Learning from Willow Creek’s Self Revelation
The Christian blogosphere is abuzz with reaction to Willow Creek’s revelation that spiritual growth in their church has been less than satisfactory. Village Missionary Steve Hall originally directed my attention to a blog at “Out of Ur.” Attendance at programs in the church did not translate into changed lives.
Much of the reaction falls in the category of “Gotcha!” These writers knew all along that Willow Creek was like the Platte River-a mile wide and an inch deep. For example, Bob Burney writes:
Just as Spock’s “mistake” was no minor error, so the error of the seeker sensitive movement is monumental in its scope. The foundation of thousands of American churches is now discovered to be mere sand. The one individual who has had perhaps the greatest influence on the American church in our generation has now admitted his philosophy of ministry, in large part, was a “mistake.” The extent of this error defies measurement.
Much gentler, H.B. London writes in the Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, Nov. 9:
As I read various reports, I could not help but think of the thousands of pastors who did not buy into the “seeker sensitive” strategy who lost members and even their own ministry because they were out of touch. Teaching the fundamentals of faith was not enough.
You can find just about every blog article you wish about the controversy and then some at BILLYCHIA.COM.
Personally, I commend Willow Creek for their courage in asking hard questions about their spiritual effectiveness. They could have easily coasted along surviving and thriving on their numbers. They surveyed their attendees because they were interested in much more than numbers.
Not that I didn’t have problems with the Willow Creek approach, at least as I perceived it. I never felt that the worship of the body of Christ was to be directed toward “unchurched Harry.” I have this old-fashioned idea that we should worship God. The idea of selective preaching to gain a crowd rather than preaching the whole counsel of God is abhorrent to me if that is indeed what was done.
I also had problems with the performance mentality in which everything done had to have the quality of a Broadway production. Bill Hybels once spoke to a class I attended. I asked him about Virginia. Virginia definitely stood out in a crowd. She was a large, over weight woman who was mentally handicapped. She cut her own hair or, I should say, she chopped her own hair. She had black, high-topped sneakers and always wore a ragged dress. She sang in our choir, always wanting to stand in front. Virginia didn’t know any better. So, I asked Bill what he would do with Virginia. He told the class that he would try to find a place for Virginia out of the limelight.
Of course, I was being smug and setting Bill up for an unspiritual answer. I too was playing “Gotcha!” He was exposed as not valuing the “least of these” and not being Christ-like. In actuality, however, Virginia often embarrassed me. I often wished she would quit the choir, especially when we had a visitor who did not know the story behind her. I didn’t want her up front either!
I think a country church has the wonderful potential to produce growing Christians. A pastor in a country church can model what it means to follow Christ and he knows the spiritual level of his people. He has a unique opportunity to mentor them. I experienced this myself as Village Missionary Ray Bell mentored me.
But we shouldn’t be too smug as we learn of Willow Creek. Would our people be any better off spiritually if we surveyed them? Would we have the courage to ask them about the effectiveness of our preaching or our programs?
Big or small, rural, suburban, or urban any of us can fall into the trap of ministering to succeed. I did at times. If we minister out of faithfulness to God and His Word perhaps He will be pleased to produce true spiritual fruit. Perhaps then, according to Hebrews, we will be able to give adequate account for the souls under our charge. Even such souls as Virginia!
November 13th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Yeah, this has been a hot topic.
I’m sure the buzz will continue as the story develops.
“Would our people be any better off spiritually if we surveyed them? Would we have the courage to ask them about the effectiveness of our preaching or our programs?”
- great questions.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
I thought your article did a very good job at taking their admission of wrong and redirecting it to our own ministries. Yes, they were wrong, but we may be too! In the past few months I have had more than a handful of people admit (using different phrases) they had settled in and were playing the church game. In God’s grace, they have awakened to the spiritual nature of the church. Now they are completely different people. If I had just gone on statistics, nothing had changed because they had always attended. Now there is an expression of spiritual aptitude and hunger that cannot be expressed on paper, but can be felt and be seen by all.