Riverwood Church hosts leadership summit
WINNIPEG, MB—Riverwood Church Community is playing host to the 2009 Willow Creek Leadership Summit on August 6 and 7. Tony Blair and Bono are among the guest speakers, though neither are making Winnipeg appearances. An anticipated 400 pastors, church and business leaders were expected to attend the Winnipeg venue—one of about 300 worldwide, connected via live satellite feed.
The annual event is the brainchild of Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. In a promotional video, Hybels says that he has sensed a "huge hunger for more information about the leadership side of church building" in working with pastors and church leaders over the years. He decided to dedicate two-and-a-half days of every summer to facilitate a leadership seminar for church leaders, giving birth to the Leadership Summit in 1995.
The slate of speakers includes 16 high-profile leaders in churches, ministries, business, the media, politics, social services, academia and the music industry. Among them are David Gergen of CNN; Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist; Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International and Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Tony Blair, former British prime minister and Bono of the rock group, U2 prepared pre-recorded videocasts, while the other fourteen speakers are being simulcast live from Willow Creek Community Church.
Eastview Church of Winnipeg, host of the summit host for the past six years, decided to offer a sister church a turn. Riverwood Church, a long-time Willow Creek Associate member, was approached.
Although the church was honoured, lead pastor Todd Petkau says they agreed to host the event with some trepidation.
"We were afraid our facility might be a bit of a liability to the Summit," he says. "We don't have a new church building in a suburb with hundreds of parking stalls."
Brian Derksen, director of Willow Creek Canada, took a closer look at the concerns raised and declared that Riverwood would be more than adequate. He told Petkau, "We are more concerned with the heart of the pastor and the people of the host church than we are with how nice the building is."
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