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1975 AD – The Willow Creek Church Saga: The Good - The Bad - The Ugly
1975 AD – Willow Creek Saga - The Good - The Bad - The Ugly
From a rented movie theater with 125 dreamers to a weekly crowd that once topped 25,000, Willow Creek’s story is one of vision, innovation, and painful collapse. What fueled such astonishing growth — and what stripped it away? Extended notes trace the seeker-sensitive movement, Bill Hybels’s influence, and how the church’s rise and fall mirrors challenges all ministries face today. Make sure you Like, Share, Subscribe, Follow, Comment, and Review this episode and the entire COACH series.
Keywords:
Willow Creek, megachurch, seeker sensitive, Bill Hybels, church growth, evangelical history, church decline, Chicago, innovation, leadership failure
Hashtags:
#ChurchHistory #WillowCreek #Megachurch
Description:
In 1975, 125 people gathered in a rented theater outside Chicago with a vision to reach seekers who didn’t feel at home in traditional churches. That vision grew into Willow Creek Community Church, a megachurch that once drew over 25,000 people each week and influenced churches worldwide with its seeker-sensitive model. But the same methods that fueled its rise also exposed deep cracks when leadership scandals and questions of spiritual depth shook the movement. Today Willow Creek’s attendance sits near 10,000 — still large, yet far from its peak. This episode explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of Willow Creek’s story, asking what we can learn so our churches don’t repeat the same mistakes. Like, share, and subscribe to COACH for more stories of how church history shapes us today.
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Chunk 1 – Cold Hook
It’s 1987, and Willow Creek Community Church has just crossed ten thousand in weekly attendance. Ten thousand — a staggering number, the sign of a church on the rise. From 125 dreamers in 1975 to one of the fastest-growing congregations in America, the momentum feels unstoppable.
Fast forward to 2024, and Willow Creek again counts about ten thousand people in the seats. But this time the story is different. Ten thousand no longer marks explosive growth — it marks painful decline. Once a pioneer drawing more than twenty-five thousand a week, the megachurch that redefined ministry is nearly back where it was.
How could the same number tell two opposite stories? And what can that teach us about the way we measure success in the church today?
[AD BREAK]
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Chunk 2 – Intro
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH — where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch. On Friday, we stay between 1500 and 2000 AD. In this episode we are in the year 1975 and tracing Willow Creek’s rise from a small theater gathering to a megachurch movement — and how its decline forces us to ask what really measures success in the church.
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Chunk 3 – Foundation
In 1975, Bill Hybels [HIGH-bulls] and a handful of young leaders launched Willow Creek Community Church in a Chicago suburb. Their vision was bold: create a church for people who didn’t like church. They rented a movie theater, laid out folding chairs, and opened the doors to 125 people who longed for something new. Music was contemporary, messages were practical, and the environment was intentionally casual. This “seeker-sensitive” approach — church designed to remove barriers for spiritual outsiders — became their defining feature.
The growth was immediate. By 1978, attendance had surged to more than two thousand. Four years later, over four thousand gathered weekly. By the mid-1980s, Willow Creek had built a massive campus in South Barrington, Illinois, drawing crowds from across the region. One contemporary observer summarized the atmosphere: QUOTE, “It was electric, filled with people who had never thought they’d belong in church,” END QUOTE. This wasn’t just another congregation; it was the front edge of a movement.
Willow Creek’s foundation was more than numbers. It created a model — seeker services on weekends, believer services midweek, small groups for community, and leadership summits that trained thousands worldwide. By 1987, when the church crossed ten thousand in attendance, it had become a blueprint copied across America and beyond.
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Chunk 4 – Development
By the late 1980s and 1990s, Willow Creek had become the flagship of the seeker-sensitive movement. Its weekend services blended drama, music, and practical sermons that aimed to connect with unchurched visitors. Its midweek services dug deeper for believers. This two-track strategy made the church feel both accessible and serious — a place where skeptics could explore and Christians could grow.
The results were staggering. Attendance swelled past twenty thousand, eventually peaking at more than twenty-five thousand each week. The Willow Creek Association multiplied its influence, hosting the Global Leadership Summit, which drew pastors and business leaders from across the world. Willow became not only a megachurch but a training ground for thousands of other churches.
Observers took note. One researcher summarized, QUOTE, “Willow Creek reshaped the expectations of what a local church could accomplish,” END QUOTE. It was an era of expansion, publishing, conferences, and national headlines. For many evangelicals, Willow Creek was the model to imitate. For critics, it was the model to question. But either way, it was impossible to ignore.
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Chunk 5a – Peak Influence
By the early 2000s, Willow Creek was the undisputed flagship of the megachurch movement. More than twenty-five thousand people attended weekly, filling the South Barrington campus. Its Global Leadership Summit drew world leaders, CEOs, and pastors into one conversation on faith and leadership. Drama sketches, high-production music, and practical sermons were exported worldwide. Churches everywhere were copying the formula.
Willow Creek didn’t just grow; it defined what many believed the future of church could be. Families drove in from miles away, conferences sold out, and seminaries taught the model. To many, Willow Creek represented excellence, relevance, and unstoppable momentum. At its height, it seemed like the success story of modern Christianity.
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Chunk 5b – Structural Weaknesses
Beneath the record-breaking attendance and the global conferences, cracks were already forming in Willow Creek’s foundation. The church had been designed around a “seeker-sensitive” model — everything about the weekend service was aimed at making the unchurched comfortable. Messages focused on life application rather than theology. Worship was contemporary, polished, and professional. Skits and drama illustrated points in ways that felt more like a theater performance than a liturgy. The formula was simple: remove barriers, lower assumptions, keep things moving.
