Elevation Year In Review

Summary

Elevation Year In Review

Elevation with Steven Furtick
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Release Date: December 30, 2024

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Introduction

In the "Elevation Year In Review" episode of the Elevation with Steven Furtick podcast, hosted by iHeartPodcasts and Elevation Church, Pastor Steven Furtick and his wife, Holly Furtick, along with key ministry leaders, reflect on the remarkable achievements and milestones of Elevation Church in 2024. They explore the growth in worship, outreach, campus expansions, impactful sermons, and personal stories that highlight the church's journey and future aspirations.

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Worship Ministry: A Year of Musical Growth

The episode opens with a celebration of Elevation Worship's significant contributions over the past year. Holly Furtick emphasizes the profound impact Elevation Worship has had on both local and global communities.

Notable Highlights:

• Album Releases: Chris Brown, Elevation Worship's leader, shares excitement over releasing the church's 17th worship album, highlighting "When Wind Meets Fire" as a standout favorite. The album has been pivotal in connecting people to the church's mission.

  "I can't believe we're almost 20 years in. We released our 17th worship album. Maybe 18th, 19th if you could see it."
  — Chris Brown [04:04]

• Song Impact: The team discusses how songs like "God is Not Against Me" have transcended sermons to become integral parts of both worship sessions and written works.

  "Jesus says in John 10, he says, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."
  — Steven Furtick [00:55]

• Upcoming Projects: Introduction of a new project, Sons of Sunday (SOS), a collaborative effort with artists like Brandon Lake and Chandler Moore, promising a fresh wave of worship music.

  "Sons of Sunday. The secret is Sons of Sunday SOS. We've been leaking, and it's coming soon."
  — Chris Brown [08:45]

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Outreach and Community Impact

Elevation Church has significantly expanded its outreach efforts, demonstrating a commitment to serving both local and global communities.

Key Achievements:

• Elevation Nights: Over 160,000 attendees participated in Elevation Nights, a series of worship events combined with Pastor Steven’s teachings, fostering a sense of community and spiritual growth.

  "We saw, what, 16 cities with Elevation Nights this past year. It was incredible."
  — Chris Brown [11:20]

• Pop-Up Events: Conducted 12 pop-up baptisms across the United States, leading to the baptism of over 1,500 individuals, showcasing the church’s dedication to evangelism and personal transformation.

  "This year we've been able to do 12 pop ups and we're all over the United States. We baptized over 1,500 people."
  — Britt Atkins [14:32]

• Disaster Response: Mobilized swiftly during natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and Milton, distributing essential supplies and providing support, highlighting the church’s preparedness and compassionate response.

  "When a disaster happens, we're ready with funds. You don't have to wonder, should I give to this organization?"
  — Holly Furtick [22:11]

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Campus Expansion: Establishing Permanent Presence

Elevation Church focused on establishing permanent campuses in key locations, ensuring sustained ministry and community presence.

Milestones:

• New Campuses: Opened Belmont and Columbia campuses, celebrating with events that saw significant attendance and spiritual milestones, including first baptisms in new locations.

  "We were able to open up Belmont. Columbia celebrated Christmas in their new building."
  — Chet Pete [24:06]

• Upcoming Locations: Plans to launch Greenville and Uptown campuses in summer 2025, with Raleigh, North Carolina, already breaking ground, signaling continued growth and commitment to new communities.

  "Greenville will be opening up hopefully summer 2025. Uptown should be opening summer of 2025."
  — Chet Pete [25:24]

• Personal Stories: Highlighting Isaiah's baptism in Raleigh before construction begins, emphasizing the mission-driven focus of the church's expansion.

  "The beauty of this picture is before we break ground, we already had a baptism."
  — Chet Pete [25:24]

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Sermon Highlights: Transformative Messages

Pastor Steven Furtick delivered a series of impactful sermons throughout 2024, each resonating deeply with the congregation and beyond.

Highlighted Sermons:

• "Me and God Getting Back Together" & "Breaking the Bondage of Wrong Belief": Focusing on Gideon's story from Judges 6, these sermons delved into self-perception versus God's view, urging listeners to break free from limiting beliefs.

  "What wrong beliefs do we need to break up with to move forward and see ourselves as God does?"
  — Chris Brown [29:05]

• "Something in Between": An Easter sermon exploring the duality of emotions—fear and joy—highlighting the authentic journey of faith.

  "I stand before you today, excited and afraid... I'm never all of both. I'm something in between."
  — Steven Furtick [35:25]

• "In Tune with the Grace of God": Emphasizing the importance of aligning one's heart with God's truth, this sermon provided practical steps for personal spiritual growth.

  "Pause, tune, praise, repeat."
  — Holly Furtick [40:30]

Impactful Quotes:

• Steven Furtick:

  "Peace that comes from priorities."
  [32:00]

  "God gave it to me."
  [28:19]

• Holly Furtick:

  "No breakup, no breakthrough."
  [32:03]

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Personal Reflections and Community Stories

The conversation between Pastor Steven, Holly, and ministry leaders is rich with personal anecdotes and testimonies that illustrate the transformative power of faith and community.

Stories Shared:

• Team Collaboration: The creation of the Sons of Sunday project exemplifies teamwork and creative collaboration among worship leaders and pastors.

  "We got together in September, and we recorded so many songs... It's coming soon."
  — Chris Brown [08:49]

• Egroup Studies: Engagement in egroup studies, particularly around the book "Do the New You", fostered deeper connections and spiritual growth within the congregation.

