CHICAGO — Forty-two years after founding one of the nation’s most influential evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Bill Hybels told his congregation Tuesday night that he would step down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church six months ahead of schedule.

His departure comes less than a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation disclosed that Hybels had been the subject of inquiries by church leaders into claims that he ran afoul of church teachings by engaging in inappropriate behavior with women in his congregation – including employees – allegedly spanning decades. The inquiries had cleared Hybels.

At times choking back tears, Hybels told the somber crowd at a hastily called meeting at the church’s main campus in South Barrington that, while he continued to enjoy support from within his congregation, the controversy was proving to be a distraction from the church’s mission and work.

Referring to his wife, he said, “It has been extremely painful for Lynne and I to see this controversy continue to be a distraction.”

He also announced that he would not lead the church’s Global Leadership Summit, an annual event featuring leaders from business, government, entertainment and churches hosted by the Willow Creek Association, a nonprofit dedicated to leadership development, where Hybels had planned to focus his energy after retirement.

While saying he believes he has been cleared of all of the accusations, he apologized to the church for how he handled himself. He said he regretted that he reacted in anger when the accusations were made public.

Advertisement

“I apologize to you, my church, for a response that was defensive instead of one that invited conversation and learning,” he said.

Hybels had previously called the allegations against him “flat-out lies.” He also had said that the multiyear effort by former senior leaders of the church to push for an independent investigation was nothing but “collusion.”

On Tuesday, he said he intended to reflect on what has happened and how he reacted.

“I feel the need to look deep inside myself and determine what God wants to teach me through all of this,” Hybels said. “I have complete peace about this decision and I’m not going to rush this process.”

Hybels also apologized for making choices that put him in situations that could be misconstrued.

Willow Creek, which hosts more than 25,000 worshippers a weekend at its main campus in South Barrington and seven satellite sites, made history in evangelical circles last October by naming a woman, Heather Larson, to succeed Hybels as lead pastor.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.