It worked brilliantly for getting people in the door. But by the late 1990s, some pastors inside Willow Creek began to worry: what happens after they come? The system relied heavily on programming — weekend seeker services, midweek believer services, small groups, service teams, and leadership training events. But the more programs that were added, the easier it became for members to confuse activity with maturity. A person could volunteer every week, attend multiple services, and still never learn to pray deeply, study Scripture carefully, or disciple others faithfully.
In 2007, those fears became data. Willow Creek released the results of its Reveal study. The findings shocked them. While many had come to faith through seeker services, the church admitted it had struggled to grow those same believers into maturity. One staff leader summarized the tension: QUOTE, “We made converts, but not always disciples,” END QUOTE. It was a sobering confession from the church that had pioneered a model followed worldwide.
The weakness wasn’t only spiritual but structural. Willow Creek had built a highly centralized, staff-heavy model. Services required massive budgets and flawless execution. The campus itself felt like a small city, with parking teams, traffic control, coffee shops, bookstores, and theaters. But for all its efficiency, many members still felt anonymous. Leaders privately worried that too much of the system was built on consumer expectations — giving attenders an experience rather than training them to endure, suffer, and grow.
These weaknesses weren’t unique to Willow Creek. Many megachurches patterned after it found the same challenge: how do you move people from attending to abiding, from spectating to shepherding? At Willow, the cracks were only beginning to show, but they would widen in the years to come.
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Chunk 5c – Leadership Crisis & Fallout
If discipleship struggles revealed weakness in the system, the leadership scandal shook the entire foundation. In 2018, allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power were leveled against founding pastor Bill Hybels [HIGH-bulls]. For decades, Hybels had been the face of Willow Creek — the visionary who turned a rented theater into a movement of global influence. To many, Willow Creek was Hybels.
The church initially defended him. Leaders dismissed concerns and minimized accusations. But as more women came forward, the credibility of the denials collapsed. Hybels resigned, leaving a congregation stunned and divided. Investigations later confirmed a pattern of inappropriate behavior and misuse of leadership authority.
The fallout was swift. Attendance plummeted. Long-time members left, disillusioned not only by the allegations but by the board’s early failure to listen and act transparently. Staff resignations piled up. Several of Willow’s satellite campuses were destabilized. The Global Leadership Summit — once a hallmark event drawing high-profile speakers — lost credibility as leaders withdrew.
For many in the wider evangelical world, the scandal wasn’t just about one man. It exposed how closely the church had tied its identity to a single leader who did not die on a cross two thousand years ago to save our souls. It revealed how dependent the system had become on personality and charisma. And when that personality fell, the damage rippled far beyond the suburbs of Chicago.
By the early 2020s, Willow Creek’s weekly attendance had dropped by more than half. A church that once defined evangelical optimism was now associated with crisis. Its name, once synonymous with innovation, became a cautionary tale.
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Chunk 5d – COVID Exposure
Just two years after the Hybels crisis, another storm hit — one no single church caused, but every church had to face. In March 2020, COVID-19 closed sanctuaries across the world. Willow Creek, with its sprawling campus and production-driven services, suddenly had no live audience. Worship bands played to empty rooms. Sermons went online. The coffee shops and children’s wings sat silent.
Attendance dropped overnight, and only some returned when doors reopened. For decades, the question had lingered: were people truly growing in Christ, or just attached to the experience of Willow Creek? COVID answered that question with brutal clarity. Many who had been consistent attenders drifted away. Some found smaller communities closer to home. Others disengaged from church entirely. The numbers that had once signaled strength now revealed weakness.
This wasn’t just Willow Creek’s problem — it was a global reality. But for a church already rocked by leadership scandal and declining trust, the pandemic was a magnifying glass. It showed who had been excited about Jesus and who had simply been excited about church. And the difference between the two became impossible to ignore.
By 2024, Willow Creek was again reporting around ten thousand in weekly attendance. Still one of the largest churches in America, but a far cry from the twenty-five thousand it once drew. The same number that once marked triumph now stood as a measure of loss.
[AD BREAK]
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Chunk 6 – Legacy & Modern Relevance
The same number told two stories. At one time, ten thousand meant breakthrough. Decades later, it meant decline. That contrast forces the wider church to ask: what do our numbers really measure?
Willow Creek’s rise shaped ministry around the globe. Churches discovered that intentional outreach, relevant preaching, and creative environments could break barriers for people who had written off church. The seeker-sensitive model made faith accessible to millions who might never have stepped into a sanctuary otherwise. Its influence proved that the church could innovate.
But its fall warned us that innovation without depth will not last. A church can gather thousands and still leave many immature in faith. A ministry can exalt vision and still crumble if it hides sin. And a congregation can look strong until hardship strips away what is shallow. Numbers can signal growth, or they can reveal weakness. They can point to life, or they can mask disease.
COVID underscored the truth. When gatherings stopped, churches everywhere discovered who was excited about Jesus and who was simply excited about church. Willow Creek made that reality visible on a larger stage, but it was not alone. The lesson is not just theirs — it belongs to all of us.
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Chunk 7 – Reflection & Call
If ten thousand can mean triumph in one decade and decline in another, then numbers alone cannot be our measure. The rise of Willow Creek thrilled crowds, but the decline exposed what crowds cannot hide. And in that mirror we see ourselves.
The Reveal study admitted it: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” That confession should haunt us. Because the same trap waits for us today — mistaking activity for maturity. We can volunteer every week, serve on teams, and stay endlessly busy in church, yet never learn to pray deeply, never let Scripture shape our decisions, never surrender our hearts in obedience.
So how do we know if we are maturing? Ask yourself: If someone comes to you for guidance, do you lean on worldly wisdom, or do you open God’s Word? When trouble strikes, do you turn first to prayer, or do you scramble for control? When you’re wronged, do you nurse the wound, or do you forgive as Christ forgave you? These questions reveal what numbers never can.
The truth is sobering. Converts can fill a room, but only disciples will remain when the room empties. Activity can impress for a moment, but only maturity can endure for a lifetime. The crowd may come and go. Leaders may rise and fall. But a disciple clings to Jesus when all else is stripped away.
So here is the call: don’t settle for being part of the crowd. Don’t mistake motion for devotion. Be the one who follows Christ when the lights are off, when the building is empty, when the applause is gone. Be the disciple who endures.
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Chunk 8 – Outro
If this story of Willow Creek challenged or encouraged you, like, comment and share it with a friend – they might really need to hear it. Leave a review on your podcast app! And don’t forget to follow COACH for more episodes every week. Check out the show notes! It has the full transcript and sources used for this episode. And, if you look closely, you’ll find some contrary opinions. We do that on purpose. The Amazon links can help you get resources for your own library while giving me a little bit of a kickback. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You never know what we’ll cover next on COACH. Every episode dives into a different corner of church history. But on Friday, we stay between 1500 and 2000 AD. And if you’d rather access these stories on YouTube, check us out at the That’s Jesus Channel. Thanks for listening to COACH – where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel. Have a great day — and be blessed. I tried a seeker-sensitive approach once myself… turns out nobody was seeking me.
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Chunk 9a – Reference Quotes
Q1: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” [Verbatim] Summary statement from Willow Creek’s Reveal study on discipleship gaps. Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Q2: “It was electric, filled with people who had never thought they’d belong in church.” [Paraphrased] Contemporary description of the atmosphere at early Willow Creek services. Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Q3: “Willow Creek reshaped the expectations of what a local church could accomplish.” [Generalized] Research commentary on the church’s influence. Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way, 2000.
Q4: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” [Summarized] Broader assessment repeated by researchers reflecting on Willow Creek’s own published confession. Brad J. Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, 2008.
Q5: “The church initially defended him. Leaders dismissed concerns and minimized accusations.” [Generalized] Findings from investigative reporting on Bill Hybels and Willow Creek’s board response. Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
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Chunk 9b – Reference Z-Notes (Zero Dispute Notes)
Z1: Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) was founded in 1975 in Palatine, Illinois, initially meeting in a rented movie theater. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z2: The founding leadership included Bill Hybels and Dave Holmbo, along with a small launch team of young adults. Source: L.A. Times, 1989.
Z3: The church began with approximately 125 people at its first services. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z4: By 1978, weekly attendance had surged to more than 2,000. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z5: In 1981, WCCC relocated to its permanent campus in South Barrington, Illinois, on 90 acres of land. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z6: By 1982, weekly attendance exceeded 4,000. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z7: In 1987, WCCC crossed the 10,000 weekly attendance milestone. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z8: At its peak in the early 2000s, Willow Creek’s weekly attendance surpassed 25,000. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z9: The Willow Creek Association was formed to support other churches adopting the seeker-sensitive model. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z10: The Global Leadership Summit began in 1995 and drew thousands annually. Source: Willow Creek Association, Annual Report, 2000.
Z11: The Reveal study was published in 2007, highlighting discipleship gaps. Source: Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Z12: Bill Hybels resigned in 2018 amid allegations of misconduct. Source: Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
Z13: Investigations confirmed a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Hybels. Source: Independent Advisory Group Report, Willow Creek Community Church, 2019.
Z14: Attendance dropped significantly post-2018, reaching around 10,000 by 2024. Source: Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
Z15: COVID-19 forced Willow Creek to move services online in 2020. Source: Christianity Today, March 2020.
Z16: Many attendees did not return post-COVID, reflecting broader trends. Source: Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, 2020.
Z17: The seeker-sensitive model emphasized accessibility for unchurched visitors. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z18: Willow Creek’s campus includes facilities like coffee shops and bookstores. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z19: The church used drama and contemporary music to engage attenders. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z20: Leadership training was a core component of Willow Creek’s model. Source: Willow Creek Association, Annual Report, 2000.
Z21: The church operated multiple satellite campuses by the 2000s. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z22: Some satellite campuses faced instability post-2018. Source: Christianity Today, August 2018.
Z23: The Global Leadership Summit lost speakers after the scandal. Source: Outreach Magazine, 2019.
Z24: Willow Creek’s budget relied heavily on large-scale programming. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z25: Critics argued the seeker model prioritized experience over depth. Source: David Wells, No Place for Truth, 1993.
Z26: Supporters praised its outreach to the unchurched. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z27: The Reveal study was a self-assessment by Willow Creek. Source: Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Z28: Post-COVID, many churches saw attendance declines. Source: Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America, 2021.
Z29: Willow Creek’s influence spread through conferences and publications. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z30: The church’s model was studied in seminaries. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z31: Leadership scandals impacted trust in megachurches broadly. Source: Christianity Today, August 2018.
Z32: Willow Creek’s board initially resisted allegations. Source: Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
Z33: Smaller churches gained members post-COVID. Source: Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, 2020.
Z34: Willow Creek remains one of America’s largest churches. Source: Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
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Chunk 9c – POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspectives)
P1 (small churches & discipleship): John Stott, The Living Church (IVP, 2007) – emphasizes depth, accountability, and authentic community over size.