  "We unpacked these mindsets and really got them into our hearts to live them out."
  — Chad Zolo [19:07]

• Generosity and Impact: Holly Furtick shares her pride in the church's year-end offerings, highlighting how congregational generosity fuels ongoing and future ministries.

  "Your generosity is a powerful testimony of the impact that we're making together."
  — Holly Furtick [44:33]

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Looking Ahead: Plans for 2025

As Elevation Church approaches its 20th year of ministry, the leaders express excitement and anticipation for the upcoming year, filled with new projects, expansions, and continued spiritual growth.

Future Initiatives:

• College Year Celebration: February will mark the 19th and 20th years of ministry, with plans for extensive celebrations throughout the year.

  "In February, we will celebrate our 19th but launch our 20th year of ministry."
  — Holly Furtick [44:33]

• Continued Growth: With new campuses and worship projects on the horizon, Elevation Church is poised for significant expansion and deeper community engagement.

  "2025 is gonna be incredible. We're making plans to celebrate big all year long."
  — Holly Furtick [44:33]

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Closing Thoughts

The episode concludes with heartfelt gratitude towards the Elevation Church community for their unwavering support and generosity. Pastor Steven and Holly encourage listeners to reflect on the past year, revisit favorite sermons, and look forward to the promising future ahead.

Final Quotes:

"Let's step into this new year with our hearts full of faith and expectation."
— Holly Furtick [44:33]

"Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry."
— Steven Furtick [47:11]

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Key Takeaways

• Worship and Music: Elevation Worship continues to lead with impactful albums and innovative projects like Sons of Sunday, enhancing global outreach through music.
• Outreach Efforts: Significant strides in outreach, including Elevation Nights and pop-up baptisms, demonstrate the church's commitment to serving and expanding its community.
• Campus Expansion: Strategic establishment of permanent campuses in new locations underscores the church’s dedication to long-term ministry and community presence.
• Sermon Impact: Pastor Steven’s sermons this year have provided deep spiritual insights and practical applications, resonating profoundly with listeners.
• Community and Generosity: The church's growth and impact are fueled by the generosity and active participation of its members, fostering a strong, supportive community.

For more information or to get involved, visit Elevation Church or download the Elevation App.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "I have decided to follow Jesus. I know. I feel like a kid again or something."
  — Holly Furtick [06:23]

• "Peace that only comes from priorities."
  — Steven Furtick [32:00]

• "No breakup, no breakthrough."
  — Holly Furtick [32:03]

• "We are something in between. We need Jesus in between."
  — Chad Zolo [38:32]

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This year-end review encapsulates the vibrant life of Elevation Church, highlighting a year of growth, community, and divine impact. As the church moves into 2025, the foundation built in 2024 sets the stage for even greater achievements and spiritual milestones.

Transcript

[Steven Furtick]

Hey, this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. I thank you that one thought of you today, one thought can change the way we see ourselves. When God puts something significant in me, the enemy sends something significant after me.

[Holly Furtick]

Find your tambourine and figure out how to praise even in the waiting.

[Steven Furtick]

And the proof that I know that God still has something amazing ahead for your life is that you're still here.

[Holly Furtick]

Hi, everyone. Welcome to church. I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas. I hope that you were surrounded by the people that you love. I hope that all of the amazing foods that you love because you know calories don't count on Christmas. I hope that you had time to rest and nap and enjoy the peace that this season brings. Now, this is the one Sunday of the year where our entire church is Epham. So I wanna see the comments flying right now. Let us know where you are joining from. Maybe say hello to someone else in the chat that's not from your state. Pastor Steven and I are continually amazed at the people that God has brought together across the world who make up the people of Elevation Church. And it is the honor of a lifetime to get to do ministry with you. Today is evident that you are finishing the year strong. You're making church a priority and that is something to celebrate. Cause 2024 has been an immeasurably more year for our church. We have seen some truly incredible bless. We've reached new communities all around the world. We've continued to be a resource for those in need. And we have seen thousands of lives transformed. The impact of our church and our ability to share the hope of the gospel is greater than Pastor Steven and I could have ever thought possible. And that is because of you. You give so generously of your time and your gifts and you keep doing your part. And God continues to move. You know, Jesus says in John 10, he says, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. And as we continue to be the church, we get to experience the fullness of life that God has promised us. Looking back on 2024, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the ways that we have seen God move. And. And as we look ahead to 2025, I'm filled with expectation, knowing that even greater things are yet to come. So today I thought it would Be fun to take a moment to reflect on the incredible moments from the past year and then maybe take a peek ahead to all of the amazing things that God has for us in the year to come. And I thought that I would invite some friends to join us. It's gonna be a great time, a great conversation. I'm glad that you're here. So let me introduce to you some of my friends. These are all familiar faces, but I just want to give you a formal introduction. This is Chris Brown, who you probably know from elevation worship. And then we've got Britt Atkinsola in the middle here, who is our ministries pastor, Pastor Chad Zolo, our online pastor. You all know him. And Pastor Chet Pete, who is our UC University City Shout out campus pastor. We've got to talk about worship first because this was an incredible, incredible year for elevation worship.

[Chris Brown]

It sure was. I can't believe we're, what, almost 20 years in.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

We released our 17th worship album. Maybe 18th, 19th if you could see it. Exactly, exactly.

[Holly Furtick]

That's a long story.

[Chris Brown]

All these years in almost two decades. It's crazy how God allows our ministry to go places that we may physically never show up or set our feet, but the word of God goes there, and a lot of times that's happening through our.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah. I feel like there are so many people who have found our church through elevation worship.

