Megachurch Pastor Bill Hybels Resigns
Prominent Pastor Bill Hybels announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his Chicago-area megachurch Willow Creek, just weeks after the Chicago Tribune published allegations of misconduct from several women.
He told the church publicly last year that he was planning to step down in October, but he resigned Tuesday, saying he would be a distraction to the church’s ministry.
According to the Washighton Post, some members of his congregation shouted “No!” in response to his decision, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation following his address.
“I apologize to you, my church, for a response that was defensive instead of one that invited conversation and learning.
“I placed myself in situations that would be far wiser to avoid. I was naive … I commit to never putting myself in similar situations again,” he said.
The church conducted its own internal review, and hired an outside attorney who investigated the allegations and told the Tribune his work led to no findings of misconduct by Hybels, an investigation whose findings he said most of the members of Willow Creek had accepted.
He said he plans to seek counsel during his withdrawal but he plans to return to Willow Creek as his home church.
Hybels, who with his wife co-founded one of the nation’s largest churches in 1975, was a spiritual adviser to President Bill Clinton around the time of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
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