About Willow
Explore Willow
Welcome to Willow! We’re a group of people from all ages, backgrounds, and cultures who believe there’s more to life than what the world says. We simply want to love God and love people, and know if we do, we’ll see hope, joy, and transformation in us and through us.
Whether you find yourself on the mountaintop or in a valley, we believe you have a place here.
What's it like at Willow?
Our Story
The story of Willow Creek began in 1975 in South Barrington, Illinois and today includes multiple campuses spread throughout the Chicagoland area. We are united as one church sharing one vision—to reach as many people as possible with the love of Jesus.
1975
Willow Creek Community Church Begins
A passionate group of young people reimagined what church could be, and on October 12, the first ever Willow Creek Community Church service took place in a theater in Palatine.
1976
Camp Paradise Opens
A benevolent donor gave Willow Creek 720 acres in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Camp Paradise was born.
1975-1980
Kids and Students Ministry Launch
From the beginning, Willow’s leaders believed that children and students deserved a relevant and purposeful church experience, so ministries like Promiseland, Sonlight Express, and Student Impact (now Willow Kids, Junior High Ministry, and High School Ministry) were created.
1983
The Food Pantry’s Origin
One man saw a need—families in our church without enough food—and began meeting it by handing out bags of groceries from the trunk of his car. That simple act of compassion grew into a full pantry, initially stocked through biannual parking lot food drives, where congregants would leave groceries behind their cars during services for volunteers to collect.
1987
The Inspiration of C.A.R.S.
Two members of the Willow Grounds Team repaired the car of a single mother who couldn’t fix her car and the Holy Spirit used that simple act to inspire a movement that eventually became the Christian Automotive Repairmen Serving (C.A.R.S)
1990
Serving Families of Those with Special Needs
Special Friends (now Willow Friends), a groundbreaking program providing a one-on-one buddy system, small-group community, and age-targeted teaching for children and adults with special needs.
2002
A Chapter 2 Vision
As Willow grew, people began driving from farther distances. To make Willow more accessible, we launched the Chapter 2 campaign and developed a “one church, multiple location” model and planted our first regional location—Willow DuPage, now known as Willow Wheaton.
2003
Inception of Global Compassion & Justice
During a serving trip to Africa, Willow leaders felt compelled to use their influence to speak out about the ravaging effects of extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS crisis. Willow began allocating more resources to help global churches fight poverty and injustice.
2003
Willow North Shore Launch
Shortly after the launch of our first regional campus, a group of passionate Christ-followers in the northern suburbs launched the Willow North Shore.
2004
Willow McHenry (now Willow Crystal Lake) Launch
Willow Crystal Lake was Willow’s third campus launch—and first in the Northwest suburbs—making it a Willow location much more accessible for residents of McHenry County!
2006
Casa de Luz en South Barrington
Más de 115,000 vecinos de habla hispana vivían dentro del radio de 30 minutos de Willow, pero no tenían una iglesia en Willow que pudieran llamar hogar, así que fundamos Casa de Luz (ahora Willow Español) en Willow South Barrington para ofrecer la esperanza de Cristo a esta comunidad vital.
More than 115,000 Spanish-speaking residents lived within a 30-minute radius of Willow, but they didn’t have a church in Willow that they could call home, so we founded Casa de Luz (now Willow Español) in Willow South Barrington to offer the hope of Christ to this vital community.
2006
Willow Chicago Launch
Willow Chicago opened in the historic Auditorium Theatre in the Chicago Loop. This central location helped us reach people in neighborhoods all across the city of Chicago.
2011
Willow Huntley Launch
A group began praying about expanding Willow’s reach, and in 2011, Willow Huntley launched as a portable campus at Huntley High School, supported by a core of Crystal Lake and South Barrington congregants!
2013
Care Center
The desire to increase dignity and expand services beyond the food pantry and C.A.R.S. garage inspired the creation of the Willow Creek Care Center.
2015
Willow South Lake Launch
Willow South Lake launched with congregants from North Shore and South Barrington who were passionate about having a local church in their Lake County community that would reach their friends and neighbors.
2018
Painful Transitions
Willow’s founding pastor faced multiple accusations of moral failure. Through an independent investigation conducted by an outside counsel of Christian leaders, the claims were found to be credible. Willow undertook a comprehensive overhaul of its accountability systems, leadership structure, and staff culture after the founding pastor and Elders resigned.
2023
Rooted Launch
As a church, we embraced Rooted, a 10-week discipleship experience used by churches around the world to help people establish spiritual rhythms that cultivate growth.
2024
Last Service at Willow Chicago
Willow Chicago celebrated nearly 18 years of God’s faithfulness in the South Loop during our final service in February 2024.
2025
What is Next, is Now
As we celebrate God’s faithfulness for over 50 years, we are excited to step into what is next, now!