[Chris Brown]

It's incredible. So grateful. It was a crazy year. When Wind Meets Fire.

[Holly Furtick]

Okay, I have to say, I think When Wind Meets Fire is my favorite elevation worship album.

[Chris Brown]

It's incredible. People ask me, what's my favorite song? Or what's my favorite album? The favorite album answer is always, what's the most recent one than we just did. So I agree. It's my favorite, too.

[Britt Atkins]

But for good reason, though. Favorite song.

[Chris Brown]

See? Well, see, it's a new skip album. It is. I know, but you gotta have a favorite. We might get there, but I'll say, sure been good.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah, sure been good.

[Chris Brown]

Sure been good to the day I die.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah, me too.

[Chet Pete]

I want to just ask, are the albums and the songs, are they like your kids? Like, you know, you can't choose a favorite. I have a favorite. I take favorite.

[Steven Furtick]

Kids.

[Chet Pete]

I have a favorite. I'm gonna say it.

[Chris Brown]

You're lying.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah.

[Chet Pete]

Say it. I wanna say it.

[Holly Furtick]

Wait, you have a favorite kid or favorite song?

[Chet Pete]

Both. Oh.

[Chris Brown]

Oh, okay.

[Britt Atkins]

All right.

[Chet Pete]

I'm not gonna say it. I'm not gonna say it.

[Chris Brown]

No. When Wind Meets Fire, though, the song, it's. It's a rock opera. We got, like, God is not against me is on there. Which was what? A sermon.

[Holly Furtick]

A sermon.

[Chris Brown]

And it turned into a song that.

[Holly Furtick]

Also made a chapter in a book.

[Chris Brown]

Exactly.

[Holly Furtick]

And one of the mindsets, I mean, it wasn't just a chapter, it was like a section in the book.

[Chris Brown]

Absolutely. I mean, new thing coming, which is so fun. Also, I mean, what a great song to end one year. Kick off the narrative. So many great songs. I can't believe it. 17th album.

[Holly Furtick]

I can't believe it either.

[Chris Brown]

It's incredible. Also, I mean, we gotta shout out rhythm for Goodbye Yesterday. How good is that song?

[Chet Pete]

It's amazing.

[Chad Zolo]

It's so good.

[Britt Atkins]

So good.

[Chris Brown]

Also actually another perfect song to end one year. That is true. That's true.

[Holly Furtick]

I love worshiping you. That song, it just makes me so happy.

[Chris Brown]

Same.

[Holly Furtick]

And you start like shouting, I have decided to follow Jesus. I know. I feel like a kid again or something.

[Chet Pete]

At a youth, I mean like at a rhythm night. And to hear our youth declaring that.

[Chad Zolo]

Yep.

[Holly Furtick]

But then to see it on a Sunday morning in Valentine's Day. And I mean it like resonates with everyone.

[Chris Brown]

They're going strong.

[Chad Zolo]

It goes crazy.

[Chris Brown]

Also, I mean, selfishly, I'll shout out praise too. Cause praise just kept doing. We released it well over a year ago. Like not this year, but it just, just kept reaching more people. So the way God's working through our ministry, how he's using the songs, it's incredible.

[Holly Furtick]

Incredible. I think we have a clip.

[Chris Brown]

Well, let's, let's show it.

[Chad Zolo]

Let's check this out.

[Unknown]

You show finger fighting for me, God. God is not against me. Praise. Sing it to Jesus. This is the moment when fire, another stone is rolling in the room right now. You were always on time. Get ready for another one, cuz another one is on the way. Great is great is your faithfulness. What I call it possible is easy for you. It's gonna come all of a sudden.

[Holly Furtick]

Incredible.

[Chris Brown]

Amazing. Amazing. How many good songs?

[Holly Furtick]

So love that many song after song after song. I just. I'm blown away. Okay, so Chris, one of the things I want to put people on the spot that are on the sofa. And I want to know, are there any secrets?

[Chris Brown]

Oh, I love secrets.

[Holly Furtick]

2025. This is what I want to know. Are there any secrets that the people watching today can get from you?

[Chris Brown]

All right, all right. So let me share a little story.

[Holly Furtick]

Okay. I love stories.

[Chris Brown]

May of this year, I got a phone call. I think you happen to be in the car.

[Holly Furtick]

Okay.

[Chris Brown]

I got a phone call from your husband, Pastor Steven. And he says you know, all these songs that have been sitting on our phones, we've never recorded them. We've never sung them in church. We've never figured out what do we want to do with them. I got the idea. What we need to do is get our friends together. Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, Leland Pat, the two of us, and let's just have fun and let's record these and let's start a new group. A new. A boy band, if you will. But not really a boy band, but.

[Holly Furtick]

A new man band.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

20, 24, 25 man band, and it's gonna be called Sons of Sunday. The secret is Sons of Sunday SOS So we got together in September, and we recorded so many songs in this amazing little chapel. And we banged on pianos and guitars and tambourines, and we cried and we laughed, and we lost our voices. And we recorded so many songs. And it's gonna come out in full album form. Brand new album, all new songs. People have not heard, but it's coming. Sons of Sunday. I'll tell you what you need to do. You actually need to go on socials right now and search up Sons of Sunday, because, I mean, we kind of have been leaking.

[Holly Furtick]

You're gonna see some of it.

[Chris Brown]

We've been leaking.

[Holly Furtick]

And then you'll know when it's out.

[Chris Brown]

Exactly.

[Holly Furtick]

And every song is so good. And I. Okay. Do we have a little.

[Chet Pete]

I was gonna say we have a little teaser.

[Holly Furtick]

We have a little teaser.

[Chris Brown]

All right. So the secret's out.

[Chad Zolo]

Okay.

[Holly Furtick]

Secret's out. Check this out.

[Chet Pete]

When the Holy Ghost gets a hold.

[Unknown]

Of you there's no telling what you.

[Chet Pete]

Liable to do no telling what you allow me to do Might get fired up, you might get free but if you rock on water don't pour Y'all want it on me I got the.

[Unknown]

Holy Ghost now burning up okay.

[Britt Atkins]

We need more than that.

[Chet Pete]

I can't wait.

[Chris Brown]

That's all you get right now.

[Holly Furtick]

So sometime in 2025.

[Chris Brown]

I'll say sometime. Very.

[Holly Furtick]

Okay. And then, of course, Elevation Worship's on tour.

[Chris Brown]

We saw, what, 16 cities with elevation nights this past year. And it was incredible. Nights of ministry. And then we're headed right back out in February of this year. Eight more cities in February. Can't wait to see what God does.

[Holly Furtick]

I mean, Tor is amazing. And the thing that I love about Tor is it's not just Elevation Worship. It's like Elevation Church came to your town. It is. And filled an arena. Exactly. And so you get, like, all your favorite songs, and then you get a word from Pastor Steven. And you get Efam, you know, in the. Not the lobby, but, like, whatever it's called. The Concourse.

[Britt Atkins]

Concourse.

[Holly Furtick]

You get to meet Chad, and all of our EFAM gets to come together, and they're just such incredible nights. And we're going back out again, and I'm so excited. Do we have the dates? Oh, we got another video. We got another video. All right, all right. Check this out. Here's Elevation Nights.

[Unknown]

I can see a cloud every breath, and it looks like revival.

[Britt Atkins]

It's amazing because this last time, we had, I think, over 160,000 people who showed up this year. And it is crazy. I mean, you were saying it, but to gather in person, a lot of these people are part of our E. Fam who watch online, and so to get everybody in a room together is crazy. One of the things I love that we do, though, is when we get to meet with a lot of Efam people who call Elevation Church their family out in the concourse. As you were saying, we have these little stations set up, and people stop by. But what Britt gets to do a lot of times share with you, like your little station that you have, it's awesome.

[Chad Zolo]

It's so special. My favorite thing that we get to do is we have an area where we get to pray with you, and so you can write a prayer request down. And even to this day, if you've written a request down, we're still praying for you. We have our teams here.

[Chet Pete]

Amazing.

[Chad Zolo]

That pray over you, your family, or whatever it is that you need prayer for. And so you mentioned it. It's a night of ministry, and it goes deeper than just, like, a room full of people. We love the opportunity to see the individual people and their needs and then align our faith with you and what you need to see God do in your life.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah, y.

[Chris Brown]

And we're. We're pouring out as a ministry into people. But I will say how much I feel like I get filled when I get to read testimonies or, you know, read the cards that someone wrote a prayer request down and then months later, have, in fact heard the testimony how God answered that prayer or getting to meet people even there. We've. We've done that backstage and gotten to hear personally from them how, you know, one of our songs carried them through a sleepless night. And that's just. I mean, that's so fueling. And it's like, I have no business being in the position I am, but thank you, Jesus, that we just get to be a part of A ministry like this.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah. And we're not just at our campuses and on tour, but we also do pop ups. Tell us a little bit about pop ups.

[Britt Atkins]

I mean, pop ups have been amazing. We've been doing these for a few years now. And it actually started kind of right out of COVID We were like, well, everybody's watching online now. Can we actually take church to people on Sunday? It's not an event. It's just literally we bring some of the Elevation worship crew and we get people from all over the world who say, hey, I'd love to be baptized. I'd love to take that step. And we thought, well, let's bring a baptism tank to that and let's do baptisms.

[Chad Zolo]

Let's go.

[Britt Atkins]

So this year we've been able to do 12 pop ups and we're all over the United States. We wrapped up this year in Los Angeles. We've seen over 15,000 people join with us at these events, which is nuts. And we've got the opportunity to baptize over 1500 people.

[Holly Furtick]

That's incredible. It is.

[Britt Atkins]

It is absolutely incredible. And every stop, it just never ceases to blow our mind. There's people lining up around the building. But what's cool is every place that we go, it's like, it feels like church. It feels like this is family.

[Holly Furtick]

It's like one of our campuses.

[Britt Atkins]

Yes. And we really try to make it feel that way from, you know, if you attend a campus, we want you to come and attend one of these and think, I want you to see the banner. And it's like, oh, that's my church. They're here. And so as people are coming in, you're seeing familiar faces, but it's people who are part of this family. And so just the opportunity that we get. I'm always so blown away. Like you said, who are we that we get to travel around and do this? Like, to be able to go to a place and bring church like this to where so many of you are.

[Holly Furtick]

One of my favorite things that we did in 2024 was my husband released a book, and it was his first book in eight years. And the book was called do the New youw. And the book, I mean, besides like, releasing it to the world and like, all the things that came along with it, I just so loved this book. Like, I'm just continually blown away at how God continues to use our pastor's words. So it could be when he's preaching, it could be through the songs that he's writing or through the Words of a book. And this particular book, he gave us the six mindsets and then the chapters within the mindsets. And it was. I mean, it was just so much fun to get to read that book and release it and to hear people talking about it and to hear how it was ministering to all of you. And I don't know any of you guys.

