The Willow Creek / Christmas Non-Issue

This hubbub over Willow Creek not holding a service on Sunday is really silly. It comes from people who don't have a clue what Willow Creek does.

A couple of years ago, 20 of us from my church attended the Prevailing Church Conference at Willow. It was an incredible event, and we came back charged up. But I was also impressed with the persistent passion for lost souls that is so clearly evident at Willow. Most churches of Willow's status would have long ago institutionalized themselves into the status quo with a self-congratulatory pat on the back for becoming so well-known. But Willow's eyes remain firmly fixed on nonChristians. It's an amazing example for the rest of us. The big believers' services at Willow are held during the week (and those are extremely impressive). When Christmas falls on a Wednesday or Thursday, and they have to decide whether or not to cancel one of those services--now we're talking apples to apples. Sunday is targeted at unbelievers.

Some churches in Fort Wayne have chosen to not hold Sunday services. Most are holding a Saturday nite service. My church always does a Christmas Eve service, but this year we opted for just a Sunday morning service (canceling our early service, and just coming at 10:30 for a 45-minute service). So I guess we're compromising to an extent. It just didn't make sense to hold a Christmas Eve service, then return within 12 hours for another service.

Anyways, it's a non-issue to me. Just thought I'd weigh in. I know you were all waiting to get my opinion on this. So there.

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About Me

Steve DennieCareer-wise, I've been hanging around and writing about and cheering on churches and pastors for the past 25 years as my denomination's Communications Director.
I write primarily for my own amusement. If anyone wants to eavesdrop, they're welcome to it. My heartbeat is serving God faithfully through the local church. But my posts repeatedly stray into sports, politics, movies, and other nonsense.
I've been blogging since 2004, and it's been fun. Please understand that, though I work for the United Brethren in Christ denomination, the nonsense I spew out here comes from my own semi-functional brain in a totally personal, non-official capacity. Yes, that's a disclaimer.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Steve Dennie published on December 13, 2005 7:48 PM.

The Shrine for Pampered Americans was the previous entry in this blog.

Fresh Looks at Familiar Bible Stories is the next entry in this blog.

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