What Would Jesus Think?

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In this paper, I examine the techniques that Willow Creek Community Church uses to attract new attendees and keep them coming to the church. While there has been some research on the founding of Willow Creek, including Pastor Bill Hybel’s use of a survey to tailor the church to the area, there has been less work done on the reasons why it continues to be so successful and attract new members. Using analysis of church materials as well as my own observations from repeated visits to Willow Creek services, I argue that the megachurch continues to operate with a heightened awareness to the sensitivities of the “unchurched.” (This is the term Bill Hybels uses to refer to those who have not been exposed to religion in the past or who left a church because they were dissatisfied. ) In fact, they create two distinct environments: smaller, more focused and more in-depth meetings on Wednesday nights and huge, more general, theatrical Sunday services. The church’s website explains that Wednesday services are for “those looking to foster a right relationship with God,” but says nothing about the specific goal of Sunday services, which are clearly aimed at the “unchurched.”