[Chet Pete]

We do have to thank God for the way that he used your voice. Because if we remember.

[Chad Zolo]

Oh, I remember.

[Chet Pete]

If we remember. Pastor wasn't.

[Britt Atkins]

Church.

[Chet Pete]

And I mean, by the power of the holly holy Spirit, God. God used your voice to be able to.

[Holly Furtick]

Well, it was special for me because, you know, like, everybody needs moments where you feel like, oh, God does hear my prayers. God does answer prayers. And it was like one of those moments. And we shared the story many times where, you know, I had just been praying. Like, we'd had many conversations, and we had this one. Like, I wouldn't say it was a fight, but it was. It was a little heated conversation.

[Chet Pete]

Intense fellowship.

[Holly Furtick]

Intense. Yeah. And I just felt, you know, like, that's enough. Like, when, you know, sometimes when you're having a conversation with somebody that you really love and you're really trying to push them, but then you know that, like, you've said enough and it's time to just move on. And so whenever that happens to me, I have said enough to that person. But then I know that I can say all my things to God. And so. So I just kept leaving it with God. And then it just happened, and we got to release the book. And it's so good. If you haven't read do the New youw, you have to get a copy. We're leaving all the links, by the way. Everything that we talk about in the description. If you're looking for a link, it's gonna be right there. So if you want a link to the album, you want a link to do the New youw, it's everywhere. Books are sold, and it's so incredible. And so then we got to do an egroup study we did with do the New youw. And that was such an incredible. I mean. I mean, so many people in our church are part of an egroup now. If you're not a part of an egroup, it doesn't matter where you live. We have egroups for everyone, every age, every area. We have groups that meet in person, groups that meet virtual. And mostly our groups discuss the sermons. And what was cool about do the New youw is that it was like everything overlapped, like we had a song. We had the sermons every week. We had the book to discuss, and then we had egroups that were discussing all of it. And it was such a great moment.

[Chad Zolo]

Fun fact, about 12,000 people in our church. I'd love to know who you are. Like, went through this study together. So it was also such a special, unifying time in our church. But we did. We unpacked these mindsets. I love. If you've been around, maybe you've heard us say this. Egroups make our church, a big church, feel small. And so it's one thing to hear it. It's another thing to unpack it and make it personal in your life. And that's what we got to do for these six weeks together. And so we got to take them to another level, really get them in our hearts that we can really live them out. And so we loved our time together, and it was just really special.

[Holly Furtick]

It really was.

[Chad Zolo]

You led us so well through it, too. Thank you.

[Holly Furtick]

We did videos for that one.

[Chad Zolo]

I'm like, every single one of us were a part of that one of those videos.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah, that's true.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah. It was a really special time again.

[Holly Furtick]

Oh, it's awesome. And I just. I love the egroups of our church because it's a place where I feel like God can take what he's speaking to you when you listen to the sermon, but it takes. It's like the roots go deeper when you are able to discuss it with other people and you hear other people processing what God is speaking to them and you, and it just solidifies what God is speaking. And so I just think it's so powerful. And you can still be a part of an E group at elevation. There'll be a link in the description. Okay. Other fun things that have gone on. Tell us a little bit about outreach.

[Chad Zolo]

Okay. You've said this, Pastor Holly, and it has stuck with me. You said that if egroups are what make a big church feel small.

[Holly Furtick]

Yes.

[Chad Zolo]

Then outreach is what makes a big church feel big. And that is so true. Outreach is such a special part of our ministry because it really is one of the areas where we get to live out our faith in. I feel like if you've been a part of it, then you know that you've walked through this all year long. I mean, we do everything from Dream Week. We kick off the year strong with Outreach Love Week. I mean, and then we also, like, go into, like. You guys remember the response that we did with Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton?

[Holly Furtick]

What was crazy Was like, in my mind, I thought we were just gonna be asking our campuses to show up and bring stuff. But Efam was like, oh, no, you're not doing this without us. And so you thought he created an Amazon wish list. And I don't know if anybody remembers this, but the Amazon guy, we did this video. It made me cry. Cause the amaz Amazon delivery man was like, we haven't seen this many packages since the week before Christmas last year, and they were all being delivered here. And yet, like, it was so incredible because, you know, we're a big church, and sometimes you need to feel how big it is. And it was like mobilizing an army of people who were like, I'll send something. I'll sort something. I'll deliver something. I mean, it was so.

[Chad Zolo]

And immediately, like, you guys showed up immediately. I know. I mean, we just started getting, like, packages and people showing up, giving their time. And it was such a powerful time to just be like, this is the church.

[Holly Furtick]

And it made me so proud of our church, because I feel like it was a moment where we got to see how all of the strategic systems that we've been building and how all year it was like, everything sort of culminated. Because, you know, we say this all the time, but 12% of every dollar given to Elevation Church goes to our outreach efforts. And so when a disaster happens, we're ready with funds. You don't have to wonder, should I give to this organization? Is this, you know, somebody who's being honest with you already give to your church, so, you know that your church is gonna support whatever it is. But then throughout the year, we have events where we're whatever, you know, Love week or the dream weekend where we're packing backpacks or we're making flood cats. And so then whenever disaster happens, we're ready. We emptied out our warehouse.

[Chad Zolo]

We did.

[Holly Furtick]

And it was just. I was so proud to be a part of Elevation and Elevation Outreach, and to be able to represent our church in that moment was really special.

