Emma Young - Church Visit #3

Church name: Willow Creek Community Church
Church address: 900 Prince Crossing Rd. West Chicago, IL 60185
Date attended: 4/6/2014
Church category: Higher socioeconomic status

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The service is started immediately by the worship band, even before people have found their seats. The band did about 20 minutes of commonly known worship songs. There is a giant stage and full, surround sound band, and people are on their feet moving the whole time, which was very different and overwhelming from what I'm used to. People also feel free to talk the whole time the band is on, which isn't actually that distracting because the music is so loud. I am used to singing mostly hymns, and people are generally conservative in their participation. Then the church went into a time of announcements, tithing, and prayer, which felt generally similar to what I was used to. The message then followed on missions, given by the Executive Pastor, who was actually a woman, which I was happy to see. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
It was different, but fun to worship with so many people. I have never been in a church so large, and it was really interesting to see so many people come together. I also enjoyed the music, as it felt much more engaging from what I was used to. Hearing a message from a female pastor was very exciting as well, as that is something I would like to see churches moving toward more. 

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
As someone who comes from a relatively small church, I was very overwhelmed by the sheer size and number of people at church. It was hard to feel a strong personal relation at times because I felt like one of the masses, and that no one noticed me as a visitor. I was also challenged at certain aspects of the message: it was on the importance of local and global missions, but it often felt like the church was judging other people and organizations for not giving of their manifold resources, and yet here they sit in rich wealth. It also seemed like she was devaluing other career paths than missions, which I believe is a complete mistake. Missions have value, but so do other areas that people are called to, and God's work is not lesser in those. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
The pastor made a huge push for the Scriptural mandate for local missions AS WELL as global, and I think that is something that often gets lost. It is easier to see the problems of other countries and ignore those of your own. She went into how this can be driven by pride: we see ourselves as doing so well and going into other countries to help them, when in fact there are manifold failures in our own backyard that we refuse to acknowledge. I thought this was a very important reminder of God's true vision for the church.