When 150 young people assembled for church services in a movie theater outside Chicago 14 years ago, the congregation was so cash poor that some of the members had to sell tomatoes door to door to pay for the hall. Today the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., is the second largest Protestant congregation in America. During weekend services nearly 12,000 people regularly cram into its $15 million, 4,650-seat auditorium and complex. At a time when the mainstream Protestant denominations are rapidly losing members, Willow Creek's popular success and stripped-down theology are challenging traditional notions about presenting the Christian...
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