At Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago, Sunday morning generally features eight worship services at four locations with 15,000 people attending.
On Christmas Sunday this year, their doors will be closed.
As quoted in USA Today:
Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., said church leaders decided that organizing services on a Christmas Sunday would not be the most effective use of staff and volunteer resources. The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday was 1994, and only a small number of people showed up to pray, she said.
"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said.
According to Willow Creek the only reason to worship God on Sunday is to reach the unchurched? I thought that Christians worshipped God on Sunday in order to......uh.....worship God!?
Sure Christmas is a busy day....for families in particular. There are stockings to poke through. Bicycles to assemble. Presents to unwrap. Food to cook. Guests to accommodate. Trips to make. When Christmas falls on a Sunday, like it does this year, how can people be expected to squeeze in a morning worship service in the middle of all that?
Christmas, after all, is about families, isn't it? Or is it about God....and Jesus....the Incarnation...the Word become flesh....the advent of the Son of God....Immanuel....the Prince of Peace.
On that first Christmas,
-Angels took the time to form a choir, and;
-Shepherds took time off in order to find the baby Jesus and worship him.
It seems to me that the Christmas story provides a clear guide to what should be a Christian's priority on a Christmas Sunday morning.
After all, the only present really worth celebrating on Christmas Day is the gift of Jesus himself.
Come to think of it, Easter morning is a busy time for families, too. All those egg hunts and Easter baskets and family gatherings and travel plans and cooking big Easter meals.
Perhaps Willow Creek should close down on Easter, too. It's a real bother that Easter has to land on a Sunday every year.
Note: It's almost enough to make this parody seem like the real thing!
Article comments
1 - Japhet Bower
If the numbers aren't there, maybe they should close it down. A lot of people go to church mainly because it's the "right thing to do" without ever giving any thought as to why they're going. I always resented having to go and I can't imagine I'm the only one. Besides, if you're feeling really spiritual, why do you need the church? People can meet up anywhere and pray.
Christmas hasn't been about Christ for awhile in case you didn't notice.
Indeed, it was adopted from a mishmash of pagan holidays so maybe it's appropriate that it's being assimilated by our new religion, consumerism.
I can't stand either interpretation.
2 - Chantal Stone
Christ is definitely in Christmas at my church, and I like to believe that the people who attend do so not just because it's the "right thing to do". However, if a church is so concerned with the number of people who attend, then they really need to re-evaluate their priorities. Because even if only ONE person shows up to Christmas morning service, and that ONE person's life is touched or changed by what he/she hears, then isn't it worthwhile keeping the doors open??
3 - Phillip Winn
Chantal, I guess I would say that if the emphasis is all about touching or changing people lives as a one-time event, perhaps the doors should be closed.
I can certainly understand wanting to give pastors the day off to spend with their families, but it seems odd that what was once one of the most important days of the Christian year has become something worth skipping to suit people's busy lives. I consider it a general reflection of how churches have reordered themselves to pander to people rather than pandering to God.
But hey, my wife informs me that we'll probably go to a the Christmas Eve service at our church and skip Christmas Day as well!
4 - Sterfish
It's interesting to read this considering my family has never gone to church on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. I've always gone on Easter, but never on Christmas. That doesn't mean I haven't participated in Christmas activities at my church in the past. When I was younger, I was always in the Christmas play the Sunday School program held every year. However, the funny thing is that my church routinely held the Christmas play AFTER Christmas, usually about two or three days later.
5 - Baronius
Christmas is usually the most crowded day at our church. It's packed with people visiting their relatives, who maybe wouldn't go to church otherwise. I thought that was fairly standard, particularly in suburban areas.
As for cancelling church because it's Sunday and Christmas, I just can't wrap my mind around that.
6 - Marcia L. neil
The fact that there are other Willow Creek churches in the United States gives some reason to suspect that a 'square sweetie' may have been lured onto a chicago-bound airplane. How many airplane crashes result from compliant abductions? No one knows.
7 - Victor Plenty
No one knows indeed. How true, Marcia.
8 - G Lee
Actually, Willow Creek has a lot of Christmas services happening - the expectation, I believe, if for more that 55,000 to attend the
main campus services. There are also a number of regional
campuses - each of those are having multiple services. So, in
reality, there's a ton of Christian worship going on at Willow
Creek this year - just not on Christmas morning...
9 - Andy
I can see the point of having no Service on Christmas day for its questionable biblical background and family traditions, etc. But, the real issue here is about having NO servie on Sunday. Lord's day service is not a choice, but an obligation to evangelical Christians. So what if a "holiday" falls into Sunday? Sunday should have God's time, no matter how important your family is.
