Hybels: “We made a mistake” October 20, 2007
Posted by Paul Edwards in Bill Hybels, Hybels, Willow Creek.trackback
About six months ago Willow Creek Community Church released the findings from its six-year qualitative study of the effectiveness of its ministry. Christianity Today’s Out of Ur blog analyzed Willow Creek’s study and said,
Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wake up call” of his adult life.
Hybels confesses:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.
I read the comments and had watched the videos in their entirety. My concern is two-fold. First, that Willow Creek (at least at the leadership level) hasn’t repented of anything, but are simply replacing their programmatic “5 G’s” with “5 Circles” of where people are at with Jesus. In other words, it’s still pragmatism. Notice, that they didn’t say that they realized that this was invaluable because of Scripture or even from prophetic revelation. It was simply market research to better produce the product they desire, that they lablel fully devoted followers of Christ.
Second, the answer they came up with of people needing to ‘feed themselves’ falls short. The manner in which this was expressed seems to reside on top of the assumption that the church is a collection of individuals and not an interdependent community wholly dependent upon the Spirit of GOD for growth and direction. Only the Spirit of God can cause men to declare with their whole lives that Jesus is Lord.
I’m not desiring to spend my days critiquing Willow or anyone else, but it’s important to look at the content of what’ actually being said, as so many people look to willow for influence or in many cases, for photocopying.
Not very profound at this point, as we have always been instructed to “study to shew THYSELF approved”, but then who better to quote than the God of glory Himself.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And please notice, there is a “right dividing” of this word of truth. Hence there must also be a wrong dividing.
Allow me to insert some personal experience here also;
Growth also comes from;
1. failure and repentance
2. trial and dependence.
(one more point and this might preach)
A person can fail by walking away from God, and attempting to walk for God without the leading of the Holy Spirit.
An old sore subject;~~~ Growth is not wrong! ~~ Wrong growth is!
I trust you all will have a time of growth tomorrow at your respective churches.
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true.
I would tell you how He changed my life completely;
He did something no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me;
O how much He cared for me.
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;
All my heart was full of misery and woe,
Jesus placed His strong arms about me
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me;
O how much He cared for me.
Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance;
More and more I understand His word of love.
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till someday I see His blessed face above.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me;
O how much He cared for me.
midi file
No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus