Comments on: Barack Obama and Rick Warren http://www.mikepottersblog.com/2008/12/barack-obama-and-rick-warren/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=barack-obama-and-rick-warren On life, learning, love, and laughter. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:09:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: rachelle http://www.mikepottersblog.com/2008/12/barack-obama-and-rick-warren/comment-page-1/#comment-167 rachelle Tue, 26 May 2009 03:51:34 +0000 http://www.mikepottersblog.com/?p=26#comment-167 "when God moves, people on the left don’t like it," ? ? Hi Mike, I like it. Or, when it doesn't make my suffering worse, I like it. The quakers like it too, I think, and they are lefties. I think God was moving with the grassroots Obama movement- some youth waking up. some peace being built, communication at different levels. Maybe we define God's movement differently. “when God moves, people on the left don’t like it,” ? ?
Hi Mike,
I like it. Or, when it doesn’t make my suffering worse, I like it. The quakers like it too, I think, and they are lefties. I think God was moving with the grassroots Obama movement- some youth waking up. some peace being built, communication at different levels.
Maybe we define God’s movement differently.

]]> By: Mike Potter http://www.mikepottersblog.com/2008/12/barack-obama-and-rick-warren/comment-page-1/#comment-84 Mike Potter Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:42:00 +0000 http://www.mikepottersblog.com/?p=26#comment-84 Warren's "Purpose Driven Church" is not intended to culminate into a huge church like his. That's not the intention of the book at all. The purpose of the book is to help churches become more biblically purposeful - in a day when so many American churches have no clue why they exist and have no plan for moving forward. <br/><br/>The book encourages churches to consider building their ministries and infusing purpose in their churches based on the following five biblical elements: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism.<br/><br/>This was very helpful with the church I served at before coming to Foothills. It was a 36 year old church of about 1,000 people in desperate need of an infusion of purpose and meaning. Before I arrived, the church staff had gone to a "Purpose Driven" conference and were greatly challenged. They knew they needed to do something, and the principles from Warren's book provided them with the "something" they needed.<br/><br/>When I arrived, I was not familiar with Warren's book, so I had to take a "Purpose Driven" crash-course. As I read the book and studied the material, I began to see how the principles from his book could - in fact - help bring purpose and direction to a directionless and purposeless church.<br/><br/>We took the five principles and adapted them to the specific culture and personality of the church. When we began to infuse purpose into this once stagnant church, it energized about 90% of the people. For the other 10% (about 100 people) it infuriated them. They liked things they way they were, and no matter how biblical (and logical) the changes were, they refused to by into them. After months of friction, they decided to leave the church and start their own, which was the best thing that could have happened to that church.<br/><br/>All this to say that Warren's "Purpose Driven Church" - if used correctly - can help usher in purpose and direction to a directionless church. As far as Foothills is concerned, there is no need for this. The church has been built on a solid foundation of purpose, thanks mainly to Pastor Rob. We are very purposeful in many areas. My desire as the pastor is to continue to build upon the purpose and direction that is already there. Warren’s “Purpose Driven Church” is not intended to culminate into a huge church like his. That’s not the intention of the book at all. The purpose of the book is to help churches become more biblically purposeful – in a day when so many American churches have no clue why they exist and have no plan for moving forward.

The book encourages churches to consider building their ministries and infusing purpose in their churches based on the following five biblical elements: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism.

This was very helpful with the church I served at before coming to Foothills. It was a 36 year old church of about 1,000 people in desperate need of an infusion of purpose and meaning. Before I arrived, the church staff had gone to a “Purpose Driven” conference and were greatly challenged. They knew they needed to do something, and the principles from Warren’s book provided them with the “something” they needed.

When I arrived, I was not familiar with Warren’s book, so I had to take a “Purpose Driven” crash-course. As I read the book and studied the material, I began to see how the principles from his book could – in fact – help bring purpose and direction to a directionless and purposeless church.

We took the five principles and adapted them to the specific culture and personality of the church. When we began to infuse purpose into this once stagnant church, it energized about 90% of the people. For the other 10% (about 100 people) it infuriated them. They liked things they way they were, and no matter how biblical (and logical) the changes were, they refused to by into them. After months of friction, they decided to leave the church and start their own, which was the best thing that could have happened to that church.

All this to say that Warren’s “Purpose Driven Church” – if used correctly – can help usher in purpose and direction to a directionless church. As far as Foothills is concerned, there is no need for this. The church has been built on a solid foundation of purpose, thanks mainly to Pastor Rob. We are very purposeful in many areas. My desire as the pastor is to continue to build upon the purpose and direction that is already there.

]]> By: Matthew Valdiviez http://www.mikepottersblog.com/2008/12/barack-obama-and-rick-warren/comment-page-1/#comment-83 Matthew Valdiviez Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:51:00 +0000 http://www.mikepottersblog.com/?p=26#comment-83 My previous comments have been rather arrogant in their antagonism, and I'd like to apologize for any offense I've given. I have a sincere question, though, about Rick Warren as a contemporary hero of the faith. I'm told that his church in California records an average weekly attendance of over 20,000. I'm not really sure I understand how an assembly so massive can constitute a church. What sort of confessional intimacy can such a pastor possibly have with the individual members of his flock? Can genuine teaching really take place for an audience of that scale? If his so-called "Purpose-Driven Church" culminates in that sort of juggernaut, should his model of church-building really be taken seriously? Is this the sort of thing that Foothills is hoping to grow into? It certainly wasn't the model being taught here a decade ago. My previous comments have been rather arrogant in their antagonism, and I’d like to apologize for any offense I’ve given. I have a sincere question, though, about Rick Warren as a contemporary hero of the faith. I’m told that his church in California records an average weekly attendance of over 20,000. I’m not really sure I understand how an assembly so massive can constitute a church. What sort of confessional intimacy can such a pastor possibly have with the individual members of his flock? Can genuine teaching really take place for an audience of that scale? If his so-called “Purpose-Driven Church” culminates in that sort of juggernaut, should his model of church-building really be taken seriously? Is this the sort of thing that Foothills is hoping to grow into? It certainly wasn’t the model being taught here a decade ago.

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