Megachurch founder Bill Hybels denies reports of sexual misconduct
Church elders and an outside firm investigated and cleared Hybels. But recently several former employees went public with their accounts—and doubts about the investigations.
Bill Hybels in 2012. Photo by Marc Gilgen via Creative Commons.
Bill Hybels, co-founder of Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago, one of the nation’s largest megachurches, has been investigated because of allegations of inappropriate behavior with women in his congregation and on its staff.
Those inquiries cleared Hybels. He and the church elders posted statements denying the allegations on the Willow Creek website after the Chicago Tribune published a report in late March.
The report included accounts that were the subject of those inquiries, as well as others that women recounted to the Tribune, including the following:
