Willow Creek Church leadership put out a statement this past weekend “repenting” for the way they handled the accusations regarding Bill Hybels.
I put “repenting” in scare quotes because certain parts of that statement come across as reluctant as opposed to eager repentance. Parts strike me more as a Public Relations (PR) begrudging move than a heart-felt move to acknowledge the wrong done the women accusers.
Of the statement made, I thought Pastor Steve Carter’s statement was the best. Both Lead Pastor Heather Larson’s and the Elder’s statements left me thinking not much has really changed.
Larson wrote:
It was stated that the allegations are all lies, and I do not believe that. I should have jumped in and declared that personally right away when that statement was made….
I ask for forgiveness that I did not personally declare that sooner.
This is a good start. However, it obscures the level of power Lead Pastor Larson had/has in this matter.
Pastor Heather Larson is one of the two lead pastors for Willow Creek Church!
And she made these statements attacking the accusers as a senior leader of Willow Creek Church–as she indicates later in her statement–that amount to lies if we are to believe this statement now.
Larson writes,
The women showed courage in coming forward. In full transparency of what was going on in me, one of the hardest parts for me was that I did not agree with how the information came out in the media, and I allowed that to get in the way of focusing on the pain of these women. I am sorry. I should have listened more to why the women felt like they were forced to take that path.
Would Bill Hybels ever been held to account for his sins if these brave women had NOT gone to the media?
I doubt it.
Prior to the newspaper article, the history of these issues included an investigation of Bill Hybels done internally to cover the backside of the church, in my opinion. Clearly, that investigation did not resolve the issues in a godly way if these current WCC leadership statements are to be believed.
Also, it is troubling this Larson is still harping on the process as opposed the substance of Hybels’ sins here. She talks about being upset about “how” the sins got exposed as opposed to being upset about Bill Hybels’ sins!
Larson talks about how she ought to have considered what led the accusers to go this route. This still misses the point:
The issue is not how the alleged sins were exposed…
the issue is that Bill Hybels committed sins against these women!
Something feels off to me about an apology when the person in the wrong is discussing how the issues got exposed as opposed focusing on the issues themselves.
She continues:
It was wrong to host those first family meetings and to release those initial posted statements in the way we did. We should have started by listening. As I walked out on stage that first night, I realized that the humility and tone were not right, and I have deep regrets about even holding those meetings. I said things that hurt people, and I am deeply sorry.
Were the statements wrong or was the way they were released wrong?
Was the tone wrong or the content of her statements she made on stage wrong?
Her statements in this paragraph leave the answer to these two questions ambiguous. I would suggest it was both. They should not have publicly branded the accusers as liars conspiring against Bill Hybels.
Now, let’s consider the elders’ statement:
We apologize and ask for forgiveness that the tone of our initial response was not one of humility and deep concern for all the women involved. It takes courage for a woman to step forward and share her story.
We are grieved that we let Bill’s statement stand for as long as we did that the women were lying and colluding. We now believe Bill entered into areas of sin related to the allegations that have been brought forth.
Notice: They are asking for forgiveness over “tone.”
They are NOT asking for forgiveness over calling these women liars and conspirators. Let that sink in.
Also, do not forget a previous investigation took place exposing over a thousand suspicious emails in a two years time period. These emails were between Bill Hybels and the woman who recanted her accusation of a long-term affair with Bill. Plus, Bill Hybels admitted to having this woman over to his private residence without his wife present.
You do not need a special gift of discernment to realize something is seriously wrong with that picture!
The elders knew these things before calling the accusing women liars and conspirators–either directly or through Bill Hybels’ statement. Yet, they have chosen to “repent” of the “…tone of our initial response.” Sad.
While I am encouraged by Pastor Carter’s response, I am troubled by Larson’s and the Elders’ response as explained. They still seem to be more concerned about optics than substance.
In other words, this is an “excellent” example of how the church ought NOT to handle these sort of matters!
