Leaving Willow, Finding Wilderness (featuring Steve Carter)

<p>When the New York Times ran with allegations surrounding Willow Creek’s founding pastor, Steve Carter had a choice: keep the machine running or protect the trust of the people in the room. He chose integrity - and walked away from the stage that had defined his career.</p>

<p>In this conversation, Steve names the real costs: the silence inside the institution, the “values higher than the chaos” that guided him, and the morning-after reality that there was no job, no safety net, and no way to control the narrative. </p>

<p>He talks about the anger he absorbed, the outside leaders who showed up, and the therapist’s hard question that kept him from repeating patterns.</p>

<p>But the story doesn’t end in exile. It moves through a real wilderness - grief, breathing, waiting - and into a humbler, healthier life: moving back to the Midwest, choosing place over platform, and becoming the lead pastor at Christ Church. What emerges is a field guide for anyone facing a crisis of integrity in Christian leadership.</p>

Key Takeaways

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<li>Integrity over institutional preservation: Trust is sacred; don’t trade it for optics.

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<li>Name “values higher than the chaos”: Decide in advance what you won’t violate when pressure comes.

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<li>Healing is not transferable: There’s first-hand wounding and first-hand healing; your family needs its own path.

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