Position Profile

• Mission: Willow Creek helps people take next steps to love God, love people, and change the world.
• Vision: Willow Creek is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic multiplying movement of Christ followers passionate about worshiping Jesus, growing in faith, sharing their lives & faith with others, reaching people who don’t have a relationship with God, and blessing their communities and world through their transformed lives & radical generosity.
  Their God-sized vision can only be accomplished by prayerfully seeking God, partnering where He is already at work, learning, and innovating as they develop leaders, launch campuses, and plant churches throughout Chicagoland and the world.
• Values:
  • Following Jesus | Complete dependence on Him
  • Loving People | Everyone matters to God
  • Taking Next Steps | Becoming, not arriving
  • Growing Younger | Elevating the next generation
  • Being Authentic | Bringing all of who they are

Willow operates in a dual solid line matrix structure. The XP of Weekends is directly responsible for three central teams (Arts & Worship, Marketing & Communications, and Guest Experience) as well as their extended campus teams.

Here are some other unique qualities about their culture:

• Authenticity: Staff culture is moving away from performance and image toward realness, where leaders are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and not simply project success. There’s still healing underway, but the value of honesty and vulnerability is more widely embraced than in the past.
• Transparency: They are the first to admit this is still a work in progress. After past seasons where communication gaps eroded trust, they know that transparency is critical for their long-term health as an organization. That’s why they’re leaning into candor, clear decision-making processes, and addressing conflict directly, even as they grow in consistency.
• Collaboration: Staff are leaning more into cross-campus and cross-ministry teamwork, breaking down silos that once kept leaders isolated. There is a renewed sense of shared mission, where wins are celebrated together, and solutions are developed in community rather than in isolation.
• Diversity: There is an intentional emphasis on building teams that reflect different backgrounds, ethnicities, and perspectives across campuses. This commitment has opened doors for fresh voices and broadened the leadership table, creating a more inclusive environment than in prior eras.
• Compassion: Compassion-related ministries remain a defining strength of Willow, and that heart for serving the vulnerable also permeates staff culture. There’s a deep sense of purpose tied to meeting real needs—locally and globally—which fuels motivation and unifies the team around a cause bigger than themselves.

• 10+ years of leadership in creative arts, ideally in a large, multi-site church; four-year degree preferred.
• Proven executive-level leadership with extensive people management experience.
• Background in worship, production, programming, or creative arts, with strong MarCom awareness.
• Skilled in brand and communications leadership (digital, social, video, print, signage).
• Experience in a matrix-type organizational structure with cross-functional collaboration.

• In-person and digital content are relevant and relatable to all.
• Weekend experiences are thoughtfully developed and executed at a high level of excellence.
• Guests feel warmth and care through unreasonable hospitality.
• The church is taking risks and being innovative in how it reaches people for Jesus.
• There is strong synergy and cohesiveness with the creative ministries (A&W, Marcom) with the other ministry areas of the church. They feed off of and complement one another.
• “Only God” moments are happening regularly in their weekend services.