Pastor Rick Warren Encourages Pastors to Pray for Persecuted Christians in Iraq & Syria during Leadership Training Gathering in Kigali, Rwanda

KIGALI, Rwanda, Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, today challenged pastors from across Africa to urgently pray for the persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria during a Pastor Leadership Gathering in Kigali, Rwanda.

"Thousands of people are being killed for their faith in Syria and Iraq right now," said Warren. "You should have people in your church praying for our brothers and sisters who are being confronted by extremist Muslim forces saying, 'Convert or die.'"

Warren went on to offer a prayer, asking God to relieve the pain of those persecuted in Iraq and Syria, protect their families, and to use their sacrifice as a witness to those who don't know Jesus.

"Our hearts cry out for our brothers and sisters dying at this moment," Warren prayed. "We pray for those in prison and in chains around the world right now.  We thank You for their faithfulness and pray it will give us courage and prepare us for facing rejection. We pray if persecution comes into our lives, we will be (similarly) faithful to stand for Christ.

"We also pray for members of churches burned in Nigeria, India and Sri Lanka," Warren continued. "Help us never forget You have called us to come and die, and that this world is not our home. Help us to not look for the approval of others but the purposes of God."

Warren is currently in Rwanda with leaders from more than 35 nations, including 31 African countries, Russia, China, India and the U.S., training Rwandan pastors on the principles of being a Purpose Driven Church and The PEACE Plan.

Warren emphasized that both the leadership training this week and the Congress in 2015 will emphasize reconciliation, with Rwandan leaders sharing their stories of forgiveness and healing following the 1994 genocide, which took the lives of 1 million Rwandans and left 1 million children orphaned over the course of 100 days.

"I believe the secret to Middle East peace is in Rwanda," Warren said during a press conference in Kigali on August 11. "What is happening in this country is unique because of the unity among all the churches and denominations. World leaders should be studying Rwanda; this should be the model."

The training this week is in preparation for an All Africa Purpose Driven Church Continental Congress to be held August 6-10, 2015, in Rwanda, which will bring together pastors and church leaders from all 54 African nations in conjunction with Rwanda Shima Imana, a Day of Thanksgiving to celebrate reconciliation and gratitude on the anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. It will be the first of five annual continent-wide conferences to take place by 2020, with the second planned to be held in Latin America in 2016.

For more information about Saddleback's work in Rwanda or The PEACE Plan, visit http://www.saddleback.com or http://www.thepeaceplan.com. For additional information about Rwanda Shima Imana, visit http://www.shimaimana.rw. 

SOURCE Saddleback Church