Willow Creek Elders and Lead Pastor Resigns Over Bill Hybels Fiasco

Yet an elder needs to be one who is without blame before others.

-I Timothy 3:2a, TPT

Last night, an article in Christianity Today outlined that the Willow Creek Church leaders took a big step forward to finally addressing the Bill Hybels situation with godliness.

Pastor Heather Larson was one of the lead teaching pastors during this sad saga. She–along with the WCC elders–recognized the only way forward was to step away from leadership at Willow Creek Church after botching oversight of Bill Hybels and vilifying his accusers (to whom they also apologized the other night).

Assuming the last accuser who came forth was truthful (and I believe she is), Bill Hybels operated like a predator and cheater. He allegedly leveraged his position of power as her employer to use her sexually and then discarded her.

The sad thing on top of all that story is how the leaders of WCC protected Hybels and chose not to thoroughly investigate accusations–from  others–when they came to light. They chose denial. And this botched handling of Hybels alleged behavior is what disqualified them from leading WCC in the future.

I do give them credit for recognizing their initial responses to Hybels’ situation disqualified them from leading WCC, and I give them credit for apologizing substantively to the accusers they initially disbelieved.

It is a sad day for the evangelical church. However, it is also another illustration about how “alleged” secret sin–even committed decades ago–can cause community wide harm.

Cheating is not a “private sin!”

 

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-Pastor David aka Divorce Minister