Willow Creek Community Church, the influential evangelical megachurch based in suburban Chicago, has selected a new senior pastor, David Dummitt, replacing its founder Bill Hybles who resigned in 2018 over sexual misconduct allegations.
The church announced the news on its website on Wednesday, writing "We're thrilled to share that our Elder Board has selected Dave Dummitt as our new Senior Pastor! We can't wait to welcome him into the Willow family,"
"Pastor David Dummitt is an innovative, Pastor and leader with a strong passion to help people take first and next steps with God," the church shared introducing their new leadership. "He is known for his collaborative leadership style and ability to develop strong teams."
Dave is the founding and lead pastor of 2|42 Community Church in Southeast Michigan, well-known for its community outreach effort and radical generosity such as their church building designed to serve as community centers with indoor sports and fitness facilities, cafes, playscape for kids and a school for the arts open to the public throughout the week.
Over the last 15 years, 2|42 has grown from a 35-member launch team meeting in Dave's living room to more than 10,000 people meeting at seven different campuses each weekend, Willowcreek noted.
Dummitt, who attended Wheaton College and Asbury Theological Seminary, said he has admired the church, which he will begin leading in June, for a long time, according to the Christian Post.
"As a freshman at Wheaton College, I'd heard about this church that was doing creative things to reach lost people. We attended, and I can almost point to the seats we sat in that day. The service opened with a Beatles song. I was a church kid who played in the handbell choir at my church. That service opened my eyes to new ways of doing church. I don't know of a pastor or leader in America that has not in some way been shaped by the ministry of Willow Creek," Dummitt said.
Hybels led the church for over four decades and had been months away from retiring when an investigative report in the Chicago Tribune detailed allegations from several women who accused the pastor of inappropriate behavior like extended hugs, suggestive comments, invitations to hotel rooms and an unwanted kiss, Christiantoday reported.
William Vanderbloemen, CEO of Vanderbloemen, the Christian executive search firm appointed by Willow Creek to find its new senior pastor, told Christiantoday that Dummitt was the right person to lead the church forward from the "seismic trauma" caused by the Hybels scandal.
Calling the search for Willow Creek's new senior pastor one of the most humbling task he had ever undertaken, William said "I've known Dave for many years. His humble spirit and his focus on the local church - rather than a national platform - is one of many reasons we believe he is precisely the right person to lead Willow in this moment,"
"Every step of the way, during the search, we saw that God was bringing Willow and Dave together to start this exciting new chapter. He is the right leader for this great, influential congregation," He added.
Dave loves great movies, water sports, time at the gym, and being able to take off on his Harley. He and his wife, Rachel, met during their time as students at Wheaton College. Together they have four children: Grace, Luke, Joe, and Alex.
