Have the Elders kept their Promises? Part 3 Learning from the Past

How did we get here?

In August of 2019, the leaders of Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) decided to do a weekend teaching series titled We Are Here. Immediately, I thought this title was ironic; it had been 17 months since the Chicago Tribune published the article exposing the allegations against Bill Hybels and the church. Also, it had been five years since allegations of his impropriety had first come to the church. What struck me was that we never had a series titled How We Got Here. Somehow, we decided to pass over the opportunity to learn from the past and to discern what God wanted to teach us through this tumultuous period in the church, as the Elders and leaders had promised.

The promises to Learn

Following, are promises the current Elders and Senior Pastor made to learn from the past. These are examples and are not exhaustive. NOTE: much of the information below was shared with the Elders and they have not responded:

1.     “We are committed to working together to learn from the past” (Elder Update: February 28, 2019)

2.     John Sleeting talked about the need to seek and understand – learn from the past and how to move forward (Listening Session at Willow Crystal Lake after 9 AM service, June 9, 2019)

3.     “For the last seven months there’s been much that we have to learn and listen and pray for; and I’m sure there’s a whole lot more that we need to learn and listen so that we can properly, but yet with holy fear, that we can lead this church.” (Elder Update and Worship & Reflection Service, July 19, 2019, Steve Kang on the video at 04:37)

4.     “To move forward, we must look back; we must reflect and learn.” (Elder Update and Worship & Reflection Service, July 19, 2019, John Sleeting on the video at 43:47)

5.     “One of my mantras is “never waste a good crisis,” I say this . . . the temptation is I just want to get out of it . . . but here is why I say never waste it: God does something really unique and powerful if you allow Him . . . I don’t want us to waste this . . . how can we make sure we really learn in the midst of this crisis.” (We Are Here: Just Like This | Steve Gillen, August 11. 2019)

As of the date of this post, the Elders have not communicated what they have learned, with one exception; Silvia Escobar shared something she learned during her talk at the Worship and Reflection Service in July 2019. Silvia said: “I have learned a lot of things. Here is one important one: when we feel entitled to judge, with only bits of information, here and there, we expose our hearts to anger, cynicism, and gossip.” (Elder Update and Worship & Reflection Service, July 19, 2019, Silvia Escobar on the video at 34:30). Sadly, this is something the Elders should have already known from their Elder Statements, as I showed in my previous post (Have the Elders kept their Promises? Part 2 Transparency). Although this was presented as an indictment on judging with limited information, which I agree is problematic, it fails to recognize that the reason there is limited information is often due to the Elder’s failure to be transparent.

Other than this one admission, I have not read about their learnings in the Elder Updates, more than twelve months since they took leadership, and almost two years since the public revelations of the crises on March 23, 2018. Why do I include this time frame? Well, the Elders have said, “Finally, while we have only been on your Elder Board for six weeks, we are all longtime members of the Willow Creek family” (Elder Update: March 2 & 3, 2019). The Elders have had ample opportunity to pray, think about, and learn what has happened so we can discern what we must do to repent, heal, and change. One would hope that is why they wanted to lead the church at this critical time.

Not only have the Elders failed in their efforts to learn or, at least, communicate what they have learned, they have also refused Godly people who wanted to help them in this regard. You can see this in my post, A Second Row Seat to the Crises. More than once, leaders from Willow Crystal Lake (WCL) attempted to help the Elders, but the Elders refused their help. I know other individuals also tried to help the Elders learn with little response. To be realistic, the Elders might not have learned all they need to up to now, but surely, they have learned something. We know the Elders have learned from the IAG Report and Governance Review, but have not entirely acted on this advice either.

In June of last year, Shoji Boldt, Chair of the Reconciliation and Policy Committee, said The Elders engaged Dr. Dan Allender to consult on the reconciliation process (Listening Session at Willow Crystal Lake, June 9, 2019). Dr. Allender is a Christian therapist specializing in sexual abuse and trauma recovery. Other Elders have also said they are engaging outside resources to help with this process. After nearly nine months, the Elders have said nothing about what they are learning from these experts.

