(Important note by BMJ: This is Tom’s lead-in to describing Saddleback Valley Community Church, a Southern Baptist Church and a corporate organization, subsidized by the IRS and accountable to the state and federal government. As such: The 501c3 Tax Exemption says --- no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda (cannot preach politically incorrect sermons),or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation, and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of ( or in opposition to) any candidate for public office. They teach you to use in your worship whatever cultural music is present in your community: jazz, pop, rock, rhythm & blues, etc. with choir, band, and/or orchestra accompaniment. Their teaching methods involve intensive indoctrination aimed at changing a person’s basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with a fixed and unquestioned set of beliefs. (convictions means a fixed or strong belief.) Free will succumbs to their ministry process. Saddleback is a New Age - One World Community Church.
7. (Saddleback Valley Community Church and a church on purpose.)
Being a church on purpose. I wanted to tell you a lot about that --- uh --- Saddleback church that I told you about. I’m only gonna tell you about one area that I saw when I got there. They have a purpose. In fact I stole these from them. They call them "Saddleback Sam" and "Saddleback Sally". When you go in "Saddleback Sam" is standing right there --- bring the lost to Christ and "Saddleback Sally" is standing right beside her (not him) to become more like Him. And in that when you pull in their parking lot they have a greeter ministry that is unparalleled with anything that I have ever seen in my entire life. You pull in their parking lot, but first of all you have to be shuttled into their building when you got 24,000 to 26,000 coming on Sunday morning. But when you pull into their parking lot, they have people stopping you asking you if you are a visitor thing that goes on your car right then. you go to another lane. They usher you all along.
All morning you got people smiling. They’re directing you to a certain place. You get out of your car. Somebody walks with you from the car to the building. As you approach the building you see these hoards of people. I don’t know what to call them: “crier-outs”. They are at tables that says:
It is a church on purpose. They are directed. They have a goal for what they’re doing and they are goin’ at it and in 12 years they have gone from 12 members meeting in a rented high school auditorium to last Easter just on the internet site 46,000 people came there last Easter in an area people told them, “it can’t be done”. Well you know what they decided to do? They decided to rollup their sleeves and get to work and be about the Lord’s business. They decided to have a purpose and to go for that purpose. I would love to tell you some more things about what they’re doin’ in there, but anyway ---.
8. (Edification, evangelism, and glorification.)
We’re gonna go, 3 things when we come together and let me preface by saying this, you know, I am saying that to me that our assemblies, when we come together, should meet all of these
Their Founder Rick Warren says "Your task is to discover and remove growth restricting barriers so that natural, normal growth can occur". Brothers and sisters, that means their church planters will, slowly, thru teaching cause force to be used by our leaders, the Elders to force us to comply to their indoctrination or leave. This act by the Elders, the abuse of the Body of Christ against the will of the majority is actually a spiritual violation. If it was a physical act you could be sent to prison. You can also refer to this Contemporary Movement as a hostile take over.)
Nursery, 2 year olds, 3 year olds, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade all the way up. Your children, Barbie when you bring Travis and Michael and, and Collin and Austin there you don’t have to worry where they’re goin’. You meet the, you meet people in their class right then.
Travis has a friend, a little friend, gives him a coloring book and a thing that tells about Saddleback and the, just some things to do. They, they, they develop a bond right there. The parents meet you, they walk you, they show you where your kids are going to class and then they take you to class with them. They sit there, they find out things about you. They try to take you out to eat for that day before you leave or invite you over into their home.