Pastor Rick Warren, Metropolitan Jonah, the Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter to Address ACNA Assembly
Three Christian leaders, Pastor Rick Warren, Metropolitan Jonah, and the Rev. Todd Hunter have agreed to be among those addressing the organizing Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America scheduled for June 22-25 at St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, Texas.
Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church, will speak on June 23. Warren, a longtime friend of orthodox Anglicans, has been repeatedly recognized as a key spiritual leader in America. Named “America’s Most Influential Pastor” by Christianity Today in 2003, Warren has also been called one of “America’s 25 Best Leaders” (US News and World Report 2006), and one of the “15 People Who Make America Great” (Newsweek 2006). Saddleback Church, founded by Warren in 1980, is an innovative evangelical congregation of 22,000 in Lake Forest California.
Warren combines strong biblical convictions with a heart for mobilizing Christians around the world to make a difference. He has been particularly active in supporting and funding work to fight the AIDS pandemic in Africa, training leaders in developing countries and empowering local congregations to address poverty, disease, corruption and illiteracy through the PEACE Plan.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, the Archbishop of Washington and New York and the Metropolitan of All America and Canada for the Orthodox Church in America [OCA], will speak on June 24. Elected primate of the OCA in November of 2008, Metropolitan Jonah was tonsured a monk in the late 1980's at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania after spending time at the Valaam Monastery in Russia. An Episcopalian before joining the Orthodox Church in 1978, he attended St. Vladimir's Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1985 and a Master of Theology in Dogmatics in 1988.
Before his consecration to the episcopacy in October 2008, as a priestmonk Metropolitan Jonah served as abbot of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco Monastery, now located in Manton, California. Metropolitan Jonah's writings on Eastern Orthodox spirituality have been published in numerous Orthodox Christian publications, including "Divine Ascent," the journal of the Monastery of St. John. He is well known for his insights, offered both in public presentations and through private spiritual dialogue, on the convergence of the ancient Christian ascetic practices and the challenges of living an authentic Christian life in the modern world.
The Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter is the Director of West Coast Church Planting (www.c4so.org) for The Anglican Mission in the Americas and author of Christianity Beyond Belief. Hunter also founded Three is Enough, a small group movement that facilitates missionally focused spiritual formation. A past president of the Alpha USA evangelism ministry, Hunter is an adjunct professor of evangelism and postmodern ministry at George Fox University, Fuller Seminary, Western Seminary and Wheaton College. Earlier in his career he served as the Church Planting coach for Allelon Ministries and the National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches.
Hunter will speak to delegates and guests on the morning of June 25, sending the Anglican Church in North America out to “Reach North America with the Transforming Love of Jesus Christ.”
“We are very grateful that these Christian leaders have generously agreed to offer their insights and encouragement to us as we bring together the Anglican Church in North America this June,” said Bishop Robert Duncan. Bishop Duncan is the archbishop-designate for the Anglican Church in North America.
A number of other Anglican and ecumenical Christian leaders are expected to be present at the Anglican Church in North America’s organizing assembly, particularly for a festival worship service at Christ Church in Plano on the evening of June 24 where the church’s archbishop will be formally recognized.
The Anglican Church in North America unites some 700 Anglican parishes in 12 Anglican jurisdictions in North America into a single church. Jurisdictions coming together in the Anglican Church in North America are the Anglican Coalition in Canada, the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin (of the Anglican Communion Network), the Anglican Mission in the Americas, the Anglican Network in Canada, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and the missionary initiatives of Kenya, Uganda, and South America’s Southern Cone. Additionally, the American Anglican Council and Forward in Faith North America are founding organizations.