In a way, this is slightly ironic given this post by Andy a few weeks ago.
Over the past few months there has been quite a bit of conjecture floating about the internet about REVEAL and Willow Creek. Basically, the report found that not everything Willow Creek was doing was as effective as they thought it was. They admitted their shortcomings and quotations were taken out of context, and some people said, “I knew it, they were wrong about everything!”
Zach over at Take your Vitamin Z became privy to a letter written by Steve Bell, an Executive Vice President of the Willow Creek Association. And if you’re at all interested in making straight what is fast becoming a miasma of misinformation you need to read this letter.
If all you’re going to read is this post, check out these quotations:
“Hybels goes on to say ‘If you simply want a crowd, the “seeker sensitive” model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it’s a bust.’” Bill Hybels did not say this. Focus on the Family is printing a retraction.Concerning the participating churches:
REVEAL’s findings are based on thirty churches besides Willow, chosen specifically to reflect a diversity of church models. We’ve surveyed traditional Sunday school model churches, missions-focused churches, mainline denominations, African-American churches and churches representing a wide range of geographies, sizes and styles. In all thirty churches, we’ve found the six segments of REVEAL’s spiritual continuum, including the Stalled and Dissatisfied segments.REVEAL is currently surveying five hundred churches, including more than a dozen denominations and English-speaking international churches. Early results from the first 200 demonstrate REVEAL’s segments exist across multiple church model/style/size alternatives.
40% of these 500 churches do not describe themselves as “seeker-focused” or “seeker-friendly”.
And:
The controversy is:The key for me in all of this is that although the data started with Willow Creek, it is being corroborated among many many different churches. I love it when churches are transparent about their ministries, and I can only see good things coming out of this.
REVEAL discovered a Dissatisfied segment that fell out of the two most spiritually advanced segments noted above. They are sold-out Christ followers, but are disappointed in their church. The Dissatisfied segment averaged 9% over the thirty churches, ranging from 3% to 14%.
The bloggers and media point to this Dissatisfied group as proof that the “seeker” movement does not grow up disciples of Christ. The fact is this Dissatisfied group exists in every church we’ve surveyed, including the 200 churches currently in process.
Has anyone actually read the REVEAL report and care to comment? Anyone go to a church that’s participating in the larger 500 church REVEAL report? Do you think anything will come of all this data gathering?
Here’s another response to Christianity Today from Greg Hawkins for your perusal: Response
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November 29, 2007 at 17:23
As a participant in REVEAL…...
I am so glad that you wrote the above summary.
I spent nearly 2 hours with Greg Hawkin’s team of interviewers. We talked candidly about a lot of things, but the bottom line is this:
They listened.
When was the last time church leadership really listened? For us, it is a very common event. Sad to say, some friends and acquaintances of mine report that they cannot say the same.
If REVEAL gets church leaders to really listen, then all of this “swirl” of controversy will be worth enduring.
One way that Willow really listened is the formation of the Biblical Literacy Training program. I joined and am now a trainer. Module One spends 5 weeks (1 1/2hrs. per session) going over how we got the Bible.
To be candid, we have had seasons where our church has done a better job of discipling people IMHO. But that is NOT due to a “seeker driven” model. Quite the contrary. When we were much more seeker driven than we are now, we talked a lot about our Seven Step strategy. That strategy had discipleship at its core—and it worked.
I have served as a volunteer in the Navigators and Campus Life, and been involved loosely with Intervarsity and Campus Crusade groups. I have been in discipleship groups in three other churches in the greater Chicagoland area. By the grace of God, I have been discipled for going on 36 years now—and have been discipling others for over 30.
With that in mind, I can say that the seven step strategy that Willow strongly embraced in the 80’s and 90’s worked, because discipleship was at its very core (steps 4, 5, 6 and 7, to be more exact). If anything, we don’t need to abandon the seeker driven model, we need to embrace it more strongly than ever.
Sure, some of the nuances of today’s seeker services should change from a nearly 30 year old model, but not that strategy itself, I feel.
November 30, 2007 at 17:19
Brad Wright has the most comprehensive review on the Reveal study that I have seen yet (11 posts!). Brad is a sociology professor and approaches the research from a sociologist’s perspective. Here is the link to the first post in the series:
http://brewright.blogspot.com/2007/11/review-of-reveal-where-are-you-by-greg.html
December 21, 2007 at 13:55
Thank you for an unbiased clarification.
A google search on “Reveal” and “Willow Creek” yields a virtual mob with torches and pitchforks trumpeting their “rightness”, if not righteousness, in condemning the Willow Creek model all along. This “holier-than-thou” feeding frenzy missed the point entirely.
One of the largest churches in our nation from which an international network of churches has spawned did a critical study of its effectiveness in achieving its vision…and PUBLISHED it!
I love my spiritual family, but like many movements it also hired outside consultants to bring recommendations- then fired the firm and burned the results when they suggested changes to existing structure to better achieve mission.
I’m off my high horse and on my knees…praying God’s blessing on Willow for leading the way in admitting weakness and making tough changes to align with vision, and praying that many more movements and denominations will emulate this example.
This is not an “I told you so” moment for the Body of Christ- exactly where is that the biblical response to honest confession of weakness? This is a “celebration of courage” moment where we all raise a cheer “go Willow!” and hope with them…love does that, and love never fails.