Elevation Church Breaks the Mold of Tradition
By
Emily Manzik
It was not until Heidi’s parents
separated last year that she began a new chapter in her life.
The stress and the pain that resulted
from her family troubles encouraged her to look toward God for guidance.
Instead of returning to the Catholic Church that she was raised in, Heidi
stepped through the doors of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. for the first
time and came out as a new person.
“I was almost brought to tears during
the service,” said Heidi. “I felt like they spoke directly to me.”
Heidi is just one of 6,097 people
who committed to Elevation Church last year. Elevation is a nondenominational
church that preaches Christian beliefs in a way that attracts people from every
age level. Through its live performances, interactive sermons, social media
promotions, Elevation has taken faith to a whole new level.
Elevation has only been around since
2006 starting with eight families and now has seven locations across Charlotte,
NC with over 20,000 members.
The core of it all is Steven Furtick who
is the lead pastor and founder of Elevation Church.
“Our god is so incredible that he
can take a conclusion and turn it into an introduction,” said Pastor Furtick.
“That is why I worship him.”
The
Sound of Elevation
From the moment you walk through the
door of Elevation Church, a member of the usher team hands you an orange pen,
note paper, and earplugs. Then you are escorted to your seat, as you notice the
group of musicians with guitars and a drum set on stage. The choir of children
behind them is dancing, and singing into their microphones as the auditorium
comes alive with their sounds.
The Elevation Worship team is the
musicians that bring the church to life through their rock-concert-like performances.
With the assistance of giant screens
on either side of the stage, people are encouraged to dance and sing along with
the lyrics that are being displayed as the worship team delivers a high
intensity performance.
Since 2008, the worship team has
been writing and recording songs that tell the story of Elevation. They have
released nine albums that are all available on iTunes. Their most recent one, Nothing Is Wasted, was released in
February and has been giving a rating of four out of five stars on iTunes.
Extension
Sites Near You
Although Elevation Church has taken
off in Charlotte, N.C., there are multiple extension sites across the country
and in Canada, including ones at universities.
Opening in November of 2011, High
Point University is one of four university extension sites in the U.S. that
supports Elevation Church by having student volunteers coordinate services and
stream sermons to campus members.
“My goal for the site is that it will be
something that people see as new and it’s not maybe what you think it is,” said
sophomore Will Chambers, site coordinator at HPU. “And that everybody can come
no matter what background you are.”
Last semester, the HPU extension site
was averaging between 60-70 attendees per week. “I just want the site to be
something that everyone can come to together,” said Chambers.
In addition to the university extension
sites, Elevation also has big plans for the upcoming years including the
building of two new expansion projects totaling $7 million.
One location will open in Ballantyne, N.C.
that is planned to accommodate future offices and headquarters. The expansion
is anticipated to open in January of 2015.
The other project is a new location in
Lake Norman, N.C. that is planned to open in October of 2015.
Reaching
Out Through the Media
Using social media to spread the
word about Elevation Church has been a huge factor in the church’s journey. According
to Elevation’s Annual Report, 20 percent of the church’s new growth came from
social media sharing.
Through the Elevation website,
people all around the world have access to live sermons, podcast downloads,
Twitter feeds, and many other media outlets.
Even Pastor Furtick has his own
website where people can learn more about him and what he does for the church
being the backbone of the entire organization.
Elevation
Helps Heal Families
Since the divorce of her parents, Heidi
thanks Elevation Church for guiding her through the troubled times in family.
“Going to Elevation has brought me a lot
closer to God,” said Heidi. “It has helped me deal a lot better with my
parents’ divorce and understanding it through God’s word.”
Heidi had no idea how big Elevation
Church would become in such a small amount of time, however she is still an
active member to this day and continues to attend the service in Charlotte
every weekend.
“I hope to even get
more involved because just the foundation of the church has grown a lot and in
faith it means so much to me,” said Heidi. “They strive to help other people
instead of just themselves.”