I'd be interested to read any articles you can cite where Rick Warren has stated that "hymns are passe". As far as I can tell, he's on record as saying that (a) worship music matters a great deal and (b) no one style is ideal:
"In the first years of Saddleback I made the mistake of underestimating the power of music. Because we didn't have a lot of talented musicians we minimized the use of music in our services. I regret that now…
The other mistake I made at the beginning of Saddleback was trying to appeal to everybody's taste.
We covered the gamut, from 'Bach to Rock.' often in a single service! We'd alternate between traditional hymns, praise choruses, and contemporary Christian songs. We wanted to make everyone happy so we used classical, country, jazz, rock, reggae, easy listening, and even rap. The crowd never knew what was coming next.
Do you know who we pleased? Nobody!
Do you know who we frustrated? Everybody!
It was like a radio station trying to appeal to everyone by playing every type of music. It doesn't work!
It's impossible to appeal to everyone's musical preference and taste. You can’t make everyone happy. Music is a divisive issue. Music styles separate generations, regions of the country, personality types, and even family members! So we shouldn’t be surprised when opinions differ in the church.
You must decide who you're trying to reach, identify their preferred style of music and then stick with it. Define your target, bite the bullet, and go for it. You're wasting your time if you're searching for a style of music that everyone in your church will agree on."
You really need to read the "Purpose Driven Church" by Warren, specifically the chapter on "Music".
I don't have the book at hand, but the following site has a really good assessment of Rick Warren's marketing program. Remember, Warren's theme isn't necessarily religious truth, it is church growth via compromise.
http://www.fundamentalbiblechurch.org/Foundation/fbcsdlbk.htm