That’s really interesting. I wonder how more discipleship, scripture and challenging preaching could but good.

I write at:
http://www.minisryLIVE.org

I say aye. While we certainly are capable of speaking over the heads of those not in the faith, I think we can underestimate their comprehension of in depth teaching. And while church is certainly a place for the seeker, it is also a training ground and if God is calling a church to a deeper in-depth approach - then jump in head first. It means you’re not only ready for it - but it shows the leadership’s willingness to follow God’s direction and not their own.

Willowcreek was hearing God for a planned season, but God’s direction for that church is changing to take those seekers and truly equip them as victorious and outreaching warriors for Christ.

Wow, having been a “creeker” for a little over 3 years this kind of surprised me. I have to admit, the fact that Bill Hybels is going to be back really excites me, as he was the first person to ever “reach” me and inspired me to take my spirituality seriously. I just love his style and remember feeling a loss as he began to travel more and more and eventually virtually phased out from speaking live at Willow. Looking forward to grabbing the podcasts when he returns!

This is a great thing, for the shepherds to decisively say, “we plan to train our flock with deeper and more challenging instruction”. Too many congregations are fed a once a week cup of “espresso God”, enjoy the fellowship and head out to “have a great week, we’ll see you next time”. If evangelism and spiritual growth are on the docket, we should all be applauding IMO. =)

Nate,

I always appreciate how you cut to the heart of the matter! I think that overall it could be a very good thing, but I hope that it is done in a God-honoring way (the way that changes are implemented).

Hybels has always been on the cutting edge, so I expect Willow to do good things