Pastor Rick Warren hospitalised

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was hospitalised Tuesday after experiencing pain in his arms.

The renowned Southern California pastor will be undergoing a series of tests to determine what the cause is though the doctor's "diagnostic guess" is that he has an inner ear virus that may have spread to the nerves in his neck and down his arms.

"[P]ray for a quick and accurate diagnosis, a fast remedy," he asked his megachurch in an email Tuesday late afternoon.

Warren explained that he began to feel under the weather last weekend. Then on Monday night, he started to experience pain down both his arms and numbness in all his fingers.

With Warren hospitalised, he has cancelled Vision Night, which was scheduled for Thursday. Warren was expected to talk about where the Lord is leading the church.

"I'm disappointed by this delay since I am super excited about what I have to share at Vision Night. But I learned a long time ago to always go with the flow and trust God when plans get messed up. His timing is always best," he said in the email.

Saddleback Church is one of the largest churches in the US with over 20,000 attendees on multiple campuses. Warren is the author of best-seller The Purpose Driven Life.