PRESS RELEASE
August 9, 2005

1 EVENT.  3 DAYS.  100 CITIES.  50,000 LEADERS
 
Local Church Hosts LIVE Broadcast of WCA Leadership Summit 2005
August 11-13

Ten years ago Bill Hybels, senior pastor of the 22,000-member Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, IL, had a vision for what could happen if local churches everywhere were led by men and women with leadership gifts and abilities. His vision included a place where those with leadership abilities, responsibilities, or potential could embrace and sharpen their skills, as well as a place to build teams, inspire, set goals, cast red-hot vision, develop emerging leaders, and improve skills. Thus, the Willow Creek Association (WCA) Leadership Summit was born.
 
What is the WCA Leadership Summit?
In 1995 Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Association (WCA) gathered a few thousand pastors and church leaders for a new event called The Leadership Summit. Today it is the premiere leadership event of its kind attracting church, business and community leaders alike. The WCA Leadership Summit convenes every August and is broadcast LIVE from Willow Creek Community Church to over 100 host sites around the nation. This year marks the Summit’s 10th anniversary.
 
Roster of Speakers
Speakers at the 2005 Summit will present motivation and innovative principles on topics that are applicable in both the boardroom and church and ministry settings. This year’s roster includes:
 
• Bill Hybels– Founding/Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (voted #2 most influential church in America and one of the six largest churches in America. Source: The Church Report, August 2005,

• Colleen Barrett– President, Southwest Airlines

• Ken Blanchard– Leadership development speaker, consultant, and co-author of The One Minute Manager.

• Rick Warren– Founding/Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church in CA (voted #1 most influential church in America. Source: The Church Report, August 2005)

• John Maxwell– Leadership development expert and best-selling author of more than 30 books

• Kenneth Ulmer– Pastor of Faithful Central Church in CA who recently purchased the L.A. Forum for their growing 13,000 member church

• Curtis Sliwa– Founder and president of The Guardian Angels, an all volunteer organization of 5,000

• and others
 
Local Satellite Location – Hope Community Church, Raleigh, NC
This year for the first time there will be a triangle area host site. Hope Community Church in Raleigh will serve as a live broadcast location and is one of only three broadcast sites in North Carolina, the others being Greensboro and Charlotte. Hope will open its doors to registrants from the triangle area to the North Carolina coast. Hope Community Church is located at 821 Buck Jones Road, on the Cary/Raleigh border near the Crossroads and South Hills Shopping malls.
 
Site Registration
The Leadership Summit begins at 10:00 AM daily at the Raleigh site. Online registration is closed but those wishing to attend can register as a walk-in on the day of the event. Cost ranges from $155 to $255 per person for the 3-day event (depending upon membership in the Willow Creek Association).
 
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Press Contacts:
Willow Creek Association
Paul Braoudakis
224.512.1362
media@willowcreek.org
www.willowcreek.com/summit 

Hope Community Church, Raleigh
Debbie Dodson
919.532.0620
debbied@gethope.net
www.gethope.net