How the “church of the future” grew up—and owned its past.

In the fall of 1975, a youth pastor rented a suburban movie theater and swapped hymns for rock, sermons for storytelling, and pews for folding chairs—calling it seeker friendly. Within a generation, Willow Creek became the blueprint for American megachurches: packed auditoriums, meticulous production, small groups for discipleship, and a marketing mindset that even drew Harvard Business School and Peter Drucker–level attention. Then came 2018: allegations, resignations, collapse, COVID, and a community left to rebuild. As Willow Creek turns 50, Complexified host Amanda Henderson talks with Bob Smietana (who’s covered Willow for decades) and Scott Thumma (Hartford Institute megachurch scholar) about innovation and influence, power and accountability, and what humility-fueled repair looks like after the spectacle. Is the “church of the future” still a future worth having?

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