Pastor Ryan Guard Says He Was Fired From Willow Creek's High School Ministry Due to Low Attendance
Pastor Ryan Guard, former director of Willow Creek Community Church's high school ministry, Student Impact, has said that the real reason he left the ministry last year is because he was fired due to low attendance, not because he wasn't "gifted enough as a leader" as stated in an earlier narrative.
Guard, who is now lead pastor at Prodigal Church, made the revelation in a series of tweets Monday in which he suggested his former boss at the South Barrington, Illinois, church, Scott Rubin, was "obsessed with numerical growth."
"A year ago we announced I was leaving Willow Creek to explore new opportunities. The whole truth is that they fired me because attendance was down. Youth pastors: I'm done playing games, and you should be too. If your boss is obsessed with numerical growth — call it out and QUIT," Guard advised.
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"They offered me a severance, but forced me to sign a non-disclosure. Well, come and get it. We shared a half-truth to protect their image, but that ship sailed and sank, and I'm done lying for you. I love the Student Impact students, staff and volunteers, and they deserve better," he continued.
"I can understand why some people stay silent, but we were mistreated, and there were clear ethical violations in the process. That is why I can no longer remain silent. Our family deserves an apology, not another dose of power mongering and story spinning," he added.
The Christian Post reached out to both Guard and Willow Creek for further comment on Guard's allegations and will update this piece when responses are received.
Guard joined Willow Creek as director of Student Impact in August 2016, but just over a year later, in October 2017, Rubin, who is Willow Creek's director of Student Ministries, published an announcement in which Guard stated that he didn't have the right leadership skills for the job.
"When it comes to all the organizational responsibilities it takes to lead a ministry like this one, I realized I'm just not gifted enough as a leader. It has felt like I've been wearing someone else's suit all year, and it hasn't felt right. I went to my boss, Scott Rubin, about a month ago and said, 'I think we need to figure out a new leadership solution for Student Impact. I don't think I should continue as the director. I don't have the leadership horsepower necessary,'" Guard wrote in the announcement. "I knew I needed to find a role in which I can focus most of my energy and attention on what I was born and gifted to do: teach people the Good News and help them understand God's heart for the world."
Rubin, who took over Guard's job after his departure, suggested in the announcement that his exit was voluntary.
"In the weeks following Ryan's decision to step out of the Impact director role, we've had many conversations about the future. We landed on an exciting solution. Instead of having two separate directors for our high school and middle school ministries, we've designed a new leadership structure. I will retain my role as director of Student Ministries and will lead both Elevate and Student Impact with a significant presence and involvement in both ministries," he noted at the time.
"We are also adding an associate director position to each ministry. Gretchen Dedina, who has been with me on the Elevate staff for over six years, will become the associate director of Elevate. And Nick Scheske, who is a regular teaching voice and pastoral presence in Impact, will become the associate director of Student Impact. The three of us, along with the talented and passionate Student Ministries staff and volunteers, will team up to serve Willow Creek teenagers from sixth grade through high school graduation," he added.
