Exciting transitions are ahead in 2006 for Axis and Student Impact (high school)—transitions that can transform lives. We sat down with Darren Whitehead, Director of Next Gen Ministries at Willow Creek to find out what’s ahead.

Willow Creek: Darren, what changes are ahead for Axis?
Darren Whitehead: From a logistics standpoint, Axis will no longer meet on Sunday evenings. Beginning in January, Axis will meet only on Saturday nights at 5:30.

WC: Was Sunday not working?
DW: We did a survey with 100 Axis leaders and asked for feedback about previous changes we had made. The number one concern was that Sunday night wasn’t the best time for Axis. The other theme that arose was a desire to be more connected with the whole church, so we are moving back to Saturday nights at 5:30. The other advantage to meeting on Saturday is that Promiseland, Dr. B’s, Seeds and Harvest will be available.

WC: Will everything else stay the same at Axis?
DW: Not necessarily. On the first two Saturdays of December, we’ll be holding roundtable discussions. Together, as a community, we’ll envision what Axis can look like in the future.

WC: Do you anticipate Axis will change much?
DW: Axis is an experimental community that has always pushed the envelope in many areas. We’re going to pray, discuss and imagine, not only what Axis, but what the Acts 2 church will look like in the future.

WC: What do you think the church will look like in a post-modern world?
DW: The culture is shifting as a whole, so I think the church will change in response to those shifts. The future of Willow Creek will be less about anonymity and more about community. It will be less passive and more interactive. The culture is becoming increasingly spiritual, while some churches are becoming more practical.

WC: Does that mean the church is a step behind the culture?
DW: In a sense, yes. Churches need to move from being practical to being spiritual. In pop culture, spirituality is on the rise. Just look around. Kabala, Scientology and eastern mysticism are developing quite a following in pop culture.

WC: It sounds odd that the church isn’t considered a spiritual place.
DW: It does, especially since it should be. An increasing number of people today are looking for a transcendent, mysterious, mystical experience. They’re looking for intrigue and they don’t necessarily consider the church in America to be spiritual.

WC: How can churches do a better job?
DW: We need to do church differently.

WC: What needs to be different?
DW: I think we need to appeal to intrinsic human needs beyond just the practical. We have inherent desires for a spiritual experience and a spiritual connection with God. America is in its most prosperous time in history and people are coming to the end of materialism. They’re reaching success and finding it’s an empty bag. There has to be more.

WC: How do we appeal to those who won’t come to church?
DW: We need to change their misperceptions. Among 20-somethings, the top three perceptions of Christianity are that Christians are anti-gay, judgmental and hypocritical. These are obstacles in inviting friends to come to church.

WC: So how do we reach people then?
DW: We have to change the front doors of our ministry. Instead of operating with a “come and see” mentality, we have to move to a “go and be” mentality. Inside Out is a great example of that. When we serve, and when you “go and be” you sidestep these huge perception obstacles. When you serve someone, you break down the walls of people’s apprehensions. It’s more than making a generational shift—it’s making a cultural shift.

WC: What will that look like for Axis and Impact?
DW: It means the content doesn’t change, but the context does. That’s what we’ll try to work out during these roundtable discussions. I suspect church will look more interactive, be more spiritual, more community based, more activist in nature. There will be less emphasis on information and more on transformation. We live in an age with more information available to us than ever before, but information alone doesn’t change lives.

WC: Based on all this, what is Axis? To call it “Next Gen” church seems inaccurate.
DW: Axis is an interactive community for the next generation. After the roundtable discussions in December, we will “reboot” Axis on January 7 at 5:30 p.m. The roundtable discussions are an opportunity for people to have a voice in the future of our community.

WC: Will there be changes for Student Impact?
DW: Yes. We will continue to meet at the same times as before (Saturday at 5:30, Sunday at 9 and 11:15), but on Saturday nights, we will have programs on the same themes, but they will be more suitable for a medium-sized group experience

WC: Will the context stay the same?
DW: We’ve had a greater emphasis on our students seeing school as a mission field. Something we’ve been saying is “you’re not at school just to get an education. You’re there because God has placed you there to be his mouthpiece to a world that doesn’t know him.” Students are starting campus ministries at their schools. There seems to be an uprising going on with high school students at Willow—a spiritual uprising. A hunger is awakening. These students want to discover what it means to live and love like Jesus and not just believe the “right” things.

WC: It’s the same philosophy, just moving into the next generation?
DW: Exactly. We need to concentrate on what teens care about. They can believe in something and not care about it, but they can’t care about something and not believe in it. We want to encourage those who have come to Axis or Impact in the past and have not connected with the community to join us because 2006 will be an amazing year.

For information on Axis, visit www.willowcreek.org/axis