Monday Morning Insights

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    Willow:  We Got it All Wrong

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    Watch the Video here...

    Then, I’d love to hear your comments.  I’ve heard a lot of people talk about the Willow Study.  The reactions have been everything from ‘wow, this is great stuff’ to ‘well, duh’!  What’s your take?

    Willow has recently asked the question, "Is what we are doing as a church helping people achieve intimacy with Christ?" Their answer... in many cases, was no. You may have heard of the Willow "Reveal Study". Now you can watch Willow XP Greg Hawkins talk about what Willow thinks they've learned through the study. Where did they go wrong? What did they have right?

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    1. Jim Lykins on Mon, October 22, 2007

      As an infant, you have to take little steps first, guided by a parent, in order to master the concept of walking.This is also true in the spritual realm. In order for intimacy to develop, you have to develop the thought that something has been done for you in life or else your prospective on intimacy can be extremely shallow. In other words your meaning of intimacy will be empty because you won’t know “ why “ you feel the way you do.


      After visiting Willowcreek when I use to live in Illinois, I noticed that no one ever conveyed to me during that service that Christ loved me so much, it took everything he had ( death, burial, and resurrection; 1 Cor 15:3,4,) in order to give me intimacy with him (Christ). By acknowledging Christ, who took away all my past, present and future sins, and giving me the hope of eternal life, I can very much appreciate intimacy with him, because now I know something was done for me at the cross long ago! Getting back to Willowcreek, I ask the question “… how shall they know without a preacher….?” ( one who preaches the good news of Jesus Christ?) Intimacy with Christ otherwise is shallow and you will always think something is wrong and you will always strive with questions on finding intimacy.

    2. Tim Bednar on Mon, October 22, 2007

      I found the video by Greg very honest. The out of Ur blog post might have been a bit hyped though…


      I wrote a post on how church software re-enforces the “participation” model for measuring success. This is the model Willow Creek uses and found lacking.


      Basically, the tools we use to “manage” the church work against the findings Willow Creek’s study revealed.


      http://blog.plaidfile.com/tags/tips/how-plaid-answers-the-challenge-issued-by-the-new-book-from-greg-hawkins-and-cally-parkinson-of-willow-creek/

    3. Mark Howell on Fri, October 26, 2007

      An important insight into Willow’s research is the fact that the findings in Reveal: Where Are You? are based on 5000 responses by Willow Creek attendees.  Good enough to give statistical accuracy…but only if it is a representative cross section of who attends.  The book acknowledges the fact that 85% of the 5000 attend 3 to 4 times a month.  That doesn’t sound at all representative to me.  While the data is informative, it is skewed significantly toward the attitudes of their most mature attendees.

    4. Peter Hamm on Fri, October 26, 2007

      Mark,


      Not only that, but the study was, at that point, ONLY Willow Creek. They are about to expand this study to other churches. We are fortunate enough to be part of that. I can’t wait to see what we’re doing “wrong”!


      They are working very hard to turn this study into something useful, not just for them, but for any church remotely like them.

    5. Mark Howell on Fri, October 26, 2007

      Actually, Reveal included the results from 7 additional congregations as well.  But, the largest sample was Willow’s own.  It will be interesting to see what is learned from the larger sample being gathered right now.

    6. Camey on Fri, October 26, 2007

      What continues to strike me about this is the fact they are even willing to admit they were wrong… or might be wrong.


      Let’s face it. How many churches do things wrong, know it, and keep on keeping on thinking they are “saving face” or doing their members/attenders a favor?

    7. Kent on Sun, October 28, 2007

      Praise God Willow Creek has some back bone and humility to admit it.

    8. Jan on Sun, October 28, 2007

      I’ve always been impressed with Bill Hybels and now am even more so. 


      I like his willingness to even talk about the possibility!

    9. Tony on Mon, October 29, 2007

      I appreciate the honesty and openness of this: Greg says that “the people who love God the most are the most disappointed by their local church”.  The sad truth is that this is indeed happening as we witness a shift in dynamics as many churches are discussing new models, approaches and ways of “doing church”.  Therein lies the problem.  We need to forget about how we “do” church and start “being” the church.  It seems we have forgotten what it means to be the Body of Christ in the world today.  See God’s Wake up Call to the Church - By Wayne J. Edwards


      http://www.prophezine.com/PZArticles/GodsWakeupCalltotheChurch/tabid/510/Default.aspx

    10. Kent on Mon, October 29, 2007

      You are so right Tony.  It’s time to forget about “doing church” with all it’s antics and start “being the church”.

    11. Peter Hamm on Tue, October 30, 2007

      You’d all love the T-shirts we made for a recent event. Says “I don’t go to church” on the front and “I am the church” on the back.

    12. Kent on Thu, November 01, 2007

      It looks like Willow Creek is still heading down a troubling path. At their upcoming 2008 “Shift” conference at Willow Creek for young people, Bill Hybels is featuring apostate Brian McLaren as keynote speaker.

    13. Camey on Tue, November 20, 2007

      We just got the REVEAL book. There are a few lines on the back cover that really strike a chord with us:


      “Numbers can be helpful, but they don’t reveal the whole story. Numbers can’t peer into the human heart.”


      We’re trying to not fight over who is reading it first. Ah….. change.. It’s in the air.

    14. Pete on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Too often we forget that Christ spen 3 1/2 years mentoring his disciples. We baptize people then leave them to thir own resourses to fin how to grow in Christ. We leave them on their own to discover their spiritual gift (s). We leave them on their own to find a ministry that they can excl at within the church.


      All of this seems backwards from the way Christ did it. Doesn’t it?

    15. PMI-001 on Sun, September 28, 2008

      What i obesereved actually, Reveal is included the results from the 7 additional congregations as well.  i am agree with the Mark Comments. Yep, i am agree that the largest sample was Willow’s own.  Lets see now who has the largest Sample now onwards http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif


      220-602 - 1Y0-259

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