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But quite often the proponents of church mergers in the 1950s and 1960s found that their new union churches ended up no larger than each individual church that was absorbed into it.

They learned the hard way what later became a maxim of the church-growth movement: When it comes to church mergers, one plus one equals one. Then when the cultural storms of the 1960s arose, and mainline denominations showed signs of sinking, it was every denomination for itself. The church federation movement collapsed.

Each of these movements had its day. And for each, its day has now passed. Fifty years from now the same may well be said of Willow Creek.

How long will seeker services be popular? In what direction will cultural tastes in music, drama, and architecture change? What new ideas for evangelism and church life will arise and compete with those of Willow Creek? How long will other churches perceive the Willow Creek Association as a help to their ministries? How visionary and talented will Bill Hybels' successors be? How long will the economy in the Chicago area thrive? What happens if Willow Creek's neighbors change—if Starbucks, Lexus, the AMC cineplex, and Ikea move out and are replaced by Bob's Package Liquor, Larry's Auto Credit, South Barrington Adults Only, and Coach's Rent-to-Own?

History seems to show that dynamic, growing churches require a combination of spiritual wisdom, cultural discernment, visionary leadership, talented management, favorable demographics, and adequate financial resources. Remove any of these and the church begins to fade. Bringing them all together is hard enough; keeping them together for a long time is nearly impossible.

And this is only looking at matters from a human point of view. If the Bible is right, it is ultimately God who decides which ministries will prosper in numbers and resources—though his reasons for allowing any ministry to prosper or struggle are known only to him. (Woe to anyone who presumes that the success of one's ministry is a sign of God's approval.)

In human economic reckoning, the institutional church movement, the gospel tabernacle movement, and the liberal community church movement are all accounted as having ultimately failed. But in God's economy, they may have accomplished his exact purposes for exactly the right length of time. Perhaps this is what we need to hope and pray for the future of Willow Creek: that it remain faithful to what God calls it to do for whatever time he has allotted it.

Michael S. Hamilton is an assistant professor of history at Seattle Pacific University.

Don't's miss Christianity Today's related articles "Community Is Their Middle Name" and "The Man Behind the Megachurch."

Other articles about Willow Creek's growth and influence include:

Willow Creek's growth came by word-of-mouth, not advertising—The Baptist Standard (April 17, 2000)

Network's management style puts an unlikely mix of congregations on the cutting edge—The Dallas Morning News (June 20, 1998)

Commonly Asked Questions About Willow Creek Community Church—The Atlantic Monthly

Previous Christianity Today articles about Willow Creek include:

Repentance or Propaganda? | At Willow Creek conference, President Clinton reviews his moral failures, details his spiritual recovery. (Aug. 11, 2000)

Willow Creek Church Readies for Megagrowth | New auditorium will seat 7,000. (May 5, 2000)

Willow Creek's Methods Gain German Following | (April 26, 1999)

Hybels Does Hamburg | Will Willow Creek's model float in Germany? (January 6, 1997)

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November 13 2000, Vol. 44, No. 13