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
102 Comments
Pingback: Twitted by MickGeorge
Willow Creek has impacted MY life. It’s “influence” is both broadbased and eternal. Thank you, Bill, for standing firmly on the Word and proclaiming its message creatively each week! I follow Jesus a little bit closer today because of the challenge I receive from Willow Creek’s ministry.
Thanks for your insight though perhaps a little subjective. Churches make a conscious decision on how to go about reaching the lost for Christ. We are so blessed with today’s technology but again choices are made on how and when and if to use it. The churches you refer to ALL use technology but some, like yourself, may not necessarily see the results beyond the surface…I.E.: counting tweets.
PS:
Saddleback’s internet campus is located at: http://saddleback.com/blogs/internetcampus/index.html and includes links to their Blog; Twitter; Sunday services live feed; and much more.
Pingback: Twitted by pdrowland
With so many good comments raising so many additional issues, I thought it was worth posting a follow-up article on this topic. Please read…
More on Why Willow Creek and Saddleback are Losing Influence While North Point and LifeChurch.tv are Gaining Influence
https://blog.ourchurch.com/2009/08/05/more-willow-creek-saddleback-north-point-lifechurchtv-influence/
For me, your post comes across as if you are personally influenced more by Lifechurch or North Point over Willow Creek and Saddleback. I don’t believe that makes the title to your post any more true or accurate. I do believe as you said at the end of the post that you have limited knowledge of Saddleback and Willow and that has helped shape your opinion on their ministries. (“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…”)
I don’t believe it is necessarily fair or accurate to gauge a ministries effectiveness or influence when you know so little about them, their networks, their staffs, etc. I do however find it rather odd that you had no idea that Rick Warren has a Twitter account, as well as, many of his staff members.
Nick, that’s not accurate. If you reread the “I Heart Bill and Rick” section of the post, you’ll see both Willow Creek and Saddleback have been influential in my life. I said “I’m not as up on what’s going on at Saddleback” meaning I don’t know whether they are cutting budgets, staff, and programs like Willow is.
Also, I have been aware of Rick Warren’s Twitter profile and have been following him for a couple of weeks. I wasn’t aware of other Saddleback staff on Twitter, but I think that’s mostly because except for Doug Fields they just don’t have numbers that compare with those cited in the article.
As my own learning and inspiration has shifted from conferences and books to blogs and online conversations (and before the critics bash me, this learning and inspiration is secondary to that which comes through scripture and prayer), I’ve found North Point and LifeChurch.tv people writing those blogs and leading those online conversations much more than Willow Creek and Saddleback people. And I think most other people would agree.
Just a quick comment, I think you are right on about churches like LifeChurch.tv and North Point gaining influence, but Rick Warren has over 17,000 followers on Twitter, and Doug Fields is pushing 6,000. Just thought I’d throw that out there, ha ha.
Willow Creek has a “Brand Architect”.
That worries me.
I’m in the “demographic” of today’s social networking morass, and, to defy the amorphously grandiose generalizations out there, I hardly think these communications media define the end-all-be-all of not only ministry, but everything else in cultural transmission.
In fact, in many ways, churches that are racing ahead of the pack to “keep up” and stay relevantly “in” with such media will quickly find themselves irrelevant and kitsch. The fact is, in any communications, art or media-related discipline, if you truly want to be radical or innovative or a step ahead, what you experiment with now will precisely be unradical, dated, and ignored by critical mass. The pendulum always swings back as it were: neo-soul movements in jazz/R&B, the DIY-filmmaking toasts/homages to Italian Neo-Realism of the 1940s and Cassavetes of the 1970s; even, Neo-Cons and Neo-Libs in politics. There really is nothing under the sun — no matter what Kutcher and is thousands-band of Twitter followers say!
But my main concern is that with all of our focus on cool ‘video,’ pithy tweets, and what not, have we not become too mechanistic in ministry techniques, goals, “branding?” Am I being too “radical” or fundie here when I say, what hapened to the power of the Spirit? After all, we’re really following the Simple Way — one person, one life-giver — and surely, despite our best efforts with 1920×1080 HD, RED cams, Logic Pro, and the like for ministry, this ought to be enough. As a side note — I’m in NYC, the “trend setter” urban playground/cultural landscape of the world, and the real radicals, in my opinion, are those still handing out leaflets with old-school salvation messages. That’s like Christian Vandal. That’s radical.