[Chet Pete]

I love how our church shows up in these moments where it's these national disasters. But I think sometimes people don't realize that there's outreach events happening all the time. Like, you know, we've had people going back and forth to Asheville since that weekend. Like, it wasn't just the one time, and they left. I'm proud of the way that our church continues to show up. So these big moments where we have to show up. But then throughout the week, whether it's like meeting with schools or Feeding teachers breakfast and things like that. So just the heart of our church, showing up. It's happening all the time. All the time, all the time, all the time. So we get to do both in the moments that it's desperate and we got to show up. And then when it's just showing up for people on a day to day basis, our church does that too.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah. All right. So God is expanding so many areas of our church. Chet, tell us about some of the really fun things that we have coming in 2025 and some of the things that we accomplished in 2024.

[Chet Pete]

Well, one of the strategies that, you know, we implemented, I guess, a few years ago was that we just really wanted to be focused on having some permanency in the communities that we were in. So we just wanted to focus on what campuses were we setting up and tearing down, and maybe we were at the whim of the school or whether or not we could have church that weekend or do an event. And because of the generous people of our church, we were able to really start to be aggressive at looking for facilities that we would be able to go in, renovate, or buy land to build so that Elevation Church could be permanent in that community. So at the end of last year, we were able to open up Belmont. And so they just had a full year of ministry. And then Columbia was able to celebrate Christmas in their new building this year.

[Holly Furtick]

So amazing.

[Chet Pete]

Taylor and Nikki Scheidel, they had a parking lot party.

[Holly Furtick]

I saw it. I saw it.

[Chet Pete]

They planned for 300 people to come just to have a night to be able to worship before they opened up the building. A thousand people showed up.

[Holly Furtick]

That's insane.

[Chet Pete]

They had 10 salvations that night in the parking lot before we even opened up the building at Columbia. And so, okay, so then coming into 2025, Greenville. Greenville will be opening up hopefully summer 2025. Then we have Uptown who should be opening summer of 2025.

[Holly Furtick]

We got a really cool location uptown.

[Chet Pete]

Really cool location. When you step out on the foyer, you're able to look up and see the skyline of the city of Charlotte. That's pretty amazing. And then Toronto East. Toronto east was a new campus that we actually launched this year. No, no, no. I apologize. It was at the end of last year that we launched Toronto East. God's doing so much in Toronto. Last but not least, Raleigh. Raleigh, North Carolina. We purchased land in Raleigh and have been working hard over really the last year and a half to be able to push through permits and all of those things to get it done. But we're finally able to start breaking ground in Raleigh. But one of the things I wanted to highlight with Raleigh, I got a picture of Isaiah being baptized. This is on the ground where we're going to be building Elevation Raleigh. Here's the beauty. Beauty of this picture is before we break ground, we already had a baptism. And the more that I think about this, I think about the mission of our church so that people far from God would be raised to life in Christ. And so, yes, we're talking about these buildings. You're seeing some of the renderings and all of that. But what we're really excited about is the ministry that's going to be happening in these walls. I just want to thank all of you who faithfully give at Elevation Church so that when an opportunity like this opens up.

[Chad Zolo]

That's right.

[Chet Pete]

We're able to jump on it.

[Holly Furtick]

That's right.

[Chet Pete]

We have resources set aside. We can get ahead of projects because of your generosity, to be able to jump in and see what God can do through our church.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah. And I love how when people give, it's this spirit of, like. Well, this ministry has touched my life so much. And even though I attend a campus, you know, like University City, that is already a permanent location, the generous spirit of. I want other people to experience that, too. I want to create a seat somewhere else. It's just such a beautiful thing to see. When we come together, I mean, it's another way that a big church feels big. Because when every gift matters, because when we pull all of our gifts together, God is able to do miracles. Before we leave, I have to spend some time talking about some of the amazing sermons that we heard just this year, 2024. Now, I looked last night, I looked at a list of all of Pastor Steven's sermons just in. 24. Just the titles. And I was blown away. I was like, how does this man do this? I preached three, four. I preached four baby sermons.

[Chad Zolo]

They were good.

[Britt Atkins]

Okay.

[Steven Furtick]

They were good.

[Holly Furtick]

Okay. But. But this man preached, like, 35 times. That's true. And his titles are brilliant. And they come together. And we had, you know, we had do the New youw. We had Ghost Rider series. We had the series that was towards the end of the year. I don't know if it ever got a name, but, you know, it was like, God is. Oh, now I can't remember all of them.

[Chet Pete]

God will work it in.

[Holly Furtick]

God will work it in.

[Chet Pete]

God gave it to me.

[Holly Furtick]

Oh, can you do a mop?

[Chet Pete]

Don't challenge me.

[Holly Furtick]

We do need to have God's got the hard part.

[Chet Pete]

God's got the hard part.

[Holly Furtick]

And then the last one, I'm cheating. I'm looking at my nose. Oh, God gave it to me.

[Chet Pete]

God gave it to me.

[Holly Furtick]

I mean, those were incredible messages that we ended the year with, but we started the year strong. And so I had everybody in this room come with their favorite sermon, and we're just gonna watch a clip and chat about them. Chris?

[Chris Brown]

Yep.

[Holly Furtick]

What was your favorite sermon of the year?

[Chris Brown]

All right. So I mean, also kind of like picking favorite kids.

[Holly Furtick]

Yes, Totally.

[Chris Brown]

For the exercise.

[Holly Furtick]

Totally.

[Chris Brown]

In August, he preached. Had two. Two titles. Me and God getting back together.

