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Willow Creek Community Church company history timeline

1975

Incorporating contemporary music, drama, and multimedia technology, the new congregation first met on October 12, 1975, in Palatine's Willow Creek Theater.

On October 12, 1975, the church met for the first time, renting Willow Creek Theater in Palatine, Illinois.

In 1975 leaders of Son City, a successful youth program at Park Ridge's South Park Church, decided to create a new ministry for unchurched adults.

In 1975, he and his leadership team opened a new church, naming it after the space they rented: Willow Creek Theater in Palatine, a residential suburb of Chicago.

1977

Bilezikian has been "credited with Willow Creek’s inclusion of women in its highest levels of leadership". In 1977, the church purchased 90 acres (360,000 m) in South Barrington to build its own building.

1981

The first service was held in the new building in February 1981.

1992

In 1992, Hybels launched the Willow Creek Association (WCA) to link and resource thousands of like-minded churches.

1995

In 1995, he began the Global Leadership Summit, an annual training event for hundreds of thousands of ministry leaders.

2016

President Obama, who was the first sitting president to visit a federal prison, on December 19, 2016, granted clemency to 231 people, the most ever by a president on a single day.

2018

On April 10, 2018, following allegations of sexual abuse, Bill Hybels announced his immediate resignation as senior pastor of the church; he had previously planned to retire in October of that year.

The 2018 Summit begins today.

2020

In January 2020, it was announced that Gillen would step down in March and that the two candidates who were being considered for the role of senior pastor had been "released" from the search process.

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Founded
1975
Company founded
Headquarters
South Barrington, IL
Company headquarter
Founders
Bill Hybels,Gilbert Bilezikian
Company founders
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Willow Creek Community Church may also be known as or be related to Willow Creek Community Church and Willow Creek Community Church, Inc.