P2 (entertainment vs. worship): A.W. Tozer, Entertainment Is the Devil’s Substitution for Joy (sermon collections; also echoed in Worship: The Missing Jewel) – critiques substituting performance for true worship.
P3 (contemporary vs. hymns): Keith Getty & Stuart Townend; Harold Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith (HarperOne, 1993).
P4 (seeker model critique): David Wells, No Place for Truth (Eerdmans, 1993).
P5 (church health measures): Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Crossway, 2004).
P6 (celebrity-leader risk): Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Crossway, 2020).
P7 (catechesis & unity): J.I. Packer & Gary Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel (Baker, 2010).
P8 (leadership vs. shepherding): Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles (Eerdmans, 1987).
P9 (spectator vs. participation): Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Worship (Baker, 2008).
P10 (COVID & discipleship exposure): Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church (Tyndale, 2020).
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Chunk 9d – SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Points)
S1 (scandals prove Christianity false): Bart D. Ehrman, God’s Problem (HarperOne, 2008).
S2 (megachurches for profit): Darren Dochuk, From Bible Belt to Sunbelt (W.W. Norton, 2011).
S3 (faith as social psychology): Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell (Penguin, 2006).
S4 (numbers prove nothing divine): Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).
S5 (celebrity leaders = cult dynamics): Catherine Wessinger, How the Millennium Comes Violently (Seven Bridges, 2000).
S6 (Christianity mirrors corporate branding): Linda Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2004).
S7 (decline exposes fraud): Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great (Twelve, 2007).
S8 (consumerism disguised as spirituality): Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom (Oxford, 2002).
S9 (leadership abuse shows faith is hollow): Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials (Vintage, 2000).
S10 (COVID proved churches are optional): Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America (2021).
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Chunk 9e – Reference Sources List
Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, Willow Creek Association, 2007. ISBN: 9780744191158
Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, Jossey-Bass, 2007. ISBN: 9780787994679
Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way, Rutgers University Press, 2000. ISBN: 9780813527475
Brad J. Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, B&H Publishing, 2008. ISBN: 9780805448245
Manya Brachear Pashman, “Willow Creek pastor’s exit stirs pain, loss, and a big question: What’s next?”, Chicago Tribune, April 2018.
Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, Rutgers University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780813523354
Independent Advisory Group Report, Willow Creek Community Church, 2019.
Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
Christianity Today, “Churches Go Virtual as COVID-19 Surges”, March 2020.
Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, Tyndale, 2020. ISBN: 9781496452757
Encyclopedia of Chicago, “Willow Creek Community Church”, Chicago Historical Society, 2005.
L.A. Times, “Willow Creek: A Church for the ‘Unchurched’”, 1989.
Outreach Magazine, “Global Leadership Summit Faces Speaker Pullouts”, 2019.
David Wells, No Place for Truth, Eerdmans, 1993. ISBN: 9780802807472
John Stott, The Living Church, IVP, 2007. ISBN: 9780830838059
A.W. Tozer, Worship: The Missing Jewel, Various Sermon Collections.
Harold Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, HarperOne, 1993. ISBN: 9780060608620
Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway, 2004. ISBN: 9781581346312
Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Crossway, 2020. ISBN: 9781433556333
J.I. Packer & Gary Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel, Baker, 2010. ISBN: 9780801068386
Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles, Eerdmans, 1987. ISBN: 9780802802651
Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Worship, Baker, 2008. ISBN: 9780801066245
Bart D. Ehrman, God’s Problem, HarperOne, 2008. ISBN: 9780061173974
Darren Dochuk, From Bible Belt to Sunbelt, W.W. Norton, 2011. ISBN: 9780393339048
Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell, Penguin, 2006. ISBN: 9780143038337
Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Houghton Mifflin, 2006. ISBN: 9780618680009
Catherine Wessinger, How the Millennium Comes Violently, Seven Bridges, 2000. ISBN: 9781889119243
Linda Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, 2004. ISBN: 9780192803221
Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great, Twelve, 2007. ISBN: 9780446579803
Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom, Oxford, 2002. ISBN: 9780195146165
Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, Vintage, 2000. ISBN: 9780679758860
Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America, 2021.
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Chunk 10 – Equipment
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Chunk 11 – Credits
Host: Bob Baulch
Producer: That’s Jesus Channel
Topic Support: Assisted by Copilot (Microsoft Corp) for aligning topics to timelines
Research Support: Assisted by Perplexity.ai (AI Chatbot) for facts and sources
Script Support: Assisted by ChatGPT (OpenAI) for script pacing and coherence
Verification Support: Assisted by Grok (xAI) for fact-checking and validation
Digital License 1: “Background Music Soft Calm” by INPLUSMUSIC (Pixabay Content License; Composer Poradovskyi Andrii, BMI IPI 01055591064).
Digital License 2: “Epic Trailer Short 0022 Sec” by BurtySounds (Pixabay Content License).
Digital License 3: “Digital Audio Spectrum Sound Wave Equalizer Effect Animation, Alpha Channel Transparent Background, 4K Resolution” by Vecteezy (Free License, Attribution Required).
Production Note: Audio and video elements integrated in post-production without in-script cues.
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Chunk 12 – Social Links
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Chunk 13 – Small Group Guide
Summary:
Willow Creek began in 1975 with 125 people and grew into one of the largest churches in America, with attendance topping 25,000. Its seeker-sensitive model reshaped how churches approached outreach, but weaknesses in discipleship, leadership failures, and COVID exposed cracks. Today its story calls the church to rethink what real maturity and success look like.
Scripture:
Questions:
Application:
Commit to one practice this week that deepens maturity rather than busyness — prayer, Scripture study, or mentoring another believer.
