Driving an hour or more to church can be quite a challenge. Yet that’s exactly what many Willow Creek attenders have been doing for years, driving from all corners of Chicagoland to church in South Barrington. But to be truly effective, the local church needs to be local, so the people you see at church are also the people you see at the grocery store, at school functions, at baseball games.

With the launch of our regional congregations in the DuPage area, on the North Shore, and in McHenry County, Willow Creek Community Church is now less than 30 minutes away for many people in the Chicagoland area.

Fully functioning congregations
Each regional site is an extension of Willow Creek, but is also a fully functioning congregation with a campus pastor and pastoral team. Each campus has its own Student Ministries for high school and middle school students, as well as Promiseland, a children’s program for infants and kids up to fifth grade. Several times a year, students from all church campuses get together for retreats, camps, ski trips, and other events. Adult small groups are a huge part of the regional campus experience. Groups are formed based on stage of life, service activities, spiritual journey, and other specific interests. It’s the perfect way to experience real community with neighbors who are experiencing similar challenges along the road of life.

Weekly services
Weekly services at the regional campuses feature a main message videocast from South Barrington. Each service is hosted by the campus pastor, a team of local musicians and artists, and the local pastoral team. New Community, our midweek service, focuses on in-depth Bible teaching and worship. Although separated by miles of highway, the regional campuses and the South Barrington campus are united under more than just the Willow Creek name. Each congregation is an extension of the other, reaching as one to embrace all of Chicagoland with a single-minded aim…to reach people with the message of God’s life-changing love and help them become fully devoted followers of Christ.