Mega Church Elders Apologize For Response to Hybels Allegations

SOUTH BARRINGTON, IL – Elders at a suburban megachurch where a senior pastor has been accused of having inappropriate relationships with women members are now apologizing to those women, stating that they first responded with too much of an emphasis on defending Bill Hybels. Pam Orr, chair of the Willow Creek Community Church's elder board, said they have been reaching out to some of the women who have made allegations against Hybels and "are deeply saddened by the experiences they are sharing with us." Speaking on Wednesday to the church's congregation, she said that in the past, church elders may have "cast some of the women in an unfair and negative light."

"Initially, it was stated that the stories were all lies and the individuals involved were colluding against Bill. We apologize for those sweeping statements. We do not believe the stories were all lies or that all the people were colluding against him," she said. "It takes courage for a woman to step forward and share her story, and we are doing everything we can to listen respectfully."

Last month, Hybels stepped down from his past as senior pastor of Willow Creek – months before the founder had originally planned. The move also came a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation disclosed that Hybels had been the subject of inquiries into claims that he went against church teachings by engaging in inappropriate behavior with women in the congregation. The founder of the megachurch, located in South Barrington, told the Tribune in their March investigation that he did nothing improper and the allegations were all lies. He said prominent members of his church "colluded" against him.

"This has been a calculated and continual attack on our elders and on me for four long years. It's time that gets identified," Hybels told old the Tribune. "I want to speak to all the people around the country that have been misled … for the past four years and tell them in my voice, in as strong a voice as you'll allow me to tell it, that the charges against me are false. There still, to this day, is not evidence of misconduct on my part."

The Chicago Tribune investigationinto Hybels, a husband, father and grandfather, revealed that the alleged behavior included suggestive comments, extended hugs, an unwanted kiss and invitations to hotel rooms. It also included an allegation of a prolonged consensual affair with a married woman who later said her claim about the affair was not true, the newspaper found.

An outside investigator and elders at the church originally cleared Hybels of any wrongdoing in the allegations they examined, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Willow Creek elders said they are now looking at reviewing their policies and guidelines. In particular, the church is looking at its guidelines on how men and women work together, its e-mail retention policy, and its policy on how someone can raise a concern about senior leaders, Orr said Wednesday.

"We are grieved that this situation is difficult for so many people. On behalf of the Elders, both past and present, we now see that while we have many policies in place, they did not prevent the situation we are now in," Orr said. "We regret that, and we are looking into what additional safeguards could be implemented in the future."

More via the Chicago Tribuneand the Willow Creek Community Church website

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