Heather Larson, lead pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches in the US, announced in early August that she is stepping down, along with the entire Board of Elders, after a string of sexual harassment allegations against its founder, Bill Hybels.
In April, Hybels stepped down as senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, the Chicago church he founded over 40 years ago. He strongly denied the accusations made by former staff members. He said: ‘I’ve been accused of many things I simply did not do. But let me acknowledge things I have done. I confess to anger at the accusations. … I sincerely wish my initial response had been listening and humble reflection.’
New leadership
Heather Larson said the church now needed new leadership. ‘To all of the women who have come forward, the church should always follow in Jesus’ footsteps to help the wounded find healing, and we are sorry we added to your pain. ... We regret that it has taken us this long to acknowledge that. While we will probably never know with certainty everything that’s true about each of your stories, we have no reason not to believe you. We are sorry that our initial statements were so insensitive and reflexively protective of Bill. We exhort Bill to acknowledge his sin and publicly apologise.
