For the last couple of decades Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago and Saddleback Church in Southern California have been the twin towers of influence in American evangelical circles. Thousands of churches have sought to emulate their success by adopting Willow Creek’s seeker church model and Saddleback’s purpose driven church model.
But in the last several year’s Willow Creek’s and Saddleback’s influence has begin to decline. Pastors and Christian leaders have been looking elsewhere for ideas, resources, and leadership. More and more of them (especially those in their 20s and 30s) are being influenced by churches like North Point Community Church in Atlanta, led by Andy Stanley, and LifeChurch.tv in Edmond, OK led by Craig Groeschel.
There are some obvious reasons for this, but there are also some not-so-obvious reasons.
I Heart Bill and Rick
Let me start by saying both Willow Creek and Saddleback have been very influential in my own life. The church where I’m a member and serve as an elder uses Willow’s seeker model, I’ve participated in numerous Willow Creek conferences, and I’ve read several of Bill Hybel’s books. I’ve also not only read both Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life but taught classes on PDL.
I have a ton of respect for the way God has used Bill Hybels and Rick Warren to shape the Christian church in the U.S. from one that was a few decades ago largely stagnant, inwardly focused, and losing relevance to one that is… well, ok, so it’s still largely stagnant, inwardly focused, and losing relevance. But there are thousands of churches and millions of Christians in America who are not content to hide from the world inside the walls of the church and I believe that is in part because Bill Hybels raised the value of being culturally relevant and Rick Warren raised the value of being purposeful in what we do.
So, if you were hoping for a hit piece on Bill Hybels or Rick Warren, you’re going to be disappointed.
Willow Creek on the Rocks
Willow Creek and Saddleback are still hugely influential in American evangelical circles but not like they once were. From what I hear, the Willow Creek Association is in financial turmoil. They have been laying off staff. This year they are not hosting conferences for student ministry, children’s ministry and small group ministry. Those conferences are only available via satellite. I’m not as up on what’s going on at Saddleback, but the 40 Days of Purpose campaign has pretty much run its course and Saddleback no longer offer the Purpose Driven Church conference.
Mediums of the 80s and 90s
I believe one of the biggest factors that determines which people and organizations rise to prominence is their mastery of the primary mediums of communication of their day. Most of you are probably familiar with the story of the Nixon/Kennedy debate – those who listened to it on radio thought Nixon won, those who watched it on TV thought Kennedy won. Eventually Kennedy went on to win the election, in part because he was more effective in his use of the rising medium of his time – television.
Bill Hybels and Rick Warren rose to prominence in part because they are masters of the mediums of communication that were most influential in the American evangelical church in the 80s and 90s.
First, they are exceptional orators. Many pastors view the Sunday message as the most important part of their job description. So, nothing stirs a desire in a pastor to emulate someone like seeing them deliver a powerful sermon the leads people to commit their lives to Christ or take bold action in their walk with Christ.
Second, they are fantastic authors. Warren and Hybels have sold tens of millions of books each. Pastors and Christian leaders love to read influential books, and it would be hard to name any Christian writers – pastors or otherwise – in the last 2 decades who wrote more influential books than Warren and Hybels.
Third, they put on great conferences. Pastors and Christian leaders spend almost all their time giving and serving others. Leadership conferences are some of the most uplifting, filling days of a pastor’s year. Willow Creek and Saddleback are well-known for putting on some of the most inspiring and thought-provoking conferences in the world.
I’m sure you could point to lots of factors in the rise of Willow Creek and Saddleback. Hybels and Warren are very intelligent, they’re gifted leaders, they appealed to a felt need, and they surrounded themselves with top-notch staff. You also can’t deny God’s influence in their lives and their ministries. But from a purely technical standpoint, I think it’s clear they are master communicators.
Mediums of the 2000s
In the last decade we have experienced a revolution in communications technology. Sermons, books, and conferences are still important, but today online communication is shaping the way people think and act even more. Other churches have taken the lead and become masters of the new mediums of communication, churches like North Point and LifeChurch.tv, which now has 14 campuses in 6 states.
First, they’re multi-media masters. We have become a media-saturated, ADD culture. Few people can stand behind a pulpit and hold people’s attention for a half hour, much less inspire them to real life change. Churches are making increasing use of media, specifically video and LifeChurch.tv and North Point have been leading innovators in this area. LifeChurch.tv was one of the first churches to video-cast their services and one of the first to create an online campus.
LifeChurch.tv also broke the mold when they decided to make all their media and creative work available for free at http://open.lifechurch.tv Now, thousands of churches are reusing LifeChurch.tv’s media.
Second, they’re exceptional bloggers. Blogs have become the preferred medium for discussing new ideas, creating movements, and inspiring action. A blogger can write an article and it’s instantly available to millions of people around the world. Those readers can comment and interact. The author can reply and continue the conversation.
LifeChurch.tv’s blog Swerve is a must read for any Christian leader. Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and other staff post there almost daily. Not only that, but many of LifeChurch.tv’s staff like Tony Steward, Terry Storch, and Scott Williams, have their own forward-thinking, highly-trafficked blogs.
North Point’s influence in the blogosphere is different, but perhaps even greater. North Point itself doesn’t have a blog (though the Buckhead campus does) and neither does Senior Pastor Andy Stanley. But North Point’s current and former staff include some of the most influential Christian bloggers on the planet like Carlos Whittaker (Ragamuffin Soul), John Acuff (Stuff Christians Like) and John Saddington (Church Crunch) These guys are not only creative, authentic, and fantastic bloggers, but they support and encourage others within their sphere of influence to blog and so their influence continues to grow.
Third, they’re superior social networkers. LifeChurch.tv and North Point have been innovators in helping people to connect and share their news, events, and content through Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Their staff are at the center of the Twitter universe when it comes to issues of church and Christian faith. Here are some of the influential Twitters from North Point and LifeChurch.tv
- Scott Williams (@ScottWilliams) – 19,000+ followers
- Andy Stanley (@AndyStanley) – 15,000+ followers
- Bobby Gruenewald (@bobbygwald) – 8,600+ followers
- Carlos Whittaker (@loswhit) – 8,600+ followers
- John Saddington (@human3rror) – 5,900+ followers
- Terry Storch (@TerryStorch) – 5,100+ followers
- Tony Steward (@TonySteward) – 4,300+ followers
Willow Creek and Saddleback have been slow to adopt to blogging and social networking. I don’t know if the churches themselves have blogs, and I don’t know if any of their staff have blogs or Twitter. They just never come up in the conversations (blogs are tweets) I follow. Sure, my perspective is limited to the blogs and people I follow on twitter, but chatter about Willow Creek and Saddleback is surprisingly quiet.
What does it mean?
The fact that chatter about Willow Creek and Saddleback is surprisingly quiet doesn’t mean they’re doing less or wandering off the right path, though they could be. Nor does the fact that LifeChurch.tv and North Point have gained immense influence mean that they are better at doing church than anyone else, though they could be.
What it means is that right now LifeChurch.tv and North Point are more effective at communicating than other churches. Their staffs get today’s media better than anyone else.
Update 8/17: Read the follow-up article More on Why Willow Creek and Saddleback and Losing Influence while North Point and LifeChurch.tv are Gaining Influence
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
102 Comments
gosh dang this was big. let me read this over lunch.
Hahaha.
all orthodox and neo-orthodox fundamentalist church's are going to diminish in their cultural meme influence as time goes on because people are going to find out that the synoptic gospels are a misinterpretation and representation of the dharma of their sage jesus……
ken mock … i.e., bi********@at*.net
The disciples didn't need the internet or television to do the work of God. They had the power of God working through them. They had the crowds of people, as Jesus did, all without the media. Yes, we should use every means available to reach the multitudes with the good news of the gospel. We would be ignorant not to. On the other hand, if our churches had the true power of God present and working, as demonstrated in the New Testament, we wouldn't need to focus on media coverage. We need both the power of God in demonstration and the media. The demonstration of God's power through actual physical healing seems to be missing in these high profile churches. Jesus was our example as He healed the sick, cast out demons, and preached the Word of God. Jesus gave us exact instruction after His resurrection in Matthew 16:15-20. There should be signs and demonstration of laying hands on the sick and casting out devils. Many people cannot receive healing from God because the need a demon cast out. It is something Jesus did and has told us to do. We need to get back to what Jesus did and walk in the power He died to give us. Then we can change our world and others will want to know God, not just hear an impressive sermon.
Tina, please post a video of you demonstrating the mighty works of God you listed in your post.
no one in this website understands the word of God or the Holy Spirit……
Very interesting points. If I were to venture a guess, I would think that a large reason that the Willow Creek association is struggling is because most churches are struggling financially. When giving at churches is down they start cutting expenses. One of the items that is usually cut is the training and conference budget. My church, like most others in America, has seen a drop in giving over the last couple of years. We have had to find ways to cut expenses and one of those cuts was the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Three years ago we sent around 30 staff members. Last year we sent less than five.
The mediums that you pointed out that LifeChurch.tv and North Point provide have not cost to the user. It only seems natural that when in tough economic times people will gravitate to less expensive or free resources. I am not trying to discount their effective use of cutting edge technology, but it would be interesting to see if the decline of influence of Willow Creek and Saddleback would have occurred if the economy was not the way it is today.
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One small nit to pick on an otherwise very well written article: the plural of “medium” is “media.” “Mediums” are people who claim to speak to the dead, something I don’t believe either LifeChurch.tv or North Point is doing.
Mark, that’s a good point. I think the economy has had an impact. It is interesting to note that most of North Point and LifeChurch.tv’s influence comes through free sources – blogs, social media, even http://open.lifechurch.tv, Internet campuses – which makes them recession-proof.
I have often wondered why it is that we follow “people” who seem successful in their ministry efforts. I have been to both Saddleback and Willowcreek and find the one thing that they all seem to lack. It is’nt these successful leaders who will point the way to revival in our culture, rather it is Jesus the Christ who is the one to follow. Where have we gone wrong?
In my opinion, Rick Warren and Bill Hybel have done more to harm the gospel of Christ than no other since Judas Iscariot. I am beginning a study of “Deceived on Purpose” by Warren Smith to dispell some of the deceptions of Rick Warren. Christ never “drove” anyone…He lead.
I must agree with Tina, John, and Wiley–it is a sad day for the Church of Jesus Christ when people follow anyone or anything besides Christ. I think many are way too wrapped up in the media–Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.–when they should be wrapped up in the Word of God.
Robert, thanks for pointing that out. Now you know why I got a C in English Lit in college. I needed a word to describe forms or modes of communication that’s distinct from “media” which most commonly refers to individual pieces of communication (a video, an article, an audio clip). So, I guess I reserve the right to butcher the English language to make that distinction. 🙂