Study of the Elevation Church

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History

Elevation's story started in the heart of Pastor Steven Furtick when he was just 16 years old. While reading Jim Cymbala's book, "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire", he came across a statement on page 23 that would change his life forever: "I despaired at the thought of my life passing me by without seeing God move greatly on my behalf." That sentence proved to be the catalyst for a life mission of seeing people far from God raised to life in Christ through the local church. It was over the next nine years that everything started to come together. In 2005, Pastor Steven and seven other families sold their homes, quit their jobs and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. On February 5, 2006, Elevation opened its doors with 121 people in attendance at the Providence High School Atrium. In just under seven years, God has moved in amazing ways and has used Elevation to change thousands of lives in the Charlotte area. Outreach Magazine has recognized elevation as one of the fastest growing churches in America! Through God's favor and a relentless pursuit of a singular mission, Elevation Church has experienced over 21,000 professions of faith and over 5,000 baptisms since our launch. From humble and sacrificial beginnings, God has placed his hand on Elevation Church, and we truly believe the best is yet to come.

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Beliefs Elevation Church aggressively reaches out to people who are far from God. Rather than run from culture, we have chosen to harness it to connect with people and show them God's timeless truths. Although our approach is anything but traditional, we believe in and maintain a conservative theological position. The Elevation church has similar beliefs to what we believe in the Church of Christ, here are some examples of what you will find on their website: The Bible - God wrote a book The Bible is God's Word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it was inspired by God, the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and is completely relevant to our daily lives. Trinity - God: Three in One God has existed in relationship with Himself for all eternity. He exists as one substance in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each possess equal power and authority. The Holy Spirit - God is always present His presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God's righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ. Salvation - God's only way The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and
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resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift from God, and it cannot be earned through our own efforts. The Church - God's design for community The Church is a local community of baptized believers unified through faith in Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ and obeying all of His commands, and it seeks to bring the Gospel to the world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. Truth verses Error The Church of Christ has biblical truth verses The Elevation Church with Biblical error even through some things are similar. The Church of Christ was started on the day of Pentecost AD33, The Elevation Church came on the scene in Charlotte after I was born, graduated hHigh sSchool, attended college, started my career, and even after the birth of my oldesthad my first child daughter. Way too late! The Bible in Acts 2:47 talks about how the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The Elevation Church only baptizes once a quarter in a mass form and, there is nothe plan of salvation is not explained or taught to those candidates before baptizebaptism. It is simply an I feel good about Jesus ceremony-taking place. The Elevation Church is not concerned about salvation. It does not teach how to make heaven their home when judgment is come but how to reach the number of people they can put in their seats. Per an article written by The Christian Post, a non Church of Christ publication stated that the Elevation Church is a numbers focused organization. Elevation Church hosted a 12-night "old-school revival," that ended Sunday night, and featured presentations from well-known pastors such as Ed Young, Perry Noble and T.D. Jakes. The event drew thousands of attendees
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but it also attracted critics, who raised important questions for the evangelical church. Steven Furtick, lead pastor of Elevation, has made it clear that his church's main goal is about reaching out to unbelievers. In fact, his church's list of core values called "The Code" states: "We Need Your Seat. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep." He told those attending the Code Orange Revival on night seven, "We're all about the numbers." Elevation has grown to six campuses in just six years and claims to have more than 10,000 people attending their services on any given Sunday. Conclusion Although Elevation is on the right track when it comes to focusing their efforts on evangelism and helping unbelievers know Christ, the plan of salvation is not a part of Elevations plan. The Bible instructs us to hear the word (Mark 12:29), believe it with all thy heart (Hebrews 11:6), Repent of our sins (Luke 13:3); Confess that Jesus is the son of God (Matthew 10:32), and Baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). The Elevation church does not mention these scriptures in order to lead unbelievers to Christ, but mentions, The Code is our core set of values at Elevation Church. It sets the tone and trajectory for how we get things done. If the mission is the compass, the code is the map that gives us direction. The code is not a biblical principle, but a man made concept that does not mention book, chapter and verse. References www. ElevationChurch.com Members of Elevation (Interview) The Christian Post (non Church of Christ)