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Letter from America

Wind in the Willows?

Willow Creek has become probably the most influential church movement in America and perhaps around the world.

As their pastor, Bill Hybels has introduced a seeker-driven structure to their church whereby the church engages creatively and with contemporary relevance to the needs of the non-Christian. Their discipleship structure has tended to be very programme-orientated.

I’ve made a mistake

Now, something’s up. After an extensive survey of the effectiveness of their approach on producing spiritual growth (published in the book Reveal and accessible through http://www.revealnow.com), Bill Hybels has concluded that they have made a mistake. He got, he says, the wake-up call of his adult life. Apparently, what he and they thought was working to produce spiritual growth was not working at all. The survey revealed effectiveness in reaching non-Christians, some effectiveness with discipling new Christians, and diminishing to very little effectiveness with producing spiritual growth among more mature Christians. This is big news. Hybels called the findings ‘earth shaking’, ‘ground breaking’ and ‘mind blowing’.

I think many readers of EN might be going ‘d-oh!’, to quote a certain Homer Simpson. But we must give considerable credit where credit is due. I didn’t go to the Leadership Summit where Hybels gave his interpretation, but I listened to the clip online, and I was struck again not only by the man’s prestigious gifts (and snazzy all black outfit, by the way) but also apparent humility — it takes some chutzpah to face up to unpleasant facts, not to mention announce them, promote them, and then seek a solution to them.

Accurate

My hunch — for what it’s worth, and if you don’t care you’re probably not reading this) — is that the survey is accurate. It seems to point out not only that Hybels and Co. are better at reaching non-Christians than teaching Christians, but also that programming Christians is not the way to grow them. I think I knew both those things already, though as for the first (that they are doing a good job at reaching non-Christians), I’m more than a little unhappy at being guided by the survey results given by non-Christians themselves. Is it helpful to know that a non-Christian finds your messages relevant to their felt needs? Yes. Does that necessarily mean I am preaching the gospel faithfully and with the anointing power of the Spirit? No. Would Jesus’s Pharisaic enemies have given him a thumbs up after Luke 11.37-54? I think not. QED.

But credit where credit’s due. I bet they have a pretty good handle on the felt-need thing. And I also reckon that it’s true — in their assessment — that programmes do not of themselves produce spiritual change.

Personal growth plan

But if their diagnosis is somewhat, at least, sound, what of their treatment? Hybels suggests that what they are going to do now is provide a personal spiritual growth plan (PSGP, I suppose, inevitably) just like you get a personal training programme at your gym. His feeling is that mature Christians should learn to feed themselves (Amen), though, again, is this management-speak for ‘this problem is not my problem it’s your problem’ (call me a cynic)? And, call me a cynic again, isn’t PSGP (remember — personal spiritual growth plans) just another programme?

Feeding on the Bible?

Hybels at one moment, very funnily (but tellingly) said that, when he first heard that people felt they weren’t getting fed, he wanted to say, ‘I’ll feed them, I’ll get them some old college professor and I’ll feed them till they barf’. Lots of laughs, of course; but here is the real issue, surely. What are they getting fed? Are they getting fed the Bible? Are they being taught it — not in a boring old-fashioned-men-in-tweed-jackets kind of way — but imaginatively, creatively, dynamically, spiritually, with power and conviction? Are they being taught expositionally from the Scriptures? I’ve never been to Willow Creek, so I don’t know at first hand. But I have a hunch what the answer is from what I hear.

Bill — congratulations, stunning humility, great management of a problem, funny and insightful presentation. But, Bill, FEED the SHEEP.

What does Ephesians 4.13 and in context say about how people grow? ‘Speaking the truth in love‘ (verse 15). By all means get a personal spiritual growth plan. By all means get back into regular devotional reading of Scripture. By all means pray yourself. But let’s not kid ourselves: if the sheep are crying out to be fed that must challenge our teaching ministry. After all, ‘Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”’ (John 21.17).

Josh Moody, Connecticut