Elevation is one of the fastest growing churches in the country. In the Outreach 100 list from 2018, the church ranked 7th with over 25,000 in attendance. I watched people line up early to make sure they had a seat.
You can see part of the line in the picture above.
The day I was there, they were celebrating their 13th anniversary. Carl Lentz from Hillsong NYC, was the guest speaker.
Children and family ministry is a high priority at the church. The staff and volunteers are very strategic in what they do.
I was able to attend their pre-service huddle. There was a spirit of prayer and expectation that God would move in people's lives.
I also quickly saw that they are reaching Millennials. In a day when many churches struggle to reach young families, Elevation is reaching thousands of Millennials.
I took some pictures of the kids' area and other parts of the church. I've added them in below if you'd like to see them.
What did I take away from the visit? What is Elevation Church doing to reach young adults and young couples? Here is my opinion.
Focus - they have clear core values, strategies and ministry philosophies.
Passion - the lead pastor, Steven Furtick, is a passionate pastor and leader. The staff and volunteers are as well and they keep the spiritual temperature in a healthy place.
Multi-site - they have established campuses across the region. This enables them to reach many more people since they are at more than one location. One of the campuses I visited was downtown and meets in a multi-purpose building.
Relationships - they have great opportunities for people to move from the crowd to a small group that will love them, care about them and help them grow spiritually.
Intentional discipleship - they have clear paths that help people grow in their faith.
Engaging worship - their worship team drew the congregation into the presence of God. I looked around and it was refreshing to see the majority of men engaged in the worship time. In most churches, most of the men don't sing. Not at Elevation. The men were engaged in worship.
A spirit of hospitality. Every where you went, there were smiling volunteers to help you and make you feel right at home.
If you are ever in the Charlotte area, stop by and attend their services. You will be blessed and encouraged as I was.
