Reveal

Reveal: Willow Creek Findings

Willow Creek is a mega-church in Barrington, IL, which is pastored by Bill Hybels. They are commonly recognized as one of the more helpful churches in sharing insights and vision to other churches through the Willow Creek Association.

Recently, they published Reveal (Greg L. Hawkins & Cally Parkinson, Willow Creek Publishing, 2007), a book which highlights what they have learned through a comprehensive study about their role in the spiritual development of people at Willow Creek. They were shocked by the findings, especially in regards to their assumptions. What they thought would hold true about spiritual formation was inaccurate, and Willow is now embarking on new ways of looking at their role in the lives of the people who come. I want to share some of their findings in hopes that it helps us and how we understand how spiritual formation can happen through the church. The following are direct quotes from Reveal.

What Did They Find?

1. Involvement in church activities does not predict or drive long-term spiritual growth.

We found that church involvement drives Christian behavior somewhat, which means that the more people participate in church activities, the more likely they are to serve, tithe, etc. But higher levels of activity do not seem to drive spiritual growth, when defined as “increasing love for God and others.”

Church activity alone made no direct impact on growing the heart . . . It was a flat line – and a stunning discovery for us.

2. Spiritual growth is all about increasing relational closeness to Christ.

If the activities of the church are all about turning people toward Christ and encouraging them to grow spiritually, why doesn’t there appear to be a solid connection between participation in church activities and spiritual growth?

Why is there this disconnect? The quick answer: Because God “wired” us first and foremost to be in a growing relationship with him – not with the church.

3. The church is most important in the early stages of spiritual growth. Its role then shifts from being the primary influence to a secondary influence.

So if the church isn’t the driving force behind the later stages of spiritual growth, what is? . . . personal spiritual practices. These practices include prayer, journaling, solitude, studying Scripture – things that individuals do on their own to grow in their relationship with Christ. While personal spiritual practices are crucial at all stages of spiritual growth . . . they become most important for those who are more spiritually mature.

4. Personal spiritual practices are the building blocks for a Christ-centered life.

5. A church’s most active evangelists, volunteers, and donors come from the most spiritually advanced segments.

. . . the more one grows, the more one serves, tithes, and evangelizes.

6. More than 25 percent of those surveyed described themselves as spiritually “stalled” or “dissatisfied” with the role of the church in their spiritual growth.

Both segments tend to voice complaints about the need for more in-depth teaching, more connection opportunities, more serving options and more of about everything else they feel is missing from their church experience. But at the heart of their unhappiness may be the fact that neither segment seems to realize that much of the responsibility for their spiritual growth belongs to them. This is the big “aha.”

How did they respond to what they've found? Everything below are direct quotes from Reveal.)

1. Our Message to the Congregation Has to Change

Historically, our message has been the same: “We know what you need, and we can meet those needs for you.” We now know this approach hasn’t always served our congregation well. In many cases we have created an unhealthy dependence and inappropriate levels of expectation among those who call Willow home.

One of the first things we did was to tell our congregation that we’ve been wrong for thinking it was our job to meet all of their spiritual growth needs.

We want to move people from dependence on the church to a growing interdependent partnership with the church. We have to let people know early on in their journey that they need to look beyond the church to grow. Getting a weekly dose or two of what the church has to offer (even if it is great) will never be sufficient spiritual nutrition for survival, let alone growth. Our people need to learn to feed themselves through personal spiritual practices that allow them to deepen their relationship with Christ.

2. We Need to Coach Next Steps

When a church is working out of a dependence model, ministry is rather straightforward: Figure out what you think everyone needs and then provide it through a program or an activity.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” fitness plan.

3. We Need to Extend the Impact of Our Weekend Services

Weekend services are an important element in the spiritual growth of people in the early stages of their spiritual journey, but they have less value for those farther along the spiritual continuum.

Check out more information at www.revealnow.com