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In Rediscovering Church, Lynne Hybels describes her husband, face down on the gold carpet of their family room, pouring out his heart to God.

Hybels wept uncontrollably over his failure to lead the staff. He repented of the insane schedule he modeled and teachings that overemphasized grace and didn't talk enough about the consequences of sin.

Praying late into the night, he begged God for a second chance. The next day he met with board members and apologized for his mistakes, telling them that from then on, Willow was going to be "God's church done God's way."

Out of the brokenness, a humbler leadership team began to rebuild. Today, more than two decades later, Hybels says, "We've set up all our leadership structures and goals to grow a full-functioning Acts 2 community, as opposed to just an evangelizing machine that doesn't drive the roots down deep and do all the other things it's supposed to do."

Nine years ago, Willow's explosive growth raised serious concerns about how to keep everyone connected in close community. Church leaders decided Willow would become not just a church with small groups but a church of small groups. Today everything circles back to small groups—more than 2,600 of them.

Everyone involved in the 100-plus ministries of Willow is incorporated in some form of a small group. Community-care programs, which account for 29 of these ministries, address everything from career transition and postpartum depression to homelessness and marital restoration.

A seeker's first exposure to Willow is often through one of these programs, and many find faith there. In the Divorce Recovery program, for instance, in which 450 people sign up for each 10-week session, 35 to 40 percent of those attending identify themselves as seekers.

Last year 102 people accepted Christ while part of the program.

Despite their variety, most small groups follow some combination of Bible study, sharing, prayer, and accountability, often combined with some form of service. Three retired men, for instance, meet regularly to repair and maintain the church's 40 vacuum cleaners and then share, pray together, and support each other as a small group.

There are groups drawn together by age, gender, marital status (divorced, widowed, couples), profession, spiritual gifts, hobbies, life situation (moms of teens, stepmoms, men's sexual purity), and talents, to name just a few.

Teresa Russo-Cox is the volunteer coach for the hairdressers ministry. Russo-Cox had been a professional hairdresser for 25 years and an educator for Paul Mitchell hair products when one of her clients invited her to Willow three years ago.

"I was raised Catholic but had left the church," Russo-Cox says. "When I first walked into Willow, I thought, 'What is this all about? No icons? No robes?' I remember John Ortberg spoke on 'Shhh, God is Speaking.' My heart was beating fast, and I knew God was speaking to me. Right there I rededicated my life to Christ."

Russo-Cox says she was like a hungry baby who couldn't get enough spiritual food to make up for the lost years. She took the "How to Be a Contagious Christian" class and a class on spiritual gifts. She and her husband were about to lose their house because they had gotten involved in a network marketing business that went sour. A volunteer counselor in Willow's Good Sense Ministry helped them set up a budget and get their finances under control.

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November 13 2000, Vol. 44, No. 13