10 - Marc
1. To have church on that Sunday demands that all volunteers must show up - that's a lot of people.
2. They had SEVERAL services in the days just prior to Christmas Sunday.
3. Sunday is a CHOSEN day of worship, not an ordained day of worship. People can sufficiently worship the days prior to Christmas and in fact be in acts of worship and gratitude for their families while they are with them.
4. Bill Hybels WAS at church on that Sunday.
11 - Christine
I realize this blog is a bit old, but as a person who attends Willow Creek (on Christmas, Easter and other Sundays as well) I feel I must comment on this. That year that Willow was closed on Christmas? Well, we had like 12 Christmas services in the days preceding it. That is not only a lot of work/volunteering but that is more than any other church I know of.
But hey, I invite each and everyone of you who scolded the church to come on down, have a cup of coffee in Guest Central and just see what it's all about. We worship the same God, believe that Jesus is the way to the Father, and glorify He who has blessed us.
12 - Erin
Why is this such an issue? Did willow make you feel bad by not having their doors open on Sunday? I will echo everything Marc said and stand behind that. You need to ask yourself why you are TRUELY upset about this issue. Why you feel you need to have a negative opinion. Evaluate that and then come up with a reasonable argument why it was wrong for willow to have a day of rest on this particular Sunday.
13 - Bird of Paradise
This is really old news but, since there are some folks who want to bring it up again with their comments I will respond. I stand by everything I have said. Too bad just one pastor could not have shown up on Christmas morning and offered a worship service for those who might like to worship on Christmas day. But, of course, Willow is too big and complicated for something as simple and normal as that. There are all the volunteers, the technicians, the security, the parking attendants and who knows what all else in order to worship God at Willow on a Sunday morning. Why is worship all about BIG, anyway? Maybe BIG is too BIG when it keeps Christians from doing anything small. Like a simple worship service on Sunday morning.
Don't get me wrong. I love what Willow has done, is doing and is planning on doing in the future. I have studied with their leadership, read their books and even (heavens to Betsy) been blessed by them!
I just think they blew it with the Christmas Day hiatus and that they sent out a very peculiar and wrong-headed message to both Christians and non-Christians in the process.
I now consider this matter to be dead and buried. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust in the sure and certain hope for the forgiveness of our sins (including Willow's, Hybel's and mine) and the resurrection to eternal life. Amen.
14 - Mrs.Bharathi Moses
How wonderful it is to come together as God's family to remember His sacred and humble birth and worship Him. If you and your church thinks that you need not come together as family of God, It doesn't matter if the door of the church is closed on the Christmas. I think we as human beings feel happy when all our children come together to express their love for us. Even the Lord Jesus will be happy when we gather togrther to worship and express our adoration for Him.
15 - April
I'm really bothered by this write up. I don't think God would appreciate anyone critisizing His church. If you have ever attended Willow Creek's Christmas service, it is a spectacle. It would be a shame for hundreds of performers and staff to work so hard and spend time away from their families on Christmas day to only reach a small crowd. There are many many services to choose from in the days leading up to Christmas, which makes it accessable to everyone.
16 - steve
How many services does your church provide????
Willow has 3 just on Christmas Eve alone, not counting the services earlier in the week. Most people working the services are volunteers; ushers, traffic control, set designers, singers, etc. They need SOME time for themselves & their families to celebrate privately. If Willow just did the one or two services like most churches, thousands of people would not bother to go & get reminded of the real reason for the holiday - Jesus Christ's birth.
17 - Dave
Not having Church on Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior is like having a day to honor a person that was not even invited to their own celebration. What a sad statement on Church Leadership and self-centered Pastors!
18 - JAke
Another stupid blog said the Obamas did not go to Church on Christmas well the dumb dumb
who wrote that blog should have known the majority of Protestant Churches were closed on Xmas. Think before you open your mouth and write something you hateful fools!
19 - Mike 2
Who says that any church is supposed to be open on any Sunday anyway? As someone already pointed out, Sunday is just the traditional day that many people go to church. If you read your Bible, you will see that it says to set aside one day a week to worship. Nowhere does it say that your worship day has to be Sunday.
20 - gary
do you notice that its usually the Churches thats making the most headway against the enemy that people have the greatest issues
21 - marie
Actually, Willow Chicago church IS having a casual christmas service at 418 S. Wabash with music and worship. 10 am. Also, I believe Barrington is having something Christmas Day as well. Contact them. Great time to read the bible and sing christmas songs with the family at home
22 - jack
Amazing amazing and fascinating services the rest of the year at 10am every sunday! lots of great groups to join with food and classes or book studies or bible studies. great place to get to know people and to find HOPE
23 - simon
The music is beyond awesome. Over 1,000 students, young 20's , youth group, families... Friendly
24 - Christopher Rose
But, as the last few commenters all have the same IP address, presumably only one computer!