Total Mileage: 1,477
Song of the Day: “Over My Head” (Lit)
Book of the Day: the pages and pages of promotional literature I picked up at Willow
I will admit up front: Willow Creek Community Church (often just called “Willow”) is a church that I didn’t really expect to like. It’s the fourth largest church in the country, and it’s in a very affluent neighborhood. I thought that my write-up of this church would be short and maybe a little bitter, but I was wrong. Willow has an interesting story to tell and a good heart, so I did my best to keep my mind pried open as I walked around its impressive facility. Even though I couldn’t see myself serving in a church like Willow, it was still an enlightening and empowering experience, and I encountered many wonderful Christians as I worshiped with this community.
The Neighborhood
As I got off of I-90 and drove into South Barrington, IL, I noticed a pretty drastic change of scenery from the urban landscape to which I have accustomed myself over the past week. As I got closer to Algonquin Rd. (where Willow is located), I noticed a lot of nicer suburban homes-- mostly two-story brick and sided houses with spacious lawns dotted with trees. Nothing seemed too excessive about this neighborhood, but then I drew closer to Willow itself. The land around Willow seems largely undeveloped with the exception of a few horse farms and some of the nicest gated communities I have ever beheld. In particular, Willowmere (a neighborhood directly across the street from Willow) featured about a dozen of the large French Colonial homes that fit my Cordova-influenced standard of an upper class suburb. I saw that one of the houses was open for tours, but what would I say? “Hi, I’m a church blogger looking to get a feel for the neighborhood. Do the marble countertops come standard?” I figured I would be better served by driving around a little longer, so I kept going on Algonquin and soon discovered a rather odd traffic pattern at work.
For about six miles on either side of Willow, Algonquin barely intersects with any other streets, and I realize that some of this is due to the farmland and forest preserves in the area, but I found myself getting frustrated with my GPS when I could look and see what appeared to be active city streets nearby that I couldn’t access. Finally, I found my way into a small community and realized that I was in the neighboring suburb of Carpentersville. I drove around a bit and thought that this neighborhood seemed as nice as Willow’s, but the homes were a good bit more modest, and I also noticed a few churches with signs that read “Iglesia.” Wow, Chicago’s prevalent Spanish-speaking population extends all the way out here! With this knowledge, I was curious to see how much is made of alternate language at Willow, and I did notice a kiosk in the main lobby where translation services were available.
Heading back in the other direction, I wound up in the neighboring suburb of Palatine, a community that seemed to exemplify the neighborhood checkerboarding for which Chicago is infamous. As I drove along, I would be in a fairly modest suburb for one block and then enter projects-esque housing the next before encountering a row of freshly-constructed red-brick townhomes with neoclassical facades right on the next street over. I stopped quickly at a Starbucks to check something on my email, and I was blown away by how quaint and safe this community felt when I got out and walked around. I was in a shopping center in a fairly commercial area, but people were strolling around and milling about outside, taking in what little sunshine this cloudy day had to offer. It was idyllic really, and there was a noticeable change in the attitudes of the people. Gone was the gruff demeanor I had encountered in downtown Chicago, and people were nodding to each other and engaging in conversations. One could get spoiled on this. I decided to head back toward Willow and see if this attitude would follow me into the halls of the church.
The Willow Creek Campus
I pulled into Willow, entering the scenic drive that takes you around the church to the parking lot in the rear of the facility. On the way in, there is a spot to park your car and take pictures of the church with its pond in the front and some of the surrounding preserved wetland. I took the opportunity to do so and then got back in my car to drive around and park. In an attempt to leave front row spaces for people more in need of them, I put my car right under the sign for section D12 due to my preoccupation with multiples of 3s, 4s, and 7s (it’s a long story). I grabbed a few pictures of the attractive exterior of the facility, but when I walked into the lobby outside of the main auditorium, my jaw dropped. The floor was the sort of marble-looking linoleum tile you’d find in a lot of high-end shopping malls and airports. The walls were painted a pleasant sage and beige adorned with light alder wood and stone accents, and all of it was bathed in a soothing mixture of incandescent and natural sunlight. The windows were over two stories high, allowing for maximum viewing of the trees, fountains, and landscaped lawns outside. There was even a suspended fountain under the main stairwell designed to resemble a waterfall. Simply put, this place was gorgeous. Some group of architects really outdid themselves.
I was a little intimidated by just how streamlined Willow’s information kiosks were. Rather than having a greeter at a desk like Summit or Mars Hill, Willow’s lobby featured automated touchscreen information stations that link directly to the church’s website. Also, a glassed-in room directly behind the sanctuary was labeled “Guest Central,” and it contained comfortable seating, signs on the walls about the church and its history, printed promotional materials (which I of course snagged), and even a cozy fireplace. The staff at Willow seem to realize that a lot of seekers, outsiders, and tourists frequent their church, so they’re fully prepared with lots of available information and tons of signage to direct you around. This place is incredibly accommodating to first-time visitors. I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the “You Are Here” sign in the church lobby, but, as much as I laughed at it, I actually found it pretty helpful for locating the bookstore/food court/etc. Incidentally, the bookstore had an impressively wide-ranging selection, and I almost took a picture of a Lee Strobel video sitting right next to the full Rob Bell Nooma series. Yep, it was a sight to behold: a pioneer of Christian dialogue sitting next to . . . well, Lee Strobel. I’m sure I’ll address Strobel at some point this summer, but his books aside, I’m of the opinion that his television series Faith Under Fire --a Christian aping of the rightfully-canceled CNN program Crossfire-- set the Church back a good quarter of a century with its intentionally inflammatory style and attempts to reduce all faith issues to two-sided debates, but I’m getting off-topic. That’s a subject for later discussion. Getting back to Willow . . .
After taking a walk around the grounds, I spent a good bit of time before the service at Dr. B’s Café in the main lobby, and I have to admit that I was impressed with how friendly people were with one another at Willow. Sure, I was buried in a slew of brochures and FAQ pages, and I was also desperately trying to tune out some of the Christian contemporary music being piped in (“I can’t only imagine . . .” blarg); still, I observed and overheard quite a few friendly exchanges as I worked. There was joking around among staffers and volunteers. There were deep and personal conversations among church members. There were people quipping sarcastically and laughing about the impending end of the world at 6PM, and they were saying some really funny stuff that I just couldn’t write down quickly enough. These people seemed quite social with one another and quite good natured. Again, this was night and day from downtown Chicago. Also, no one ever seemed too friendly, and that had been a concern of mine before driving out this way. Nothing is more off-putting than a saccharine sweet associate minister or greeter meeting you at the door of a church and being just a little too interested in what you have to say. It’s good to engage the people who visit your church, but you have to be genuine about it. You should make an effort to have a meaningful conversation. Extend an invitation to a later activity (preferably a free meal). Give visitors a way to contact you later, even if it’s just slipping them a business card. It’s good to be intentional about this stuff, but it’s also important to be yourself as you do so rather than assuming a hyper-friendly alternate persona. We visitors can smell a phony a mile away, and I didn’t really spot any during my conversations at Willow.
Fellow Travelers
As 5:00PM rolled around, I made my way into the main auditorium and was immediately struck by the professional-looking stage and lighting design. Large curtains descended behind several columns as part of a colorfully-illuminated set, and screens flanked either side of the wide stage. Incidentally, I was a little bothered by how Willow refers to their sanctuary as an “auditorium.” It has a certain performance feel to it that just makes me squirm a bit, but I suppose they do this so that seekers/explorers/etc. won’t be intimidated by churchy language. That aside, it is an astounding space for worship. It took me just a second to notice it, but beyond the screens are large windows that open up onto manmade waterfalls just outside the auditorium. Again, some team of architects really outdid themselves. I walked around and took pictures for a bit, and for the most part, no one really seemed to notice me. I decided to grab a seat on the mezzanine level of the three-tier sanctu-- I mean “auditorium,” and it was then that a woman came over and greeted me.
If I’m understanding the system correctly, Willow has church members who volunteer as section leaders, engaging visitors and getting to know regulars in a set section of seating in the auditorium. I was in section 209 (mezzanine, slightly right of center), and our section leader was Saray, a friendly and outgoing woman who promptly invited me to a pizza party at her house following worship. Okay, Willow, you pass my hospitality test with flying colors. Brochures, an inviting space, friendly people, and now an invite to a party? I’m impressed. Saray gave me the impression that small groups will often congregate to specific seating sections as a way of building even more community through the shared worship experience, and even though I was prepared to sit there and take notes on the architecture of the auditorium for the remaining half hour before the service, Saray invited me outside to meet some of her small group (who always share coffee right before the service). She assured me that my laptop bag would be fine where it was, and I followed her outside the auditorium to meet some of the group. She had two people in particular that she wanted me to meet, and I will admit that, because I was taking a lot of notes all evening, some names have slipped my grasp. There was one woman whose son was also in seminary, so we talked a bit about internships and my travels, but in particular, I think Saray wanted me to meet Reba Collins.
Now this was cool.
This was one of those God things-- the sort of odd coincidence that only happens when you least expect it.
I had just mentioned to the group that Willow’s status as the fourth largest church in America had intrigued me, and when they asked what the top three above Willow were, Reba quickly named two off the top of her head. I was impressed, so I asked Reba about her profession, and it turns out that she is also in the church-touring business. In addition to being the author of A Choosy Christian’s Guide to Savvy Online Searching, Reba operates a website called The Church Guide that helps Christians select places of worship in their areas. Given that I just found out about Reba’s site six hours ago and that I’ve been a little tied up in all the Willow material, I haven’t had time to explore it yet, but we had a great conversation about megachurches and churches in general, and it was nice to meet someone else so interested in exploring the wide range of styles and settings that American churches have to offer. It was about time to head into the auditorium for worship though, so we exchanged contact information, and I’ll be giving her site a more in-depth look soon. Maybe it will help me find some other churches to visit in the more low-key cities on my list.
(Continued in Part 2)
(Continued in Part 2)
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