I spent the better part of this week in South Barrington, Illinois with 5,000 arts ministers at the annual Willow Creek Arts Conference. That alone would be an experience in itself. But the lessons, the blessings, and the encouragement I walked away with are a little overwhelming and certainly hard to describe in one sitting.
The first impression one gets is of Willow Creek itself. This is a massive church, folks. It's like a convention center, airport concourse, shopping mall, college cafeteria, and office complex all rolled into one. The main auditorium (click on the photo) seats 7,400 and they fill it up at each of three services per weekend. Then there's the food court, coffee shop (complete with lots of tables and counters and free wi-fi), a full-fledged Christian bookstore that's open 7 days a week, a regulation gymnasium, a top-notch television production studio, and ... well, I could go on but I won't. I wouldn't be surprised if the campus could be seen from space without magnification.
If you know me, you know I had a bit of unease with all this ... stuff. Part of me was crying "Is all of this really necessary?" Sure, it brings in the affluent suburban white males they want to attract, but at some point can't they say, "Okay, you're in the door. Start trying to live wthout your toys for an hour and let's sink the next $600 million into building a church for poor urban black males in downtown Chicago"? Is it because their tithes would only be about $5 a week? Just wondering.
At any rate, it's accommodating and professionally run. The thing that impressed me most? The restrooms. Every soap and towel dispenser was full, every motion-activated sink worked, every toilet flushed, the trash was collected constantly, and the floors were always clean, even with thousands of people stampeding through them all day. There were volunteers posted throughout the place to give us directions (and we needed them) on our way to classrooms in the six different buildings that comprise the complex. I've never been to a conference or convention so organized and professional.
Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow (as they call it), says, "Excellence honors God and inspires people." I get what he's saying but I must point out: Sometimes striving for excellence can just be a sign of ego or anal retentiveness. Any quality in and of itself does not automatically honor God. Their has to be intent behind it.
Having said all that, I'm not trying to bash Willow Creek. As you will see in my later posts, I enjoyed their conference immensely and have great respect for many of their staff. I'm just thinking out loud, that's all.
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