A pattern developed: We reeled and then we processed and some tried to meet with elders and begged for truth-telling and then the story quieted once again. Willow Creek, the church that I helped build and a church that I love, has new elders and is searching for its next pastor. Samantha tells people that out of all those she has told this news, I was the least excited. The report stated that no related email content was recoverable. I believe there was a big part of the story here that the IAG chose not to tell, concerning how BH made sure, years ago when the reports of the 14 year affair first surfaced, to destroy those e-mails. I often ask myself if Id hire a 26-year-old woman for my job. But we can be sober minded. At Willow Creek South Barrington's Congregational Meeting May 2021, with about 200 Core Committed members present, Senior pastor Dave Dummitt and Campus past. Willow Crystal Lake, one of the satellite sites, did hold an evening of lament and confession. Among them: Women said Hybels had invited them to hotel rooms or made suggestive comments about their appearances. What a classy move by Toews, to honor the long career of Timonen and acknowledge that every player on the team, no matter how many minutes of play they skated on the ice or sat on the bench, contributed in some way to the victory. I am grateful to all of them. Then, last week, a YouTube video dropped. I am worn out and weary. Some people left, but our church has been transformed. As Ive tried to think through and pray through my response, this is the big idea that keeps coming back to me: The weight of an apology needs to match the weight of the transgressions. And yet.my heart is also filled with the hope that Samantha will have a fulfilling experience on a team with men and women who love and respect one another as my team did. Bill Gates turned his fortune from software firm Microsoft into diversified holdings including investments in zero-carbon energy. Before I continue, I offer this prayer my father and I wrote, printed in our recent book A Church Called Tov-- that God will be gracious, that God will forgive, that God will heal, that God will restore people to himself and to one another, and that tov (goodness) will abound in Willow Creek. So Scott spent lots of time investing in me. He held it for a minute or two, and then everyone wondered who he would choose to hand the cup to next. The meeting last night would have been wonderful if it had been a future step, after we acknowledge the mess and clean it up. After a fabulous weekend of celebrating my daughters graduation from Wake Forest University (summa cum laude brags her mother!!! The goal is to usher in the truth, to reveal an abuse of power that spans over 30 years, with women who are scarred and in some cases, terrified to come forward. And yet.what more powerful two words can there be? Steve Carter Steve showed up at my house a week or two after the Tribune article. But Not now. Over two years ago now, as the Pandemic was just beginning, my daughter and I decided to write a book together about the future of the church. They listened respectfully and with grace. What happened grieves the heart of God. I was baptized by Bill Hybels. He currently resides in Michigan, United States. It is an internal process of releasing that bitterness so that we can be free and not burdened. 1 The membership now stands at more than. In the days that followed, I heard reports of Family Meetings at the church where Bill and the elders defended their position and said untruthful things about me and the other accusers. Leanne was supported all throughout by her husband, Jim Mellado, at great personal risk to himself. In our heads we all know this to be true. I marveled that about 18 years ago, a single mom named J.K. Rowling sat in a coffee shop and thought up the whole magnificent story from beginning to end. The reputation of the church and the ministry of the WCA were seriously damaged. Specifically, I believe the church should consider making major compensation to Pat Baranowski and Vonda Dyer, who both lost income or incurred financial repercussions because of the behavior of BH. 5. I pray regularly that God will do a work in his heart and spirit, that he will pursue truth, counseling, confession and forgiveness. Nancy Ortberg. You may remember that Bill Hybels, the charismatic New Apostolic Reformation apostle who founded Willow Creek Church, stepped down from his position of lead pastor amid sexual abuse allegations involving women connected to his megachurch in Chicago. The protective mother bear in me simply doesnt want to see my girls caught up in anything marked by the abuse of power, the sidelining of women and their gifts, or the inevitable disappointments when people you love leave the church. On that stage, with seemingly no pre-planning, he invited Williams to share that same message at a weekend service to a wider audience. I asked if she was coming home from a graduation, and she said, Yes, for Wake Forest. But from there I discovered that her weekend experience was entirely different than mine. This is in contrast to two lengthy family meetings in the church complete with timelines and bold statements calling us liars and colluders by name in very specific ways. Senior previous relationshipsor of Willow Creek Community Church, a megachurch in South Barrington, Illinois. However, we do not have any detailed information on what Bill Hybels is doing these days. Sadly, our mens 4 x 100 team experienced a different outcome. He has denied. When my daughters were young and one of them had said something mean to the other, l would demand she make an apology. OK, most of the time! Vanity led me to the 5/2 diet. And the consequences for getting it wrong are heartbreaking. There is no variety of food in impoverished communities whatever they have to eat is usually the same every day. In one case, Hybels allegedly kissed a co-worker against her wishes. I saw some Christ followers stepping into the conversation as advocates and truth tellers. Several people had their good names and reputations dragged through the mud. On March 23 the Chicago Tribune article was released (online the night before), exposing the sexual abuse and power abuse charges against Pastor Bill Hybels. The Hawks captain deliberately handed the cup to a 39 year old veteran hockey player, Kimmo Timonen, who retired after this game but had never before been on the Stanley Cup winning team. Fred Cate joins Tim to talk about how big tech companies could use your personal data without your knowledge or explicit consent and some of the legal issues involved. At the time, it seemed to many to be downright risky! In a letter, she told them we had heard a few more stories from women coming forward. Mentoring does not require us to have all the answers or to have it all together. Yes, it should be mentioned. The words spoken by Betty Schmidt, Vonda Dyer, myself and others were challenged and called lies by some. This may not seem like a big deal, but for those of us engaging in worship, we love to see the leader reflect joy when we are celebrating. We trusted these new elders with our stories. In the summer of 1999, when my daughters were just 9 and 6, we made our way to Soldier Field in Chicago to see a World Cup game leading up to the womens championship. But there have been even greater benefits for my soul. I see enormous potential in both of them (of course, Im a bit biased). I have met with their new elders and pray for the church to face the truth as they seek to heal and rebuild. The question at this gathering was: Could the blacks ever forgive? This was a missed opportunity for Dummitt to affirm the courageous women, to name Hybels sin, and to confess the churchs complicity in contributing to a culture that allowed it. She could so easily have stayed hidden. As I mentioned above, their bottom line conclusions were right, in my view. And if that conversation is to occur in public, the women should be consulted and prepared and satisfied with what is to be said. At no time after that meeting have any of that group of elders contacted me to follow up. Pastor Bill Hybels, the former senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, in Washington on July 1, 2010. I also recommend the accountability of a spouse, good friend, or colleague who will periodically ask us with love, Is that how it really happened?. But if Im honest, I long for a sense of outrage. How about the amazing goalkeeper Corey Crawford? I doubt I will be writing about these events again, and want to make a few commendations, by name. This is not simply a benign series of misjudgments. What I am seeing these days gives me great hope for the future of the kingdom and Gods Church. Be sure to check out Coaching Circles with Nancy Beach for women in leadership. Sometimes an encouraging phrase from God in the middle of a tough day can take my bucket from 25 percent full to 75 percent full. "My heart breaks for Pat Baranowski and all victims of Bill Hybels at Willow Creek. And finally, my good friend Melissa, who was invited as a rookie 26-year-old by her pastor, Eddie, to join the churchs senior staff team as Executive Pastor. The senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, the successor to Hybels, Dave Dummitt added, I agree with everything you said, labeling Williams words beautiful. So my job is most definitely to do the work of forgiving Bill, Heather, and the elders. Of course my story goes back decades, to a time when I first met Bill as a teenager and the entire trajectory of my life changed. I joined a process that spanned the next several years, seeking to bring that truth to light with the elders of Willow Creek and the Board of the WCA. Then reunion, which is always costly, will happen.It cant happen just by saying, Let bygones be bygones.. Its about an abusive pastor and church leadership who have not adequately investigated his behavior, have not named it as sin, and have failed to confront and address it, calling for consequences for Bill Hybels. Yet in terms of eternity and the fruit of the kingdom, the win of a healthy Succession process is far more significant. You know all and you reveal your truth in Christ. Bottom line is I feel like the elders havent returned my pen. I realize that many who read this may well think, Those people will never be satisfied. I understand your point of view and the deep desire to move on. It can shatter or it can contribute to a redemptive process. And in most churches and companies, that means a white male. So many lives were broken and affected by the sins of BH and the lack of strong oversight by those called to lead the church and the WCA. But I can see how people who hold the power, who make the decisions, can decide to play it safe and hire only people just like themorthey can intentionally seek out potential in the less obvious person, and speak words that ennoble and envision that individual to imagine taking on a new role. Bill Hybels Net Worth As of February 2023, Bill Hybels has accumulated a net worth of $45 Million. Grant further, O Lord, the rich graces of reconciliation between those on opposing sides of the devastating events at Willow Creek. I realize they need to be professional and objective. Rather than judging Brian Williams, I am choosing to seek to learn from his experience and turn the mirror of Gods truth on my many words. If the elders want to truly care for the women, they would take steps such as these: I want to be clear that I do hope for reconciliation someday. So my challenge to myself and to all creative folks like me is simply this dont give up on your coffee shop time. Sign up for our newsletter: Most weeks my low calorie days are Mondays and Thursdays. We want healing and reconciliation and a new day for the church, Willow and beyond. Scot McKnight. Should Bill Hybels name be mentioned? Two Australian leaders have responded to it in very different ways. This was the woman (along with her 18 yr old son and husband sitting behind us) from the Chicago area whose older son was in my daughters class - he died in February in his sleep at the school. 3. Last Sunday morning as I participated in worship, I found myself celebrating the incredible growth in Patrick. I am a sinner saved by grace, and I need forgiveness as well. When words are many, sin is not absent. I saw too many church leaders choosing to be silent and avoid the conflict. The future of the church is in their hands. It's your job to keep your passion hot. Although it was a painful and messy decade I can now look back and sum it up like this: I entered the places of my deepest brokenness and I found Jesus there, loving me. As I sheltered in place with my husband and dog Beanie, I knew it was a very different kind of birthday that I will always remember connected to this urgent pandemic. As a once-insider-now-outsider, I watched Willow Creek move on without seeking true, redemptive healing. That is how I felt on Wednesday evening. Bill Hybels verbally and emotionally intimidated both female and male employees. How much failure and agony could we have prevented if only we would have humbly asked for some guidance and support? After reading numerous posts, I knew my heart and mind needed a break. Our writing reflects the kinds of conversations our little family has engaged in over the years standing around the island in our kitchen, debriefing our experiences in church and expressing our opinions about.well, about all of it. $ 5.59 - $ 6.49. I dont recommend it for everyone, but for me, there has been some good learning. The question should have been answered (1) only by the senior pastor and (2) never so casually as in a question-and-answer session. The entire eight minutes were recklessly, needlessly wounding. It is my sincere hope and prayer that we will move beyond a sense of Us/Them with people who see things differently that we will all unite around our original love for a ministry called Willow that God used to transform thousands of lives. After 4 years of keeping this under the radar, a group of us made the excruciating decision to go public. The real question is Why were the women once again dishonored? 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