Prayer Point:
Pray for churches worldwide to measure success by faithfulness to Christ, not just attendance, and for believers to grow as true disciples who endure.
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By That’s Jesus Channel / Bob Baulch1975 AD – Willow Creek Saga - The Good - The Bad - The Ugly
From a rented movie theater with 125 dreamers to a weekly crowd that once topped 25,000, Willow Creek’s story is one of vision, innovation, and painful collapse. What fueled such astonishing growth — and what stripped it away? Extended notes trace the seeker-sensitive movement, Bill Hybels’s influence, and how the church’s rise and fall mirrors challenges all ministries face today. Make sure you Like, Share, Subscribe, Follow, Comment, and Review this episode and the entire COACH series.
Keywords:
Willow Creek, megachurch, seeker sensitive, Bill Hybels, church growth, evangelical history, church decline, Chicago, innovation, leadership failure
Hashtags:
#ChurchHistory #WillowCreek #Megachurch
Description:
In 1975, 125 people gathered in a rented theater outside Chicago with a vision to reach seekers who didn’t feel at home in traditional churches. That vision grew into Willow Creek Community Church, a megachurch that once drew over 25,000 people each week and influenced churches worldwide with its seeker-sensitive model. But the same methods that fueled its rise also exposed deep cracks when leadership scandals and questions of spiritual depth shook the movement. Today Willow Creek’s attendance sits near 10,000 — still large, yet far from its peak. This episode explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of Willow Creek’s story, asking what we can learn so our churches don’t repeat the same mistakes. Like, share, and subscribe to COACH for more stories of how church history shapes us today.
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Chunk 1 – Cold Hook
It’s 1987, and Willow Creek Community Church has just crossed ten thousand in weekly attendance. Ten thousand — a staggering number, the sign of a church on the rise. From 125 dreamers in 1975 to one of the fastest-growing congregations in America, the momentum feels unstoppable.
Fast forward to 2024, and Willow Creek again counts about ten thousand people in the seats. But this time the story is different. Ten thousand no longer marks explosive growth — it marks painful decline. Once a pioneer drawing more than twenty-five thousand a week, the megachurch that redefined ministry is nearly back where it was.
How could the same number tell two opposite stories? And what can that teach us about the way we measure success in the church today?
[AD BREAK]
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Chunk 2 – Intro
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH — where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch. On Friday, we stay between 1500 and 2000 AD. In this episode we are in the year 1975 and tracing Willow Creek’s rise from a small theater gathering to a megachurch movement — and how its decline forces us to ask what really measures success in the church.
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Chunk 3 – Foundation
In 1975, Bill Hybels [HIGH-bulls] and a handful of young leaders launched Willow Creek Community Church in a Chicago suburb. Their vision was bold: create a church for people who didn’t like church. They rented a movie theater, laid out folding chairs, and opened the doors to 125 people who longed for something new. Music was contemporary, messages were practical, and the environment was intentionally casual. This “seeker-sensitive” approach — church designed to remove barriers for spiritual outsiders — became their defining feature.
The growth was immediate. By 1978, attendance had surged to more than two thousand. Four years later, over four thousand gathered weekly. By the mid-1980s, Willow Creek had built a massive campus in South Barrington, Illinois, drawing crowds from across the region. One contemporary observer summarized the atmosphere: QUOTE, “It was electric, filled with people who had never thought they’d belong in church,” END QUOTE. This wasn’t just another congregation; it was the front edge of a movement.
Willow Creek’s foundation was more than numbers. It created a model — seeker services on weekends, believer services midweek, small groups for community, and leadership summits that trained thousands worldwide. By 1987, when the church crossed ten thousand in attendance, it had become a blueprint copied across America and beyond.
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Chunk 4 – Development
By the late 1980s and 1990s, Willow Creek had become the flagship of the seeker-sensitive movement. Its weekend services blended drama, music, and practical sermons that aimed to connect with unchurched visitors. Its midweek services dug deeper for believers. This two-track strategy made the church feel both accessible and serious — a place where skeptics could explore and Christians could grow.
The results were staggering. Attendance swelled past twenty thousand, eventually peaking at more than twenty-five thousand each week. The Willow Creek Association multiplied its influence, hosting the Global Leadership Summit, which drew pastors and business leaders from across the world. Willow became not only a megachurch but a training ground for thousands of other churches.
Observers took note. One researcher summarized, QUOTE, “Willow Creek reshaped the expectations of what a local church could accomplish,” END QUOTE. It was an era of expansion, publishing, conferences, and national headlines. For many evangelicals, Willow Creek was the model to imitate. For critics, it was the model to question. But either way, it was impossible to ignore.
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Chunk 5a – Peak Influence
By the early 2000s, Willow Creek was the undisputed flagship of the megachurch movement. More than twenty-five thousand people attended weekly, filling the South Barrington campus. Its Global Leadership Summit drew world leaders, CEOs, and pastors into one conversation on faith and leadership. Drama sketches, high-production music, and practical sermons were exported worldwide. Churches everywhere were copying the formula.
Willow Creek didn’t just grow; it defined what many believed the future of church could be. Families drove in from miles away, conferences sold out, and seminaries taught the model. To many, Willow Creek represented excellence, relevance, and unstoppable momentum. At its height, it seemed like the success story of modern Christianity.
