine print) by Mike Dodson and me (primarily Mike, truth be told). You can read it here or I have included it below.

The article comes from a conversation Rick and I had a few months ago. Mike and I found it remarkable that 50% of the 324 pastors we surveyed mentioned a Warren resource in their survey response. The graph tells the story-- click here to open in a new window.

So, we wrote this article which you might find helpful. We wrote:

The thing that impressed me most about Highlands Fellowship was their global vision. I have already written about my visit to Highlands and their multisite strategy. But, the most impressive thing about their church has to be their global vision.

I asked Jimmie to share with me about that global vision and he explained:

One of the most defining moments of my life happened on Monday night, May 12th 2003. It continues to shape my life and millions of others to this day.

Go ahead... what caption would you suggest for this picture from the ComeBack Challenge conference? (picture: Tim Gentry)

Rick Warren & Ed Stetzer

Updated:

Thanks for the great submissions. There are many great ones, some good ones, and a few, well, weird ones.

Of course, there must be a winner and a prize for such a contest. Below are six winners and each will recieve a free copy of my new book (Compelled by Love) in a few weeks. The winners were based on an intense judgng process-- they made me laugh.

And the winners are........................................

Lance Ford:
"Geeze Lord, why do you tell Rick all the good stuff?"

Luke Britt:
goatees + wavy hair = missional

Michael:
Rick: ----
Ed: Boy, this cardboard cutout of Rick Warren sure is life-like. I'd better take it home with me.

James Cross:
Ed thinks to himself, "How many times do I have to tell Ricky, that is not how you spell TULIP?"

Todd Rhoades:
Ed's thinking, "There's got to be a good book idea on that paper somewhere!"

SJ (Steve) Camp:
WARREN
CONFIDENTIAL FROM STAFFER:

RICK: NEW DATA - EARTH HAS COOLED .67 DEGREES IN THE PAST 100 YEARS. DON'T MENTION THE GLOBAL WARMING THING... IT WAS A HOAX.

ED
OH NO... THAT'S GOTTA HURT! HOW CAN I TURN THIS INTO A POSITIVE MISSIONAL MOMENT? HMMM.

So, here I am in California teaching a seminar built around my book, Comeback Churches.

It is called the "The Comeback Challenge."

It is a great conference so far-- Nelson Searcy, Voddie Baucham, and several other pastors. You can download the PowerPoint I used at www.comebackchurches.com.

And, who shows up to teach the last session of the Comeback Challenge? Rick Warren. He steals my last session and starts talking about my stuff!!! UGH.

Can't he write his own stuff?!?!?

Last month, it was announced he was speaking at the Exponential Conference, again following me around. Sigh.

Stop stalking me Rick!

He's OK at teaching my stuff... and he even brought a little of his own. Grin.

We are doing dinner tonight and then a panel for a smaller group.

Here are a few quotes (written on the fly, but I think they are pretty accurate) from when Rick spoke.

You want to make them doers of the word and not just hearers.

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Jesus led people from "come and see" to "deny yourself and take up the cross" to "eat my body and drink my blood." That takes a while and it takes a plan.

Some of you are "come and see preachers�? and your people need you to lead people to "eat my body and drink my blood.�? They need you to lead them to harder truths. You need a plan to move people to high commitment of "denying yourself" and "eat my body and drink my blood.�?

Some of you are "eat my body and drink my blood preachers�? and you need a plan to help people "come and see.�? Church is all about bringing people closer and closer to Christ.
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Saddleback may be the most spiritual mature church in the nation... we have more people in small groups than we have in Sunday morning worship... we have 13842 tithers... over 14,000 people having a daily quiet time... the over 15,000 people who are serving in ministry...
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Teaching a sermon will not disciple people... it is not enough.
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Spiritual growth is incarnational... it's Christ in you... it is helping people let Christ live through them... Christ in you the hope of Glory.
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There are three dangers: hedonism, materialism, and secularism-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

If you have been in the minsitry 10 to 20 years and kept your pants on, I honor you.
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Prosperity gospel: don't ever put an adjective in front of gospel: Prosperity gospel, social gospel.

The gospel is good news: Christ died and was resurrected for our sins.
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[Referring to the temptation of Jesus] The plan was that Jesus would be worshiped because he died on a cross not because he jumped off the temple.

Now that I am on break sitting in a Starbucks in Barcelona, I thought I would catch up a bit on non-meeting stuff.

This is sort of my "Friday is for Friends�? from the last week or so.

Billy Hornsby (Not Bruce Hornsby)

As I mentioned, I had a good week last week at Liberty University and had the opportunity to visit with Billy Hornsby. (No relation to Bruce and he does not have a "range.�?)

He says some nice things on his blog, but he made me promise to say something nice about The Association of Related Churches (ARC). I am glad to do it!

He tells the ARC story on his blog:

Started seven years ago with two church plants, today the Association of Related Churches, (ARC) has planted 53 relevant, life-giving churches across the country, many of them now effective mega-churches. We are a non-denominational church planting engine that offers coaching, assessment and financing to young church planters and church networks. Because of the partnership of vision minded pastors like Greg Surratt, Chris Hodges, Dino Rizzo, Rick Bezet and Scott Hornsby, the ARC is poised to make an even bigger impact in the next few years. Great new friends have come along side of ARC to make the potential even greater...Guys like Matt Fry, Craig Altman, Craig Groeschel, Stovall Weems and many others have put the MO in the organization.

ARC is looking for planters and has resources for them... so check out their site for more info.

Rick Warren

Tonight (this afternoon in the states), I will interview Rick Warren for an upcoming podcast. More soon...

Ergun Caner

Though this will get me in trouble with some folks, I must admit that I enjoy Ergun Caner.

He is bombastic and sarcastic, traits that for some odd reason I can understand. He is also concerned deeply about evangelism and missions. And, as he puts it, he may have the greatest job in the world. Every Wednesday he speaks to 5000 young adults and challenges them to follow Christ to reach and change the world. (And, I am exceedlingly grateful he let me have a week with them.)

Now, Ergun is not what you expect in a seminary president. He drives a Ford Expedition that is tricked out with new rims, bullet holes, and a bumper sticker that says, "My Dean could beat up your Dean.�? Now, I know the Deans of about 20 different seminaries and I am quite certain that is true.

Most importantly, he appreciates 80's hair band music. While driving his Expedition, I was entertained by Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime�? playing on "Hair Nation of Sirius radio. (If you don't know, I can't explain it to you--it was an odd few years in rock and roll.)

I hung out with Mark Driscoll on Tuesday night and Ergun Caner on Thursday morning-- and I think they would like each other. Not sure who would win the fight... but it would be close.

Monday is for Missiology

I must confess that I have done a terrible job finishing my Meanings of Missional series. It is not a dead project--just a delayed one. I have found adjusting to my new roles to be more difficult that I expected.

Not bad things, just too many things, and I need to get back to writing on missiology.

I will soon.

To my Evangelical Free Friends on the Emerging Church

I will post those resources on understanding the emerging church soon. Sorry I am delayed.

Now, back to missionaries in Barcelona...

Here is a little "Breaking News" for you...

You might enjoy coming to the Exponential Conference, where Rick Warren has just joined the line-up.

Thursday will now include sessions from Warren and Tim Keller... who woulda' guessed they would be sharing the same platform? I have the privilege of knowing both men, but it is unique to see them together at one conference.

(If you are looking for me, I will be in the green room watching the dialogue.)

The line-up at the conference is largely because of the hard world and church planting vision of Todd Wilson at Passion for Planting (who partners with me at www.newchurches.com) and Dave Ferguson, who in addition to helping spawn a movement of reproducing churches, is also a great guy.

The main sessions are as follows:

I still remember the day in 1998 Rick Warren called me and encouraged me to go to Southern Seminary to teach church planting.

In the early days, Saddleback helped start the Nehemiah Project, a program to help seminary students become church planters. His encouragement helped me to leave the church I had planted and and start a journey that would focus on training planters, and eventually pastors. I am not sure I would have done it without his encouragement.

Rick has been a friend at some key moments. He gave away all his resources to my students and provided resources and training at important times. When I was struggling with a decision a couple of years ago, he prayed with me and encouraged me. His name has been on several of my books and projects and I am honored he would lend his name. And, as he has become one of the leading evangelicals in the world, I have still found him humble and gracious-- and more concerned with others than with himself.

It is amazing to see how God is using Rick and Saddleback today.

I prayed for him last week as they had an important planning meeting at Saddleback and Purpose Driven.

I will pray again this week as God has given Saddleback some incredible opportunities, including these listed in a recent email:

-14 Christmas services at Saddleback

-Fox News will broadcast "Christmas with Rick Warren�? multiple times on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

-The US Armed Forces Network will broadcast "The Purpose of Christmas�? (last year's Saddleback service) for all troops around the world to watch.

-All Wal-Marts and Sam's Club are broadcasting "The Meaning of Christmas�? a message by me, along with Christmas carols by the Salvation Army, on all their in-store TV screens.

-Good Morning America is broadcasting our roundtable about "The Good News of Christmas�? on Christmas Day.

Viewers on Fox and elsewhere will be directed here. The pamphlet that is on the web page explains:

It All Starts with God.

It's not about you.