[Holly Furtick]

Got back together.

[Chris Brown]

Got back together. And breaking the bondage of wrong belief.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

So it's in Judges 6. He's talking about Gideon. Gideon's hiding in a winepress because the nation of Israel has been in captivity for seven years. And God shows up. Gideon's feeling like a wimp. And God. The first thing God says to him is, hey, mighty warrior.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

So he's feeling a certain kind of way. God doesn't speak to how he's feeling. God speaks to how God sees him.

[Chad Zolo]

That's right.

[Chris Brown]

And then this is really where pastor spent most of the time. Then the first thing God asked him to act on is go and tear down the altar of your father, of baal, of your father. And so the question that pastor kind of kept coming back to was, what wrong beliefs do we need to break up with in order to move forward and see ourselves as God does?

[Chet Pete]

So good.

[Chris Brown]

So, I mean, kind of kind of a perfect way as we step into a new year. Like what? Old mindsets have no business going into 2025 with us.

[Holly Furtick]

I think we have a clip. Let's check this out.

[Steven Furtick]

I see some people I preach to. You're trying to build your life back. You're trying to build your hope back. You're trying to build your business back. You're trying to build your family back. You're trying to build your sobriety back. You had 81 days, and now you're back on day two. But that's okay, because as you are trying to build it back, God wants to show you something that will make sure this time you build it. What you build will stand the test of the battle you face. If all I do is build an altar while Pastor Steven is preaching, and if all I do is say, okay, I'm going to stack some new habits and I'm going to do some new things, and okay, the Lord is peace, I found out something you Cannot have God's peace and keep it without having God's priorities. God's peace without God's priorities is always temporary. The kind of peace you've been seeking in your life, craving, in your life, crying out for in your life that kind of peace, that permanent peace, that storm speaking peace that lay your head on the pillow of a lion's mane kind of peace. Peace that I'm in a fire but I see the fourth man kind of peace. The kind of peace that can know that greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. And there's more with us than with them. And I don't have to be afraid about any of it. That kind of peace only comes from priorities.

[Chris Brown]

Yeah. How good?

[Holly Furtick]

Look, I wrote this in my notes. I thought this was so powerful. No breakup, no breakthrough. And it's like until you break up with those habits, with those ways of thinking, with those, like you said, those mindsets that you've believed about yourself that aren't true, until you break up with those things, you don't get to have breakthrough. And we all want breakthrough, but a lot of times we don't want to do the work that it takes to get that breakthrough. And it was just such a convicting message.

[Chet Pete]

That whole idea of God's peace is connected to God's priorities.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah.

[Chet Pete]

I mean, that's enough to go into.

[Holly Furtick]

The mirror and just say, okay, how.

[Chet Pete]

Am I going to count how I'm going to order my end of my day? Is this aligned with what God has for me and not be mad when you don't experience the peace of God, when you haven't taken time to be able to prioritize your way, effective, your life effectively.

[Britt Atkins]

It's like the daily thing, though, because a lot of times I think that it's like a moment where it's like, okay, I'm gonna go destroy that altar and then that's done. Like, okay. And it's not really that way. It's like a daily thing. Every day, God's calling you a mighty warrior.

[Steven Furtick]

Lay it down.

[Britt Atkins]

Am I? Okay, okay, I'll do it today. So that's the thing that I feel like I miss a lot. It's like, it's not a moment. It's a daily decision to believe that, okay, God, I'm a mighty warrior. That's tough.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah. The thing that you need to make real practical. Right. Like, you gotta write some of these down. You mentioned looking back at our notes. That's a great sermon to go back, look at your Notes, you gotta write it down. You need to schedule it. You mentioned that, like, what does your calendar look like? Are you scheduling according to the priorities that you feel like God's put in front of you? And so making it as practical as you can to be as successful as we can at this.

[Holly Furtick]

All right, Britt, you like the Easter sermon?

[Chad Zolo]

I love the Easter sermon.

[Chris Brown]

I love the Easter sermon.

[Chad Zolo]

The Easter sermon was so good. And I mean, all of Pastor Steven's sermons speak to you. This one was the one of the year that I feel like I felt the most seen because maybe it's just because of how I'm wired. I don't know.

[Holly Furtick]

It's crazy, though, how he can do that. How, like, he'll just say something and you're like, oh, my gosh, yes. Well, for me, I'll actually think. I'm like, he better stop. Because I really feel like he's talking about me. But he's not. Real faith, just the Holy Spirit just speaks through him and it just like cuts straight to you and. Sorry, interrupted you.

[Chad Zolo]

No, no, this is great. The sermon was called Something in between. Maybe you remember it. And he preached from Matthew 28. And so this was our Easter sermon. So he preached about the Marys going to the tomb. And he really camped in a verse in, you know, scripture. And, you know, I don't know, like, maybe you have a tradition where, like, I don't know if you read the Easter story, like, my in laws, they read the Easter story, the Christmas story every holiday. And I'm like, I have read this, this story. I know it so many times. And it was such a beautiful revelation that he pulled because he specifically camped out whenever he talked about they were leaving the tomb and they left with fear. Yet joy.

[Holly Furtick]

We got a clip. We got a clip.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah, let's show it.

[Holly Furtick]

Let's watch it.

[Steven Furtick]

And I love this phrase because this how I feel. Afraid, yet filled with joy. This is not a translation error, by the way. Most of us think you're either going to be afraid or filled with joy. I had somebody ask me the other day, I was going to do something that was a big deal. And they said, are you looking forward to it or are you dreading it? I was like, are those the only two options? I'm not exactly looking forward to it.