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Chunk 5b – Structural Weaknesses
Beneath the record-breaking attendance and the global conferences, cracks were already forming in Willow Creek’s foundation. The church had been designed around a “seeker-sensitive” model — everything about the weekend service was aimed at making the unchurched comfortable. Messages focused on life application rather than theology. Worship was contemporary, polished, and professional. Skits and drama illustrated points in ways that felt more like a theater performance than a liturgy. The formula was simple: remove barriers, lower assumptions, keep things moving.
It worked brilliantly for getting people in the door. But by the late 1990s, some pastors inside Willow Creek began to worry: what happens after they come? The system relied heavily on programming — weekend seeker services, midweek believer services, small groups, service teams, and leadership training events. But the more programs that were added, the easier it became for members to confuse activity with maturity. A person could volunteer every week, attend multiple services, and still never learn to pray deeply, study Scripture carefully, or disciple others faithfully.
In 2007, those fears became data. Willow Creek released the results of its Reveal study. The findings shocked them. While many had come to faith through seeker services, the church admitted it had struggled to grow those same believers into maturity. One staff leader summarized the tension: QUOTE, “We made converts, but not always disciples,” END QUOTE. It was a sobering confession from the church that had pioneered a model followed worldwide.
The weakness wasn’t only spiritual but structural. Willow Creek had built a highly centralized, staff-heavy model. Services required massive budgets and flawless execution. The campus itself felt like a small city, with parking teams, traffic control, coffee shops, bookstores, and theaters. But for all its efficiency, many members still felt anonymous. Leaders privately worried that too much of the system was built on consumer expectations — giving attenders an experience rather than training them to endure, suffer, and grow.
These weaknesses weren’t unique to Willow Creek. Many megachurches patterned after it found the same challenge: how do you move people from attending to abiding, from spectating to shepherding? At Willow, the cracks were only beginning to show, but they would widen in the years to come.
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Chunk 5c – Leadership Crisis & Fallout
If discipleship struggles revealed weakness in the system, the leadership scandal shook the entire foundation. In 2018, allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power were leveled against founding pastor Bill Hybels [HIGH-bulls]. For decades, Hybels had been the face of Willow Creek — the visionary who turned a rented theater into a movement of global influence. To many, Willow Creek was Hybels.
The church initially defended him. Leaders dismissed concerns and minimized accusations. But as more women came forward, the credibility of the denials collapsed. Hybels resigned, leaving a congregation stunned and divided. Investigations later confirmed a pattern of inappropriate behavior and misuse of leadership authority.
The fallout was swift. Attendance plummeted. Long-time members left, disillusioned not only by the allegations but by the board’s early failure to listen and act transparently. Staff resignations piled up. Several of Willow’s satellite campuses were destabilized. The Global Leadership Summit — once a hallmark event drawing high-profile speakers — lost credibility as leaders withdrew.
For many in the wider evangelical world, the scandal wasn’t just about one man. It exposed how closely the church had tied its identity to a single leader who did not die on a cross two thousand years ago to save our souls. It revealed how dependent the system had become on personality and charisma. And when that personality fell, the damage rippled far beyond the suburbs of Chicago.
By the early 2020s, Willow Creek’s weekly attendance had dropped by more than half. A church that once defined evangelical optimism was now associated with crisis. Its name, once synonymous with innovation, became a cautionary tale.
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Chunk 5d – COVID Exposure
Just two years after the Hybels crisis, another storm hit — one no single church caused, but every church had to face. In March 2020, COVID-19 closed sanctuaries across the world. Willow Creek, with its sprawling campus and production-driven services, suddenly had no live audience. Worship bands played to empty rooms. Sermons went online. The coffee shops and children’s wings sat silent.
Attendance dropped overnight, and only some returned when doors reopened. For decades, the question had lingered: were people truly growing in Christ, or just attached to the experience of Willow Creek? COVID answered that question with brutal clarity. Many who had been consistent attenders drifted away. Some found smaller communities closer to home. Others disengaged from church entirely. The numbers that had once signaled strength now revealed weakness.
This wasn’t just Willow Creek’s problem — it was a global reality. But for a church already rocked by leadership scandal and declining trust, the pandemic was a magnifying glass. It showed who had been excited about Jesus and who had simply been excited about church. And the difference between the two became impossible to ignore.
By 2024, Willow Creek was again reporting around ten thousand in weekly attendance. Still one of the largest churches in America, but a far cry from the twenty-five thousand it once drew. The same number that once marked triumph now stood as a measure of loss.
[AD BREAK]
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Chunk 6 – Legacy & Modern Relevance
The same number told two stories. At one time, ten thousand meant breakthrough. Decades later, it meant decline. That contrast forces the wider church to ask: what do our numbers really measure?
Willow Creek’s rise shaped ministry around the globe. Churches discovered that intentional outreach, relevant preaching, and creative environments could break barriers for people who had written off church. The seeker-sensitive model made faith accessible to millions who might never have stepped into a sanctuary otherwise. Its influence proved that the church could innovate.
But its fall warned us that innovation without depth will not last. A church can gather thousands and still leave many immature in faith. A ministry can exalt vision and still crumble if it hides sin. And a congregation can look strong until hardship strips away what is shallow. Numbers can signal growth, or they can reveal weakness. They can point to life, or they can mask disease.
COVID underscored the truth. When gatherings stopped, churches everywhere discovered who was excited about Jesus and who was simply excited about church. Willow Creek made that reality visible on a larger stage, but it was not alone. The lesson is not just theirs — it belongs to all of us.
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Chunk 7 – Reflection & Call
If ten thousand can mean triumph in one decade and decline in another, then numbers alone cannot be our measure. The rise of Willow Creek thrilled crowds, but the decline exposed what crowds cannot hide. And in that mirror we see ourselves.
