(RNS) — Willow Creek Group Church, a Chicago megachurch that was one of many largest and most extremely regarded congregations within the nation, will lay off 30% of its employees on account of post-COVID-19 declines in attendance and giving.
“Willow is about half of the scale we have been earlier than COVID, which is correct consistent with church buildings throughout the nation,” Dave Dummitt, Willow Creek Group Church senior pastor, advised his congregation in a video saying the cuts. “However as you may see, and as you may think about, that has fiscal impactions.”
Based within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, Willow Creek grew from a start-up congregation assembly in a movie show to one of the vital influential Protestant congregations in the USA, drawing greater than 25,000 worshippers weekly by 2017, in line with Outreach Journal.
However the church has struggled lately after the resignation of co-founder Invoice Hybels, who was accused of sexual harassment and abuse of energy. The co-pastors who succeeded Hybels additionally resigned not lengthy afterward, adopted by your complete church elder board.
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Hybels has denied any wrongdoing. A 2019 investigation by a gaggle of out of doors Christian leaders discovered the allegation towards him credible.
Pastor Invoice Hybels, the previous senior pastor of Willow Creek Group Church, in Washington on July 1, 2010. (AP Photograph/Charles Dharapak)
Earlier than the layoffs, employees prices made up about 72% of the church price range, in line with an replace launched by the church earlier this month. The layoffs will save $6.5 million, bringing employees prices nearer to half of the present price range.
“These adjustments are tough on employees members whom we love who will not have a employees function — a few of them have been with us for a few years,” the church mentioned within the replace. “We’re offering beneficiant monetary look after every of those people, ranging between three months and one 12 months primarily based on tenure.”
A latest research from the Hartford Institute for Faith Analysis at Hartford Worldwide College for Faith and Peace discovered that a few third of church buildings noticed a significant decline of 25% or extra from 2019 to 2021.
On the finish of 2021, attendance at Willow Creek was down by 57% from 2019, with giving down as properly. Willow’s leaders say that decline is on par with declines at different megachurches.
“In our casual community with different giant church buildings, we all know of solely two church buildings experiencing attendance and engagement past 60% of their pre-Covid numbers, with many round 50%,” the church mentioned in its announcement.
Willow additionally laid off employees in 2019 and 2020.
Pastor Dave Dummitt in an introductory video for Willow Creek Group Church. Video display seize
Dummitt’s tenure at Willow started in June 2020 within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests that adopted the loss of life of George Floyd by the hands of Minneapolis police. Dummitt was not capable of meet with employees or church members for months.
Final fall, the church introduced plans to rally round a theme: Love God, Love Individuals, Change the World.
Through the pandemic, Willow Creek, like many different megachurches, utilized for a Paycheck Safety Program mortgage. That mortgage, for $5.63 million, was forgiven in 2021, in line with information from the Small Enterprise Administration.
Whereas saying the layoffs, Dummitt mentioned that the church is beginning to flip the nook and has seen some constructive developments. Nonetheless, he mentioned, it is a tough time.
“I’d wish to ask you to affix me in praying for our complete employees within the coming days and weeks,” he mentioned. “We’re trusting God to guide and information every of us as we take subsequent steps with him.”
This story has been up to date. Dummitt began as pastor of Willow in 2020.
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