In light of sexual misconduct allegations against pastor and author Bill Hybels, publishers are halting the printing of his front and backlist titles.
Hybels, the founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, which is outside of Chicago, denied, in March, accusations that he be behaved inappropriately with women in his congregation. After more allegations surfaced, and following Hybels’ resignation from Willow Creek, the church in South Barrington, Ill., is now investigating the situation. The church is looking into accusations from six women who reported being the subject of unwanted sexual comments and advances from the pastor.
As a result of the investigation, Tyndale House Publishers has suspended the publication of Hybels’ Everyone Wins When a Leader Gets Better, which was set to be released in August.
“We will make a final decision regarding potential publication after we absorb the facts and implications related to these allegations,” the publisher told PW. “We take allegations of misconduct seriously, and we are deeply concerned for all involved, both those who have brought forth these allegations, as well as the Hybels family.”
InterVarsity Press, which has published two editions of Who You Are When No One’s Looking by Hybels, is also pausing its relationship with the author. The press' publisher, Jeff Crosby, said it is not reprinting the book, which has sold over 300,000 copies since it was originally published in 1987. IVP will, however, continue to sell existing copies. The press did not provide an estimate for how many copies are on the market today.
Zondervan, which has published several of Hybels’ books, including Holy Discontent (2007) and The Power of a Whisper (2010), said the future of the pastor's backlist titles remains uncertain. “Though we do not have any projects currently in the pipeline for Mr. Hybels, we take these allegations seriously and we continue to sort through the information as it is presented,” said Zondervan spokesperson Casey Harrell.