Most importantly, the Elders have not discussed the spiritual causes of the crisis and how these have affected our church. While the IAG Report and Governance Review did not address the spiritual nature of events that led to the crises, it is apparent that the cause was not just in failed policies and procedures. Nor was it only the sin of one person. One of the statements of the IAG was, “Over multiple decades, the Willow Creek Community Church boards were unable to provide effective oversight of Bill Hybels.” The sin of leaders and the culture of power and fear are evidence that there were spiritual problems within the church.

Why this Information is Important

The spiritual nature of who we as Christians and who we are as the church are paramount to our lives and ministry. How we live and behave individually and as the church is an outcome of who we are in Christ and our ongoing walk with Him. If we fail to discern the spiritual causes that have precipitated and perpetuated our problems, we are missing the most critical opportunity for change. If we prayerfully and honestly open our eyes, there is much evidence to show how we have drifted from a real understanding of our life in Christ and the correct application of His Word.

We have the opportunity to show the world the unfathomable love of Christ by learning how to love our brothers and sisters in a way the world doesn’t understand or expect. Once again, it is not too late. Many people are hurting because of the actions or inactions of the church, but people are ready to reconcile if we do what is right. I almost said forgive and reconcile, but many people have already forgiven; however, they have released the relationship due to the leaders of WCCC failure to keep their promises.

One thing the church learned in the past year, is why Pastor Mike Breaux left WCCC twelve years ago (Journey Through John: Come and See | Mike Breaux, January 27, 2019 starts at 15:55). At the time he revealed this information, the new Elders were coming on board. Mike gave a compelling history lesson that the Elders must have heard. He also bared his feelings about the future of the church: “I sense a genuine commitment to authenticity. A place where there’s like, no masks, no pretense, no spin, no carefully crafted, protect the brand kind of statements. We’re just going to be people who humbly, courageously and lovingly, tell the truth.”

Here we are over a year later, and it is evident that the Elders and other leaders failed to live out what Mike sensed. They have not kept their promises to complete, or communicate their progress, of the recommendations from the IAG and Governance Review. They have failed to be transparent, and they have not told us what they have learned, including the lessons from Mike Breaux’s experience.

Recommendations for action

Please pray and seek God’s word for what we must learn as individuals and as a church. One of the reasons I am writing the blog, Our Life in Christ, is to discuss our relationship with God, the church, and the world, including problems we experience. In particular, I have started a series titled Our Identity in Christ, which explicitly looks at who we are as Christians.

Please continue to pray for the leaders of WCCC and contact them to show that keeping their promises is imperative. They must keep their word to address the IAG and Governance recommendations, to be transparent, and to learn from the past. “So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another (Ephesians 4:25).”

This post was primarily about the Elder’s promise to learn, but all of us must learn from the past. After watching Mike Breaux’s revelation about the church, I learned something. I was at the church when Mike Breaux, Gene Appel, and Randy Frazee left. I sensed there was something wrong when three senior leaders left the church at the same time, but I did nothing about it. I was not in a leadership position at the time, but I could have questioned the leaders. I should have tried. I am sorry that I didn’t try to expose the truth. Please forgive me.

However, during my time on the Leadership Advisory Council at Willow Crystal Lake, like Mike, I also tried to affect change from within. I too saw no change. I also saw a Godly pastor leave because of the failure of leaders to do the right thing. I too left the church because I couldn’t stay under untrustworthy leaders. But, I don’t want to, “just quietly disappear.” That is why I am writing now. I don’t want to regret not trying to help the church learn the truth. I don’t want anyone else to feel regret ten years from now. One voice, or several voices, may not get through. But if we all face the truth and act as one body, because that is what we are, the body of Christ, we can make a difference.

The next post in the series, Have the Elders kept their promises?, will look at their promise to follow the guidelines in The Book of Forgiving.