No, this is not a hate piece, just the opposite. I actually like Elevation and have learned a lot from Pastor Furtick. That quote came from a guy in my church that recently moved to Charlotte, NC. Before he left, he asked me if I knew of any churches there that I would recommend. Having heard Steven Furtik at conferences and followed his blog for several years, Elevation was at the top of my list of recommendations.
Recently he was back in town for a visit. I asked him if he’d been to Elevation. I couldn’t wait to hear all about it. He said he made a visit but it wasn’t for him. I was shocked. It didn’t compute with me. It was hard for me to believe that the church I pastored was a place he’d like and Elevation wasn’t.
I think every pastor falls in to the trap of peer envy and idolatry. In the healthy pursuit of looking for role models and church models to learn from, somewhere along the way it takes a wrong turn. Role models become idolized and church models are placed on par with the authority of scripture. We begin to think, if I could preach like that guy and set my church up like this one, then perhaps I too can lead a thriving ministry.
Time and time again we hear the wisdom of those who say, “be yourself”, “be the pastor God wants you to be”, “plant the church God is calling you to plant”, and “if God wanted that guy to reach people in your community he’d have sent that guy, but God chose you”. We hear that and nod our head assuming it’s just a well meaning pep talk, but deep inside we don’t believe it.
When someone breaks your idol, it wakes you up. Maybe I’m not called to be the next Steven Furtick. Maybe God doesn’t want a church exactly like Elevation church in my city. Maybe, just maybe he wants me to be me and you to be you.
Share on FacebookRelated posts:
