January 6 1997

ARTICLE TOOLS

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German evangelicals hope to utilize the church-growth methods of Bill Hybels's Willow Creek in revitalizing their movement, though some church leaders doubt it will succeed.

In the northern industrial city of Hamburg, 4,400 upbeat believers gathered for the Willow Creek Community Church's first-ever church leadership conference in Germany. The South Barrington, Illinois, megachurch has become famous for its church-growth innovations. Due to demand, two successive conferences were held, November 13-19, drawing nearly 950 Baptists and 900 Lutherans.

The conference was held in a climate of difficulty for German evangelicals. As the synod of the Evangelical Church of Berlin—Brandenburg convened in Berlin, money woes prevailed, resulting in sharp program cuts, including a two-thirds reduction in its hospital chaplaincy.

Recently Idea Spektrum, a German evangelical news magazine, published reports chronicling the decline of the charismatic movement in Germany. Thus, the Willow Creek church- growth program has become the primary postcharismatic hope of many German evangelicals.

But achieving change will be no easy chore, church leaders say. They note that Willow Creek is conservative in theology and liberal in expression, the exact opposite of mainstream German Protestantism. Among liberal Protestants, the gospel is treated as mysterious and complex. They vehemently reject populist evangelistic messages and methods. Theologically conservative groups, therefore, appear more open to Willow Creek's approach.

REACHING THE UNCHURCHED: Willow Creek leaders say evangelistic outreach, community building, and personal spiritual growth are important to Christians, regardless of their culture. Willow Creek's Lou Huenecke says, "What we are ...