The Reveal study admitted it: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” That confession should haunt us. Because the same trap waits for us today — mistaking activity for maturity. We can volunteer every week, serve on teams, and stay endlessly busy in church, yet never learn to pray deeply, never let Scripture shape our decisions, never surrender our hearts in obedience.
So how do we know if we are maturing? Ask yourself: If someone comes to you for guidance, do you lean on worldly wisdom, or do you open God’s Word? When trouble strikes, do you turn first to prayer, or do you scramble for control? When you’re wronged, do you nurse the wound, or do you forgive as Christ forgave you? These questions reveal what numbers never can.
The truth is sobering. Converts can fill a room, but only disciples will remain when the room empties. Activity can impress for a moment, but only maturity can endure for a lifetime. The crowd may come and go. Leaders may rise and fall. But a disciple clings to Jesus when all else is stripped away.
So here is the call: don’t settle for being part of the crowd. Don’t mistake motion for devotion. Be the one who follows Christ when the lights are off, when the building is empty, when the applause is gone. Be the disciple who endures.
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Chunk 8 – Outro
If this story of Willow Creek challenged or encouraged you, like, comment and share it with a friend – they might really need to hear it. Leave a review on your podcast app! And don’t forget to follow COACH for more episodes every week. Check out the show notes! It has the full transcript and sources used for this episode. And, if you look closely, you’ll find some contrary opinions. We do that on purpose. The Amazon links can help you get resources for your own library while giving me a little bit of a kickback. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You never know what we’ll cover next on COACH. Every episode dives into a different corner of church history. But on Friday, we stay between 1500 and 2000 AD. And if you’d rather access these stories on YouTube, check us out at the That’s Jesus Channel. Thanks for listening to COACH – where Church origins and church history actually coach us how to walk boldly with Jesus today. I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel. Have a great day — and be blessed. I tried a seeker-sensitive approach once myself… turns out nobody was seeking me.
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Chunk 9a – Reference Quotes
Q1: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” [Verbatim] Summary statement from Willow Creek’s Reveal study on discipleship gaps. Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Q2: “It was electric, filled with people who had never thought they’d belong in church.” [Paraphrased] Contemporary description of the atmosphere at early Willow Creek services. Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Q3: “Willow Creek reshaped the expectations of what a local church could accomplish.” [Generalized] Research commentary on the church’s influence. Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way, 2000.
Q4: “We made converts, but not always disciples.” [Summarized] Broader assessment repeated by researchers reflecting on Willow Creek’s own published confession. Brad J. Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, 2008.
Q5: “The church initially defended him. Leaders dismissed concerns and minimized accusations.” [Generalized] Findings from investigative reporting on Bill Hybels and Willow Creek’s board response. Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
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Chunk 9b – Reference Z-Notes (Zero Dispute Notes)
Z1: Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) was founded in 1975 in Palatine, Illinois, initially meeting in a rented movie theater. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z2: The founding leadership included Bill Hybels and Dave Holmbo, along with a small launch team of young adults. Source: L.A. Times, 1989.
Z3: The church began with approximately 125 people at its first services. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z4: By 1978, weekly attendance had surged to more than 2,000. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z5: In 1981, WCCC relocated to its permanent campus in South Barrington, Illinois, on 90 acres of land. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z6: By 1982, weekly attendance exceeded 4,000. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z7: In 1987, WCCC crossed the 10,000 weekly attendance milestone. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z8: At its peak in the early 2000s, Willow Creek’s weekly attendance surpassed 25,000. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z9: The Willow Creek Association was formed to support other churches adopting the seeker-sensitive model. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z10: The Global Leadership Summit began in 1995 and drew thousands annually. Source: Willow Creek Association, Annual Report, 2000.
Z11: The Reveal study was published in 2007, highlighting discipleship gaps. Source: Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Z12: Bill Hybels resigned in 2018 amid allegations of misconduct. Source: Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
Z13: Investigations confirmed a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Hybels. Source: Independent Advisory Group Report, Willow Creek Community Church, 2019.
Z14: Attendance dropped significantly post-2018, reaching around 10,000 by 2024. Source: Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
Z15: COVID-19 forced Willow Creek to move services online in 2020. Source: Christianity Today, March 2020.
Z16: Many attendees did not return post-COVID, reflecting broader trends. Source: Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, 2020.
Z17: The seeker-sensitive model emphasized accessibility for unchurched visitors. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z18: Willow Creek’s campus includes facilities like coffee shops and bookstores. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z19: The church used drama and contemporary music to engage attenders. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z20: Leadership training was a core component of Willow Creek’s model. Source: Willow Creek Association, Annual Report, 2000.
Z21: The church operated multiple satellite campuses by the 2000s. Source: Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005.
Z22: Some satellite campuses faced instability post-2018. Source: Christianity Today, August 2018.
Z23: The Global Leadership Summit lost speakers after the scandal. Source: Outreach Magazine, 2019.
Z24: Willow Creek’s budget relied heavily on large-scale programming. Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, 2001.
Z25: Critics argued the seeker model prioritized experience over depth. Source: David Wells, No Place for Truth, 1993.
Z26: Supporters praised its outreach to the unchurched. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z27: The Reveal study was a self-assessment by Willow Creek. Source: Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, 2007.
Z28: Post-COVID, many churches saw attendance declines. Source: Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America, 2021.
Z29: Willow Creek’s influence spread through conferences and publications. Source: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, 2007.
Z30: The church’s model was studied in seminaries. Source: Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches, 2000.
Z31: Leadership scandals impacted trust in megachurches broadly. Source: Christianity Today, August 2018.
