About Us
Introduction
Think what a local church would be like if its people were radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to each other, and relentlessly dedicated to reaching outside of God’s family with the gospel of Christ.
It would be a church against which the gates of Hell could not prevail. It would be an unstoppable force for good in the community, an inspiration to other churches, and a testimony to God’s unfailing grace.
That’s the goal of the Willow Creek Association UK & Ireland - to help church leaders like you build churches like that.
Bill Hybels
Senior Pastor
Willow Creek Community Church
The WCA Story
It all began in 1975 when Bill Hybels and a small group of people felt called to start a different type of church. A church aimed at people far from God - a place where they could come, not feel judged and where biblical truths would be applied to daily problems in a relevant and accessible style.
The word of its impact spread and church leaders across the US and the world started to ask for advice. The demand led to a separate organisation - the Willow Creek Association - formed to share a vision for the local church and encourage leaders with practical training and resources. In 1992, there were 200 churches signed up as members from 50 denominations. In 2007 there are over 12,000 member churches in 35 countries representing 90 denominations.
In 1991 a small group of UK church leaders caught the vision for Willow Creek’s approach and held the first of several conferences in June 1992. Since then, thousands of UK & Irish church leaders and volunteers have benefitted from WCA’s inspirational events.
Since it’s introduction in 1994, WCA UK & Ireland membership has steadily risen to 920 members* (900 Churches) providing a range of membership benefits, training opportunities and resources to help church leaders build prevailing churches.
*July 2007
Serving the Local Church
The Association in the UK and Ireland exists to serve the local church. Our vision is that each church would reach its God-given potential. Our mission is to envision, equip and encourage leaders by providing conferences, resources and building networks of like-minded people.
Membership is at the heart of what we are about. Members receive monthly information on training and resources, a monthly leadership audio resource dealing with a significant church issue, a quarterly Leadership publication and a range of discounts on events and resources.
Members are also invited to conferences on a range of ministry subjects held in the UK and the US.
Training courses are also run for those churches wanting to implement courses on volunteerism, gifts, evangelism, spiritual formation and stewardship.
Our mission is to serve you as a church leader to the utmost of our ability.
Resources
Willow Creek has a wide array of resources that help churches reach seekers and minister to believers.
Resource by Type
Conferences & Training, Curriculum, Manuals, Bible Studies, Books, Conference Resources, Membership Benefits, Website Downloads & Leadership Forum, Willow Creek Messages
Resources by Ministry
Arts, Children, Evangelism, Leadership, Small Groups, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Gifts, Stewardship, Teaching & Preaching, Youth
Training
Our goal is to assist church leaders to train their congregations for the work of the ministry and equip them to reach the unchurched. All course materials include leaders manuals and details on how to implement the training.
Workshops
We offer workshops on the different aspects of church ministry covered by the WCA training materials. WCA Accredited Trainers are also available to provide consultation or to come and run courses at your church.
Examples of Training Resources
Children’s Ministry - Promiseland
Evangelism - Becoming a Contagious Christian
Leadership - Defining Moments & Summit Team Edition DVDs
Spiritual Disciplines - An Ordinary Day with Jesus
Spiritual Gifts & Service - Network
Stewardship - Good Sense
Volunteerism - Living Beyond Myself
Leadership Development
Building into the lives of church leaders is simply “a must” for the WCA. Bill Hybels puts our leadership agenda this way: ‘The local church is the hope of the world, and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders.’
WCA is committed to providing yearly leadership training events with top-level practitioners, plus quality materials for personal and team development.
We emphasise the importance of leadership teams attending events together in order to gain maximum benefit for their church.
WCA members enjoy a monthly 60-minute Defining Moments audio journal with Bill Hybels and other Christian leaders. Each journal tackles probing questions relating to a specific aspect of ministry life.
An online forum is available to WCA members to link with like-minded leaders and share ideas.
WCA Conferences in the UK & Ireland
Live Events: Willow Creek faculty and other notable speakers travel across Europe regularly to conduct conferences and seminars.
Videocast Events: WCA UK & Ireland makes a big investment in partnership with WCA member churches to bring the world class training of the ‘Leadership Summit’ available via videocast. We encourage leadership teams to invest in this premier event annually which is designed to be affordable and accessible in multiple locations.
WCA Conferences - Chicago
Each year teams from around the world attend conferences held at the Willow Creek Community Church - an inspiring experience for all and highly recommended.
International delegates receive special rates which include up to 8 nights accommodation with a Willow family.
The Leadership Summit held in August each year is proving to be a life changing experience for many church leaders and “a must” to attend.
Membership Benefits
WCA UK & Ireland is an exciting organisation. In addition to being part of a community of like-minded leaders who share a passion to reach seekers and build believers, WCA members also enjoy the following benefits:
Resources
- A monthly Defining Moments audio journal for church leaders covering a church leadership issue.
- Subscription to the quarterly Leadership Journal magazine published by Christianity Today.
- Subscription to the quarterly Willow leadership magazine
- Willow Messages new and old on MP3 each month
- 20% off Willow Creek Resources (e.g. books, DVDs, kits)
- 75% off message & drama transcripts from WCA-US.
- Online Members Area featuring forum, articles and free downloads.
Events
- 20% discount on Willow Creek Conferences and Seminars.
- Special rates for WCA-US events.
Membership Application
There are two categories of membership available at present:
1. Church Membership / Individual Membership*
£59 / €109 for 1 year
£169 / €309 for 3 years
Church membership includes the benefits listed above with the discounts and download facilities extended to all the members of the church.
*While we try to encourage church membership, it is possible for individuals to become personal members.
2. Youth Leader Membership (Y>NET)
£29 / €55 for 1 year
Y>NET members receive the same discounts listed on page 12 plus three subscriptions:
- Youthwork magazine published by Christianity
- Willow Creek’s Youth Resource Website THE NET
- Defining Moments audio journal
To Apply
Click the relevant link: WCA Membership / YNET Membership
or simply phone 023 8071 0295 | 0845 1300 909
WCA UK & Ireland Membership Welcome Pack
Upon receipt of your application you will be forwarded a membership pack. This will include your membership number which will make available all the member benefits to you.
Making the Most of Membership
There is significant value in belonging to the Willow Creek Association UK & Ireland. There is the real benefit of relational building with other church leaders who hold the same desires as you to see the church advancing the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
WCA UK & Ireland was formed in 1995 with the goal to establish a network of like-minded church leaders throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland who hold firmly to the value that ‘lost people matter to God.’
There is no doubt that in partnership we can effect change. We are here to serve you. Our over-riding motivation and purpose is to assist you strategically in your endeavours to reach the unchurched.
We believe that as members share ideas and strategies, we will learn from each other’s successes as well as mistakes, and will ultimately increase our ministry impact.
I invite you therefore to join with other outreach-orientated churches in partnership with us to accomplish this great task.
Graeme Paris
Executive Director
WCA UK & Ireland
