{"id":{"repo_id":"mo-state","oai_identifier":"oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1511"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mo-state/oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1511","repository":{"repo_id":"mo-state","name":"Missouri State University","base_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Community Church: a Study in Audience Analysis and Adaptation","abstract":"This thesis examines how selected factors of audience analysis and adaptation are reflected in the philosophy and rhetoric of Bill Hybels, founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois. General background information of the church growth movement in America is provided, placing the inception and development of the Willow Creek Community Church in that context. Selected aspects of the Burkeian model of rhetorical criticism are applied to two of Hybels' sermons, each being presented to a different target audience. The rhetorical criticism is used as a basis for observing and evaluating comparisons and contrasts in Hybels' approach to different target audiences. The differences in approach are subtle, yet distinct, making them all the more significant. Such significance implies that further study of the impact of audience analysis and adaptation as related to communication and church growth is warranted.","abstract_html":"This thesis examines how selected factors of audience analysis and adaptation are reflected in the philosophy and rhetoric of Bill Hybels, founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois. General background information of the church growth movement in America is provided, placing the inception and development of the Willow Creek Community Church in that context. Selected aspects of the Burkeian model of rhetorical criticism are applied to two of Hybels' sermons, each being presented to a different target audience. The rhetorical criticism is used as a basis for observing and evaluating comparisons and contrasts in Hybels' approach to different target audiences. The differences in approach are subtle, yet distinct, making them all the more significant. Such significance implies that further study of the impact of audience analysis and adaptation as related to communication and church growth is warranted.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hafer, Gregory B."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Communication","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Communication","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Holt Spicer"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1994,"date_issued":"1994-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1994-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:35Z","subjects":["Communication"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Gregory B Hafer"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/510","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Holt Spicer"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hafer, Gregory B."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Communication"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Communication"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Gregory B Hafer"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/510"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis examines how selected factors of audience analysis and adaptation are reflected in the philosophy and rhetoric of Bill Hybels, founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois. General background information of the church growth movement in America is provided, placing the inception and development of the Willow Creek Community Church in that context. Selected aspects of the Burkeian model of rhetorical criticism are applied to two of Hybels' sermons, each being presented to a different target audience. The rhetorical criticism is used as a basis for observing and evaluating comparisons and contrasts in Hybels' approach to different target audiences. The differences in approach are subtle, yet distinct, making them all the more significant. Such significance implies that further study of the impact of audience analysis and adaptation as related to communication and church growth is warranted."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Community Church: a Study in Audience Analysis and Adaptation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Holt Spicer"],"dc:creator":["Hafer, Gregory B."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis examines how selected factors of audience analysis and adaptation are reflected in the philosophy and rhetoric of Bill Hybels, founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois. General background information of the church growth movement in America is provided, placing the inception and development of the Willow Creek Community Church in that context. Selected aspects of the Burkeian model of rhetorical criticism are applied to two of Hybels' sermons, each being presented to a different target audience. The rhetorical criticism is used as a basis for observing and evaluating comparisons and contrasts in Hybels' approach to different target audiences. The differences in approach are subtle, yet distinct, making them all the more significant. Such significance implies that further study of the impact of audience analysis and adaptation as related to communication and church growth is warranted."],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/510"],"dc:rights":["© Gregory B Hafer"],"dc:subject":["Communication"],"dc:title":["Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek Community Church: a Study in Audience Analysis and Adaptation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Communication"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:35Z"}