What is Willow Creek?
Willow Creek is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois. Founded in 1975 by Bill Hybels, it has grown to be one of the largest and most influential churches in America, with over 25,000 attendees across seven locations in the Chicago area.
The name “Willow Creek” comes from Willow Creek Community Church’s original meeting place – a movie theater called the Willow Creek Theater in Palatine, Illinois. Though the church now has its main campus in South Barrington, the name has stuck and become synonymous with its focus on contemporary worship, practical biblical teaching, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for those new to Christianity or disillusioned with traditional churches.
Willow Creek’s mission statement is “We want to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ.” They aim to do this by removing barriers that keep people from accepting Christ, such as dated or boring worship services or church experiences that feel judgmental or preachy. Bill Hybels was influenced by Robert Schuller’s “seeker sensitive” approach and wanted to create church services designed for non-Christians, where attendees would feel comfortable and could understand the messages being taught.
Some of the key beliefs and philosophies that shape Willow Creek include:
– Practical, applicable Bible teaching – Willow Creek prioritizes teaching that helps people apply biblical lessons to their everyday lives. Sermons tackle issues like marriage, parenting, finances, and overcoming hardship.
– Casual, contemporary worship – Led by a roster of rotating musicians and song leaders, Willow Creek’s worship services feature contemporary music with an emphasis on creating an intimate, participatory experience. The services aim to engage people on an emotional level through music, multimedia, and audience interaction.
– Authentic, transparent leadership – Willow Creek’s lead pastors and elders teach with humility and honesty, willing to admit their shortcomings and discuss topics like marriage struggles, parenting, doubt, and finding meaning. This transparent approach resonates with many people disillusioned with more polished but impersonal religious leaders.
– Cultural relevance – Staying connected to culture is a priority at Willow. The church wants to reach people where they are at, so services reference current cultural trends and events to show the relevance of the Bible.
– Strong commitment to diversity – Willow Creek has made significant efforts to diversify its leadership and membership. Today over 40% of attendees are racial minorities, and there is emphasis on becoming a church home for all backgrounds.
– Community service – Willow Creek has a thriving volunteer program with opportunities to serve locally and globally. The church partners with hundreds of service organizations and has donated millions in goods and services over the years.
– Excellence in production – Willow Creek’s services feature state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and video production. The high production value creates an immersive, dynamic worship environment.
Willow Creek’s worship services are the public face of the church. They currently offer six different venues across Chicagoland with various musical styles and atmospheres. The services blend contemporary Christian music with teaching from the Bible. While the worship bands and songs change, all the services aim to engage the audience and deliver impactful, practical lessons.
Willow Creek has three primary worship venues:
– Willow Creek Community Church – The main campus in South Barrington offers three large worship services every weekend. The services have the most advanced production value with short dramas and multimedia to complement the messages.
– Willow Creek North Shore – This campus in Glenview offers worship with a more traditional/classic vibe. The services incorporation hymns and liturgy while staying casual and focused on accessibility for newcomers.
– Willow Chicago – Downtown Chicago has an evening service targeted at younger demographics. The music and teaching take on an edgy, urban tone.
Willow Creek’s worship services typically have three parts: music, offering, and a message. The music portion lasts around 20-30 minutes as the worship band plays uplifting Christian songs, both classic hymns and contemporary hits, inviting the congregation to sing along. Song lyrics are displayed on projection screens.
After the music, there is a brief offering where attendees can donate money, followed by a short welcome greeting and announcements.
The bulk of the service is the message, typically a 35-40 minute sermon from one of Willow’s lead pastors or guest speakers. Senior Pastor Steve Carter frequently delivers the weekend messages. He has an engaging, humorous style and aims to unpack Scripture in ways that connect to people’s real lives. These sermons bring the Bible into contemporary contexts with plenty of personal stories and anecdotes.
Willow Creek’s services always end by revisiting the message’s key point and the worship leader inviting people to reflect on what they’ve learned.
An example service might look like this:
– Opening Song: “Come Thou Fount”
– Song 2: “King of My Heart”
– Song 3: “Waymaker”
– Offering Invitation
– Welcome and Church News
– Message: “Dealing with Anxiety and Worry” (Pastor Steve Carter)
– Closing Song: “Trust In You”
– Reflection & Prayer
This blend of worship and biblical teaching provides an environment where those unfamiliar with Christianity can feel welcomed. The church lives out its mission by starting services with music designed to draw people in rather than preaching first. The messages aim to inspire self-reflection and highlight practical takeaways people can apply in their lives.
In terms of demographic makeup, Willow Creek skews toward younger generations but has a diverse range of ages. Around 2/3rds of the congregation is under the age of 45, with most between 25-44. There are also many middle-aged couples and families with kids and teens involved in Willow Creek’s youth programs. On the older end, there are plenty of seniors who have attended Willow for decades. The church body encompasses all races and economic backgrounds.
