O'ahu pastor on national stage
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer
Well-known evangelist Wayne Cordeiro, pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship, one of the largest single churches on O'ahu, will be addressing one of the biggest audiences of his career when he takes the stage today at the Leadership Summit in South Barrington, Ill., to give a talk titled, "Dead Leader Running."
Cordeiro plans to share his own experience with "ministry fatigue," according to the Web site for Willow Creek, the Illinois megachurch where Cordeiro will be speaking. In his talk, he will also identify the warning signals for burnout and "ways to create or rebuild a sustainable life."
U2 musical superstar Bono is expected to give a videocast talk for the conference, which concludes today.
Other speakers at the conference — which draws 70,000 people from all walks of life, according to The Christian Post — include Bill Hybels, Willow Creek founder, and author Jim Collins.
Cordeiro spoke at the Leadership Summit three years ago.
While satellite feed of other summits have been broadcast in Hawai'i, this one won't be, said Willow Creek spokesman Paul Braoudakis.
"There were some adjustments in the technology to beam it across," explained Elwin Ahu, executive pastor of New Hope. "It was very expensive to get that done here."
However, some members of the men's ministry will be flying to the Mainland to hear the talk in a satellite feed to another Willow Creek location.
The church leaders hope to rebroadcast Cordeiro's talk when CDs become available, probably in October.
"Wayne's heart has always been to train and resource leaders in any way he can," Ahu said. "We should applaud his willingness to become transparent, (to show) we are human and we are frail, no matter how big our empire may seem. We need to watch for warning signs (of burnout)."
Cordeiro's burnout occurred about a year and a half ago, Ahu said, adding he's since talked with his congregation about his own struggles and challenges in leading a big organization.
CDs and tapes of the Willow Creek materials will be available on the Web site, www.willowcreek.com.
