Featured Elevation Church - Charlotte, NC

Thanks for the response SaggyWomana. What church do you belong to now?

 

Wow, great responses today. It does appear that the discussion drifts more to the church model rather than this specific church though.

I get a sense that much of the perception of this model is rooted in a paradigm of one pastor for a small congregation. There is nothing wrong with that but it is just one example of church and not the only way. That model simply does not work for congregations of hundreds and I seriously doubt that the early churches of the first century operated that way either.

While I am not a part of this church (and do have some reservations about it's structure), I do understand and am learning every day how it works so I can make an informed decision.


Sounds like a franchise operation!

That is not a bad description. In a similar way, that label could be applied to Methodist, Presbyterian, and many other churches. I suspect that the early churches established by Paul were too. Develop a successful model then duplicate it as much as possible.


This church's pastor seems closer to being a bishop, then anything else. If I could not get ahold of my pastor, I'd be hunting a church where I could.
Also, he seems to have waaaay too many oars in the H2O.

I agree that the preaching pastor (Furtick) is more like a bishop (if I really understand the term bishop). The campus pastors are more like any local church pastor. The folks at each campus can absolutely get hold and meet with their local pastor. As each campus grows, they do add more pastors. I believe most of the campuses now have an campus pastor, associate pastor, part-time children pastor, and a production person. The preaching pastor, Steven Furtick, focuses on preaching so he doesn't have to work so many oars. I have known small churches of 200 people where the lead pastor had too many oars in the water and had little time to prepare his sermons.


It was stated that they have campus pastors. If they don't preach - than it sounds like they are simply a PINO - pastor - in name only

I believe it is a small camp that holds to that definition. In fact, I don't recall ever meeting anyone saying that but that may help explain why some churches have a pastor that is great with outreach ministry but also expected to deliver great sermons which he is not gifted for. In those cases, both the church and the pastor suffers.

 

Sounds like Forest Pointe in Belmont or Bethlehem in Gastonia but I will not push since you do not want to disclose which is understandable. If I was part of a small group that met monthly, I would definitely be in another group that met weekly. Perhaps the best model is the group that meets for study every two weeks and meet to serve together in the weeks they are not studying.

 

Thanks Ann. Why would you ever consider the person on the screen that is just delivering the sermon the shepherd? The local campus pastor such as your husband is the shepherd. He is actually there, teaches classes, leads small groups, performs marriage and funeral ceremonies, answers questions from the local congregation, manages the other pastors at the local campus, leads local ministry and outreach projects, etc.. I am curious, is that not how it worked at your church?

PS
I understand some people do not want to catch a large high-defintion screen of a speaker. That is fine. I suppose these same people do not watch much televison or go to movies either. I know I prefer live in person but also understand people cannot be everywhere.

 

Exactly! The Apostles had this same challenge as described in the Book of Acts. The caring of people is delegated to people who are gifted for that and can manage it. Financial care shoudl be done by people who really understand money and shelter by people who understand how to get people in houses, apartments, or termporary housing.

 

You have to have proven that you’re the leader of your family.

So a single man who is trained to be a pastor and has moved away from his parents will not qualify.


The campus pastor can be tested to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The preaching pastor can be tested at the campus that he attends. I do wonder how the circuit preachers were tested when they often spent little time at each church.

I like John MacArthur but if he believes more than a small fraction of the ~10,000 attenders of his church really know him enough to "qualify" him, he is delusional. Most of the people in the audience when he preaches are watching the screens because they can see him better there. At Grace Church, there are many pastors because John MacArthur DOES NOT DO much of the shepherding that he speaks. His church is too big for that so there is a team of pastors. He very rarely does weddings, funerals, or counceling. If one of the sheep wanders away, it is NOT Pastor MacArthur that goes after them.

 

This thread is going off track from my intentions. It is beginning to sound like a discussion I heard on a small local Christian radio station about how amplified musical instruments should not be allowed because they are not found in scripture, only loose women go out in public with their heads uncovered, and how the KJV is the only real Bible translation in English.

 

I had never heard of it but it looks interesting on its website.. It does have a very good website.