Steve Wu left a CEO job in the Silicon Valley to serve as a pastor for one the largest congregations in the Chicago area - Willow Creek Community Church.
Wu served at the Chicago satellite campus but has now resigned.
Church Elder Greg Haecker read a statement to the Willow Creek Chicago congregation on January 25. It says, in part, that Rev. Wu "admitted to sexual impurity and has taken full responsibility for his sin. He has expressed a desire to participate in a restoration process."
Haecker later says, "We would ask you to pray diligently for Steve in these difficult days."
Since 2006, Wu has led Sunday services in the heart of downtown Chicago. The venue certainly wasn't typical.
Wu's vision was to hold services at the Auditorium Theater on Congress. It was the urban branch for the suburban mega-church.
Willow Creek's main campus is located in South Barrington with about 20,000 members. In Chicago, at the satellite campus, more than 1,000 people attend Sunday services.
ABC7 tried to reach Wu at his high-rise home in the South Loop, but he did not answer. Neighbors say he is quiet - always has been - and they haven't seen him since the weekend.
In the meantime, Willow Creek Chicago is moving forward. The church has named Todd Katter as the interim pastor until another pastor is chosen.