Willow Creek pioneered the use of follow-up classes called “101s” to onboard new attendees after the worship service. These classes teach the core beliefs in a small group discussion format. Willow Creek considers them essential for getting newcomers involved in the church. There are 101 classes tailored to topics like Christianity Basics, Spiritual Gifts, Stewardship, and Jesus. New members are encouraged to take the basic 101 before joining a small group Bible study or volunteering.
Speaking of small groups, these are a big emphasis at Willow Creek. The church has thousands of weekly small group gatherings where members study the Bible, build friendships, discuss issues, and find support. Willow Creek considers these groups the heart of the church community. They aim to get every attendee plugged into a group of 10-15 people – something smaller and more intimate than the large worship gatherings. There are groups focused on marital status, age, interests, neighborhoods, and recovery from personal struggles.
Willow Creek also runs a biblical counseling program and addiction recovery programs to provide support. The church has helped thousands of people dealing with marriage difficulties, depression, addictions, grief, and other trials. Counseling and recovery ministries are seen as a critical way to restore individuals – mind, body and soul.
Outreach and service are major priorities at Willow Creek. The church partners with and financially supports hundreds of nonprofit and service organizations across Chicagoland.
Local community service initiatives include:
– Food pantries
– Housing assistance
– Job readiness programs
– Tutoring/mentoring youth
– Serving people with disabilities
– Caring for refugees/immigrants
– Prison ministry
Globally, Willow Creek supports clean water projects, fights human trafficking, provides medical care, and equip churches overseas through partnerships with organizations like World Vision and One Campaign. Annually, Willow Creek gives millions in funds and volunteer hours to serve communities in need both in Chicago and worldwide.
Willow Creek has a notable and influential role in the American evangelical community. In the 1990s, Willow was the fastest-growing church in America. Its rise coincided with an explosion of megachurches across the United States in the 80s and 90s – large congregations that departed from traditional churches by embracing things like contemporary worship, multimedia technology, less formal services, small groups, and seeker-sensitive philosophies.
As one of the early adopters and largest megachurches, Willow Creek has been highly influential in this movement and helped shape church culture across America and even globally. The church hosted the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit, which became the premier conference for training church leaders worldwide. Over 300,000 ministers have attended the summit.
Willow Creek has also created hugely impactful resources, training programs, and published bestselling books on topics like discipleship, volunteerism, and leading churches that resonate with modern generations. Books by founding pastor Bill Hybels, like Becoming a Contagious Christian, have sold millions of copies. Recently, former lead pastor Steve Carter has also written bestselling books like This Invitational Life which garnered much acclaim.
The church has helped equip generations of pastors and introduced innovations emulated in thousands of churches. Even secular businesses and leaders have looked to Willow Creek as a model of organizational excellence and leadership development.
However, Willow Creek has also dealt with controversy and scandal in recent years that have humbled the church. Around 2017, accusations surfaced around the conduct of founding pastor Bill Hybels. Despite denying the claims of sexual misconduct, he eventually stepped down months early before retirement amid this controversy. His early resignation was seen as an acknowledgment of leadership failures and ushered in a season of repentance and reform at Willow Creek. Attendance and offerings declined in the aftermath.
Steve Carter took over as lead pastor in 2018 and helped Willow recover from the painful chapter. He brought accountability reforms and a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion. In 2022, new allegations came out regarding inappropriate behavior from Steve Carter toward women via text messages and personal interactions. This led to his resignation as well. Willow Creek is now once again reckoning with past mistakes as it looks to the future. The church currently has interim co-lead pastors as they search for new senior leadership.
Despite the difficulties and need for further reform in leadership culture, Willow Creek remains a vibrant, diverse community focused on Jesus, discipleship, and service. At its best, the church has helped millions find faith, recover from addictions, heal their marriages, raise children, and serve their communities. While the founders have moved on amid controversy, the work goes forward in a more humble, accountable manner.
Willow Creek’s story has important lessons for all churches. As a pioneering megachurch, its model has had sweeping influence. But along the way, a dangerous power imbalance emerged that led to abuse of that influence. The church failed to implement sufficient accountability and oversight of its celebrity pastors and the entire organization. Its meteoric success also bred an inflated ego that lost sight of humility and servanthood that must mark Christian leadership.
But there are positives to learn from as well. Willow became a template for how to do church in a modern context – worship services with cultural relevance, small groups, embracing diversity, and excellence in productions and operations. Finding this balance of excellence and humility will be an ongoing challenge. The scandals forced Willow to take a hard look in the mirror, renew its commitment to integrity, and refocus on its mission.
Willow Creek remains a vibrant community focused on helping people far from God find faith, heal relationships, overcome addictions, raise healthy families, and serve others. Its legacy is mixed – full of impactful ministry but also the consequences of hubris and lack of accountability. For 50 years and into the future, Willow Creek aims to keep improving and learning as it helps spiritually hungry people in Chicagoland connect to God.