Z32: Willow Creek’s board initially resisted allegations. Source: Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune (April 2018).
Z33: Smaller churches gained members post-COVID. Source: Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, 2020.
Z34: Willow Creek remains one of America’s largest churches. Source: Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
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Chunk 9c – POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspectives)
P1 (small churches & discipleship): John Stott, The Living Church (IVP, 2007) – emphasizes depth, accountability, and authentic community over size.
P2 (entertainment vs. worship): A.W. Tozer, Entertainment Is the Devil’s Substitution for Joy (sermon collections; also echoed in Worship: The Missing Jewel) – critiques substituting performance for true worship.
P3 (contemporary vs. hymns): Keith Getty & Stuart Townend; Harold Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith (HarperOne, 1993).
P4 (seeker model critique): David Wells, No Place for Truth (Eerdmans, 1993).
P5 (church health measures): Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Crossway, 2004).
P6 (celebrity-leader risk): Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Crossway, 2020).
P7 (catechesis & unity): J.I. Packer & Gary Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel (Baker, 2010).
P8 (leadership vs. shepherding): Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles (Eerdmans, 1987).
P9 (spectator vs. participation): Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Worship (Baker, 2008).
P10 (COVID & discipleship exposure): Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church (Tyndale, 2020).
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Chunk 9d – SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Points)
S1 (scandals prove Christianity false): Bart D. Ehrman, God’s Problem (HarperOne, 2008).
S2 (megachurches for profit): Darren Dochuk, From Bible Belt to Sunbelt (W.W. Norton, 2011).
S3 (faith as social psychology): Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell (Penguin, 2006).
S4 (numbers prove nothing divine): Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).
S5 (celebrity leaders = cult dynamics): Catherine Wessinger, How the Millennium Comes Violently (Seven Bridges, 2000).
S6 (Christianity mirrors corporate branding): Linda Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2004).
S7 (decline exposes fraud): Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great (Twelve, 2007).
S8 (consumerism disguised as spirituality): Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom (Oxford, 2002).
S9 (leadership abuse shows faith is hollow): Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials (Vintage, 2000).
S10 (COVID proved churches are optional): Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America (2021).
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Chunk 9e – Reference Sources List
Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Reveal: Where Are You?, Willow Creek Association, 2007. ISBN: 9780744191158
Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths, Jossey-Bass, 2007. ISBN: 9780787994679
Kimon Howland Sargeant, Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way, Rutgers University Press, 2000. ISBN: 9780813527475
Brad J. Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, B&H Publishing, 2008. ISBN: 9780805448245
Manya Brachear Pashman, “Willow Creek pastor’s exit stirs pain, loss, and a big question: What’s next?”, Chicago Tribune, April 2018.
Nancy T. Ammerman, Congregation and Community, Rutgers University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780813523354
Independent Advisory Group Report, Willow Creek Community Church, 2019.
Willow Creek Community Church, Annual Report, 2024.
Christianity Today, “Churches Go Virtual as COVID-19 Surges”, March 2020.
Thom Rainer, The Post-Quarantine Church, Tyndale, 2020. ISBN: 9781496452757
Encyclopedia of Chicago, “Willow Creek Community Church”, Chicago Historical Society, 2005.
L.A. Times, “Willow Creek: A Church for the ‘Unchurched’”, 1989.
Outreach Magazine, “Global Leadership Summit Faces Speaker Pullouts”, 2019.
David Wells, No Place for Truth, Eerdmans, 1993. ISBN: 9780802807472
John Stott, The Living Church, IVP, 2007. ISBN: 9780830838059
A.W. Tozer, Worship: The Missing Jewel, Various Sermon Collections.
Harold Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, HarperOne, 1993. ISBN: 9780060608620
Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway, 2004. ISBN: 9781581346312
Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Crossway, 2020. ISBN: 9781433556333
J.I. Packer & Gary Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel, Baker, 2010. ISBN: 9780801068386
Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles, Eerdmans, 1987. ISBN: 9780802802651
Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Worship, Baker, 2008. ISBN: 9780801066245
Bart D. Ehrman, God’s Problem, HarperOne, 2008. ISBN: 9780061173974
Darren Dochuk, From Bible Belt to Sunbelt, W.W. Norton, 2011. ISBN: 9780393339048
Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell, Penguin, 2006. ISBN: 9780143038337
Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Houghton Mifflin, 2006. ISBN: 9780618680009
Catherine Wessinger, How the Millennium Comes Violently, Seven Bridges, 2000. ISBN: 9781889119243
Linda Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, 2004. ISBN: 9780192803221
Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great, Twelve, 2007. ISBN: 9780446579803
Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom, Oxford, 2002. ISBN: 9780195146165
Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, Vintage, 2000. ISBN: 9780679758860
Pew Research Center, The Decline of Religion in America, 2021.
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Chunk 10 – Equipment
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Chunk 11 – Credits
Host: Bob Baulch
Producer: That’s Jesus Channel
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Production Note: Audio and video elements integrated in post-production without in-script cues.
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Chunk 12 – Social Links
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Chunk 13 – Small Group Guide
Summary:
Willow Creek began in 1975 with 125 people and grew into one of the largest churches in America, with attendance topping 25,000. Its seeker-sensitive model reshaped how churches approached outreach, but weaknesses in discipleship, leadership failures, and COVID exposed cracks. Today its story calls the church to rethink what real maturity and success look like.
Scripture:
Questions:
Application:
Commit to one practice this week that deepens maturity rather than busyness — prayer, Scripture study, or mentoring another believer.
Prayer Point:
Pray for churches worldwide to measure success by faithfulness to Christ, not just attendance, and for believers to grow as true disciples who endure.