62 :: Elevation Church

We worshipped at Elevation Church today. This was not an ordinary church experience. It was the worship event that is done to video tape sermon that Elevation will show on Sunday. It was the only time we have experienced anything like this.

Since the inception of this spiritual pivot, it was a foregone conclusion that Elevation Church would be on the list of churches I would visit. This is currently the megachurch of megachurches, not just in Charlotte, but across the world.

I have visited Elevation Church multiple times before. In past years, I would make a rare visit to other churches instead of going to my church, Selwyn Presbyterian. This was always on a rare Sunday when someone in my family felt under the weather such that church as a family was not an option. During those prior visits to Elevation Church, I was struck by how different the experience was compared to what I was accustomed to at a mainline church.

Since Elevation is local to Charlotte, I know many people who attend (or used to attend) Elevation Church. I think of my friend Zach, who is now in Brazil working on a mission to help street children. I also think of my friend Amanda with whom I do yoga. There's my friend Rob, an executive at Bank of America. Additionally, there is my friend Bill, with whom I have worked at multiple companies and actually who helped broker today's visit. 

These individuals are all spiritually awake people. If one can make any judgments about the quality of a church by the nature of its congregants, Elevation Church is definitely a place that makes strong Christians.

Elevation Church is a multi-racial congregation. The older norms of worship in the United States, especially in the Southeast, has been to ensure that white and black people worship separately. That expectation is breaking down rapidly and the decline of that mentality is only a positive thing. Elevation Church, like Freedom House, is a place that actually looks like Heaven, in that people from all communities worship together. 

Amen!

Years ago, Elevation Church met on Sundays in Providence High School's gymnasium (Beth's alma mater). My friend Bill attended Elevation Church back then. He has seen the full life cycle of growth that Elevation has undergone.

And Elevation Church certainly grew!

Before Covid, Elevation regularly had 35,000 people attend in person at their twenty-two locations, with thousands more participating via their "online campus."

In short, this has become a church of great magnitude, both locally and worldwide. 

As mentioned, this visit was thanks to my colleague and friend Bill E., whose wife is on Elevation Church's staff. 

We stood outside of the church on an uncharacteristically cold Wednesday in May. Eventually, those of us in the line were permitted into the church. 

I snapped a few pictures of the interior of this massive church, here are those:

The crowd worked their way into the large auditorium as we were ushered into socially distanced seats. There was an excited hum across the auditorium, as the attendees chatted with each other.

I took a few more pictures and a video, here are those:

Eventually, security came up to me and I was told not to use my camera any further. In the video, you can hear me talking to the security guy who told me it was important not to take pictures or video of Elevation Worship (the band) or Pastor Steven Furtick. I told him that this prohibition "makes perfect sense." That ended my recording of our experience.

Here is the video of Pastor Furtick' sermon. It is a full hour long, I recommend watching it.

Steven Furtick's sermon was interesting. I watched his technique, trying to determine what the special technique was that had made him so successful. I also listened to the content of the sermon.

Here are my observation on both his technique as well as his message...

Steven Furtick's technique was fascinating to observe. He has a commanding presence, which is a new thing for him. If you look at the pictures of Steven Furtick from only a few years ago, he was a rather diminutive person. He has since focused a great deal on working out and has become pretty powerful.

In addition to his commanding presence, he has a technique of wandering around the stage while giving his sermon. He paces back and forth as he makes his points. He does not read notes while giving his sermon, which enables this wandering nature.

He is also deeply emphatic when he speaks, often raising his voice to a shouting decibel. His body leans forward when he makes a major point. He points his index finger into the congregation when he makes a point with emphasis. And he claps his hands often before making a point where he wants everyone's attention.

It was really interesting to watch. As he gave the sermon, the crowd provided enthusiastic feedback. There was a great deal of clapping and verbal affirmation from the audience. One woman in the back was the most emphatic, as she repeatedly yelled, "Preach, Pastor! Preach!!"

As far as the content of the sermon, it definitely wandered in a very free-form fashion. Because of this, it defies a simple summary. I sense that Steven Furtick starts with a general outline of what he wants to communicate, and then more or less talks about whatever comes to his mind.

He made one point which stuck with me. This was the idea that God guards your destiny even when it is in its nascent state. He called those protected traits "Hidden Significances."

It made me ponder. 

We can all embrace God's purpose for our lives. Even if we don't know what that purpose is and what our futures may hold, we can take solace in the idea that God guards those things that He intends to use in the unfolding of our calling. At one point, he said something like - "Don't show your embryos." If you watch the whole video, you'll see that point conveyed. 

The point is that when God is doing something significant in your life, it may be good for that to remain hidden for a season.

This point really resonated with me. 

As I continue to move forward into the time when my calling will become clearer, I can look over my shoulder into the past. It is a tableau of both inspiration and difficulty, as is the case with most lives. What is different now is that I see with such clarity how God was protective of those parts of me that I would need to maintain so that I could become who I am meant to be. That includes ensuring that the pain of life never made me bitter or cynical.

And it hasn't. Nor will it ever, now.

Once the sermon was over, the crowd slowly dispersed. Everyone seemed highly energized by the service. And that ended a very unique experience. It was very much like attending a production event. In some ways, it was as much like seeing a television program filmed as it was about worshipping God.

As Beth and I drove away from Elevation Church, we discussed what we had seen. We both made the observation that it was very clear why Elevation Worship is such a relevant band. They are highly produced and give an excellent performance. It was also clear to us why Steven Furtick has made an impact in the way that he has. He conveys very accessible ideas to his listeners, and he does so in an engaging way.

Overall, I am accustomed to a live sermon with an actual person and expect we will always go to a church that has that. As such, Elevation Church and the other churches that are increasingly leveraging video sermons will not appeal as much to us in our future. With that said, Elevation Church reaches millions of people around the globe every week. This is important and I am glad that there are such entities. 

Thanks to Elevation Church for such an experience as this. Really interesting!