Willow Creek Community Church is a large American nondenominational church in the suburb of South Barrington, Illinois near Chicago, Illinois. Its attenders, called seekers or Christ followers (depending on the individual) by Willow leadership and members, describe themselves as part of authentic Christianity such as the early disciples of Jesus Christ had, and sees itself as a network of small groups building relationships between people and to Jesus simultaneously. Willow eschews church jargon.

A church of innovation

The church is seeker focused, by its own description, in that its main worship services are devoted to communicating the Christian message to unbelievers in language they can relate to and understand. Its mission statement is to "turn nonbelievers into fully devoted followers of Christ". Founded on October 12, 1975 in the former Willow Creek theater in nearby Palatine, Illinois - hence its name - it has grown from its original 125 attenders (which was then regarded as disappointing)¹ to around 17,000 weekly.²

Willow Creek has from its inception always used modern methods and contemporary culture in what it terms seeker-sensitive ways to communicate the Christian message. As such it has a large ministry in Contemporary Christian music (CCM) and also in Christ-centered drama. Willow is a provider of resources to other churches worldwide through the Willow Creek Association (WCA), especially in original music and original drama. Annual WCA conferences focus on the Arts, small groups, children's ministries, volunteers, and especially on leadership.

Speakers at the WCA's annual Leadership Summit, which began in 1996, have included President Bill Clinton³, Special Advisor to President George W. Bush Karen Hughes, Lady Vols' womens college Basketball coach Pat Summitt, Dallas, Texas pastor T. D. Jakes , University of Southern California president Steven Sample, Yahoo!'s Tim Sanders, and business author Marcus Buckingham. Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life and author Ken Blanchard are scheduled to speak at the tenth annual WCA Leadership Summit in August, 2005.⁴ The Leadership Summit continues to grow in attendance and had over 42,000 attendees in over 80 locations across North America in August, 2004.⁵

Bill Hybels has been the church's senior pastor since its inception.

Sources and external links

• ¹History - Willow Creek Community Church
  
• ²Telephone conversation between Cally Parkinson of Willow Creek Community Church's Communications department, telephone (224) 512-1004 and avnative, September 14, 2004.
  
• ³Clinton Visit Provokes Church Members
  
• ⁴Recap of the 2004 WCA Leadership Summit
  
• ⁵Ibid.
  

Willow Creek websites

• Willow Creek Community Church - South Barrington, IL, USA
  
• Willow Creek Association - resources for churches of various names and denominations across North America and the world
  

Perspectives and analysis

• Willow Creek: Conversion Without Commitment (honors thesis)
  
• Willow Creek's Place in History

• No One Stands Alone: Gen X Assimilation in the Axis Ministry of Willow Creek Community Church - Published in The Journal of Young Adult Ministry. http://journal-of-young-adult-ministry.org

Books about Willow Creek Community Church

• Hybels, Bill and Lynne. Rediscovering Church: The Story and Vision of Willow Creek Community Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997. ISBN 0-310-21927-2
  
• Hybels, Bill. Courageous Leadership. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. ISBN 0-310-24823-X