Willow Creek church looks to expand, eyeing purchase of former industrial facility near downtown Crystal Lake

CRYSTAL LAKE – One of the largest churches in the U.S. plans to buy the 193,000-square-foot former Oak Industries facility and the 25 acres it sits on, church officials said.

The nondenominational Willow Creek Community Church of Crystal Lake has entered into a contract to buy the property at 100 S. Main St. and plans to renovate the building, the church said in a news release.

“We are thrilled to have a new home that will allow us to best serve our surrounding community for the next 100 years and beyond,” said Marcus Bieschke, the church’s lead pastor.

Thousands of people from Crystal Lake and surrounding communities currently participate in classes, groups, workshops, camps and events like Trunk or Treat and the Global Leadership Summit, the release said.

Outreach Magazine put the membership of the church, which has seven locations in the Chicago metropolitan area, at 25,743 in 2013, making it the third largest church in the country.

The plan is to complete the due diligence process, go through the city’s zoning process so that a church can exist at the site and, if all goes well, close on the property in early 2016, the release said.

The renovation would then follow with the hopes of opening the building to the public in fall 2017, the release said.

The building currently houses six organizations and companies, including the nonprofit child care center Friendship House, the Arising Church and the massage therapy school Cortiva Institute.

Willow Creek plans on discussing with each tenant, who have short-term or month-to-month agreements, on an individual basis whether the group or company will remain at the location or relocate, the release said.

It is “absolutely essential” that the church is the best possible neighbor it can be in the downtown area, and it will prioritize ensuring that Sunday morning traffic flow remains fluid, Bieschke said.

Willow Creek currently leases space at 220 Exchange Drive in Crystal Lake, near the Pingree Metra Station, after coming to the area in 2003. The church has six other locations in South Barrington, West Chicago, Northfield, Chicago, Huntley and Lincolnshire.