How Did We Get Here? Part 5 Christian Behavior

Introduction

In my last post, I discussed the Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) culture and how it supports the type of Christianity that led to the crises at the church. In this post, I will discuss the first “Why,” which is, “Many people in the church have committed and perpetuated wrongful behavior.” The bad behavior of some people is evident, but continued wrongful conduct has not been addressed or rectified.

So far, each post in this series has discussed the root cause analysis from the bottom up. We have looked at the Biblical misunderstanding of our life in Christ, which leads to an unsound view of our Christian identity. When we don’t understand our identity, it leads to a distorted Christianity and a flawed culture within the church. The culture then perpetuates the potential for wrongful behavior.

Perpetuated behavior

When the new Elders were installed in January 2019, they said they were “committed to working together to learn from the past as we look toward our future together as a church, incorporating the recommendations of the IAG’s report (Elder Update: February 28, 2019).” Sadly, they have failed in both regards, they haven’t communicated what they learned from the past, and they have not addressed all the recommendations of the IAG report. To what extent they have completed the IAG recommendations is questionable because they have also failed in their promises to be transparent and communicate progress. Likewise, the Elders committed to working through the recommendations of the Governance Review, but have failed to complete, or at least deliver progress, on this promise (See the series, Have the Elders kept their Promises?).

The Elder’s failure to keep their promises is disheartening. However, the most disappointing aspect is their failure to complete the reconciliation process with those people hurt by the church. Where are the updates to this process promised by the Elders? By contrast, they have stated several times that they affirm the mission statement of Willow Creek. The devotion to the mission seems more important than the commitment to love our fellow Christians.

In reading these posts, it would be easy to think I am saying that everything WCCC does is wrong. I am not saying that. The church does some good things, which is what makes it difficult to discern the wheat from the chaff. There is a commitment to introduce people to Jesus. There is devotion to the community and the world by helping the less fortunate. These activities are good, but as presented in my previous posts, much needs to change to heal the past and correct the future path.  One of the changes is to understand true unity with God and each other.

This past weekend we celebrated Good Friday and Resurrection Day. One of the ways we commemorate Jesus’ passion is by reading the story of His betrayal, trial, and crucifixion. We also read and think about Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, where He is in agony and asks His Father if there is a different way. However, Jesus had another prayer; I don’t think I have ever heard included in a Good Friday service. Before Jesus was betrayed, he prayed for His chosen disciples, and He also prayed for us:

I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23, NASB®)

Jesus repeats twice that the way the world will know the Father sent him is by our unity with God and with each other. The New Testament reinforces this unity throughout. Unity with God and each other is the core of evangelism. When we don’t live in harmony with Jesus and each other, we don’t exhibit the love of God to the world; this is why reconciliation with the men and women who were hurt by the church should be the number one priority of Willow Creek.

Also, the Bible never uses the word mission, at least in the sense of ultimate purpose, but there is a beautiful picture of the church that the apostle Paul presents in Ephesians. In chapters 1-3, Paul tells us who we are in Christ, and in chapters 4-6, he tells us how we are to live based on our identity. In chapter 4, Paul talks about spiritual gifts, and here is what he says:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16, NASB®)

As you can see, the purpose of the gifts is for building up the church. God equipped the saints, Christians, to help each other know Jesus until we are mature “to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” What’s the point? Isn’t this the same thing as “turning people into fully devoted followers of Jesus?” No, it isn’t. The purpose of the church isn’t to make people more devoted to follow Jesus. The purpose of the church is for the building of up of itself in love. Christians are one with Jesus and each other. We don’t have to follow Jesus, we can walk with His Spirit. The difference may seem subtle, but it’s significant. When we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

When we understand the Biblical truth about our identity in Christ and that Christianity is about a real change in us, our culture will be about building the church, and our behavior will come from love, not duty. In this way, the world will know the Father sent Jesus.

Why this Information is Important

The Elders of WCCC said they wanted to learn from the past, presumably, so the church won’t repeat the crises in the future. Regrettably, the church has not been told what they learned. It is difficult to see that anything has changed. When we take a hard look at the root cause of the problem, we can discern the spiritual issues that led the church here. These crises at Willow Creek were terrible. Sisters and brothers in Christ were deeply hurt, and some are still hurt. Hopefully, the sexual and power abuse by leaders has stopped. However, not all wrongful behavior appears to have ended. The failure to address and heal the abuse is tantamount to committing it all over again. We cannot expect a better future if we don’t understand what needs to change and then implement the corrections.

During the Worship and Reflection Service last summer, one of the Elders said, “As a church, we will have to live with this dichotomy of God using Willow and people to do amazing things while there was unaddressed sin going on, and men and women being hurt. (Elder Update and Worship & Reflection Service, July 19, 2019, Silvia Escobar on video, starting at 35:25).” This statement contains some truth, but it is also misleading. We indeed have to live with the facts of the past, but it is false that we have to live with the dichotomy. The church, specifically the leaders, can redeem the past by learning from it and by reconciling with our fellow saints.

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (John 17:22-23, NASB®).

Recommendations for Action

The root cause analysis presented in this series of posts is mine. You may agree with it or not. Either way, I recommend you analyze the heart of the problems that led the church to the crises we all experienced. It is essential to learn from the past, and the Elders must follow through with their promises. Please continue to pray for them. Also, please ask the Lord what He would want you to do to be part of the change.

Willow Creek has a new Senior Pastor joining the church. It would be easy to see this as a turning point and to forget the past. Please don’t. Many people are still hurting because of the wrongful behavior of church leaders, past, and present. Please pray for Pastor Dummitt, that he will know the real state of the church, and develop a plan to move Willow Creek in the right direction. Also, please pray that the church will resolve all the problems and reconcile everyone so the world will know the love of Jesus.