[Chet Pete]

It.

[Steven Furtick]

I'm not exactly dreading it. I'm something. It can change from moment to moment. I'm really grateful for this life God has given me and this influence he gave me. Then sometimes that anticipation feels like anxiety. Sometimes My anxiety feels like anticipation sometimes. Listen to this. The difference between anticipation and anxiety is the way you label it. I stand before you today, excited and afraid. I stand before you today a sinner and a saint. I stand before you today a flawed man and a child of God. I'm never all of both. I'm something in between.

[Chad Zolo]

Okay, now I know you guys see why I felt so seen, because I feel like that is literally me. Like, we're all. Our faith is just a constant journey. And it gets so frustrating when you're like. You see where it is that God would have you be? You're like, okay, Lord, you say, love my enemies, to pray for them, to be kind and to be generous. And then somebody says the wrong thing on the wrong day, and you're like, ah, I was working so hard on this, you know, and I'm caught slipping. But, like, no, sometimes it is both, like, yes, like, I want to be, like, holy, and I want to be closer to God in this moment. But then also, like, I understand that, like, God made me where, like, I am a big feeler, and I'm both. I'm somewhere in between. And so I feel like, for me, it was really the permission slip that I have permission to keep growing. Like, and it's not. I'm not a failure because I'm somewhere in between, and I haven't yet arrived. And I may never arrive until I get to heaven. And that's okay as long as I'm on my constant journey to growth.

[Holly Furtick]

You know what I loved from the sermon? When he said, even when it's not all good, it's all God and man, that's like, that's real faith. To trust that even when it's not all good, Whatever you're going through in your life, to be able to say, I know this is all God, and I know that it's not good now, but it's gonna be good.

[Chad Zolo]

That's right.

[Holly Furtick]

And so powerful.

[Chad Zolo]

He also said it similar like this. He said, we're all something in between, so we can all find ourselves in this. He said, and we need Jesus in between.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah.

[Chad Zolo]

And sometimes that's the part that I think is so easy for us to forget.

[Holly Furtick]

Yep. Okay, let's get to mine. I wanted to go all the way back to the beginning of the year when Pastor Steven got out his guitar. So we had worship Pastor Stephen and Preacher Pastor Stephen. And this sermon, it just really touched me. So check this out.

[Steven Furtick]

It's amazing. When you're in tune with the grace of God, it's amazing. When you're in tune with the voice of God When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I don't have to fight so much When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I don't have to manipulate so much When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I don't have to defend myself you fight my battles When I'm in tune with you, Lord Lord, I want to be in tune with you When I'm in tune with you, Lord, my problems look small When I'm in tune with you, Lord, it feels like all things are possible When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I can scale a wall When I'm in tune with you, Lord the giant looks like an opportunity. Not a problem. When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I'm able to laugh at what used to make me cry When I'm in tune with you, Lord, I'm able to cry and know that tears don't last always but joy comes in the morning When I'm in tune with you, Lord It's a beautiful thing to be in tune.

[Holly Furtick]

This sermon was just one of those beautiful, comforting sermons. He said, I just thought this. Sometimes don't you feel like sometimes Pastor Steven will say something that sort of, like, sets you free from a certain way that you were feeling. And he said, from the same heart comes your greatest fears and your greatest faith. And so then he said, therefore, your heart is a harp, and it has to be tuned to truth. And the whole sermon, he's talking about tuning your heart to truth and being able to hear what God is saying to you. And so then, like, as the sermon progressed, though, like, first I got a hug, and then I got a little. What did we say earlier? A little push. Because he said tuning feels like tension. And it's like when you think about tuning your heart to God's word and to God's praise, you think it's going to be like warm and fuzzy feeling, but actually it feels like tension because there's something that happens that draws you closer to God. And then I just, like, again, he ended, gave us some homework. And the homework was so good. He said, pause, tune, praise, repeat. So good. It's like, oh, excellent. Okay, so Monday morning, when I feel the tension, pause, tune, praise, repeat over and over and over again. And it was just something so practical that really just gave me the momentum for the year that I just really needed.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah, so good. He said. This is how he wrote it down. God's not changing his standard to fit you he's going to bring you up. And that was so powerful. Sometimes I don't know if it's just a weird thing I do, but sometimes after I hear a sermon, I'll write down in my notes, like, how I'm feeling or like, what it's speaking to me. And I literally wrote to myself, this is really funny. Reading it back. I was like, I know it couldn't have just been me. This had to be thousands. I was like, but something shifted in me during that sermon. I've got some tuning to do. And so it was one of those types of messages. And so I'm so glad that you picked that one, because it's really great to just sit here and even revisit it going into the new year. About, like, we've got some tuning to do going into 2025.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

And he talked about how setting our heart is a decision. It's not default.

[Chad Zolo]

Yeah.

[Chris Brown]

Which, by the way, I mean, one of the greatest illustrations, truly. But, like, if also, like, heading into this next year, we're all wanting to set goals. Those goals are going to be accomplished or met through decisions, daily decisions, or if we want our mind stayed on Christ. If we want our heart to remain filled with peace, that comes through decision. Not just because we decided one day and thought that was gonna be the default. That lasted us for the next month.

[Chet Pete]

He said guitar players tune in between songs. You know what I mean? It's this rhythm of going, hold on, hold on.

[Britt Atkins]

It's constantly tuning.

[Chet Pete]

I have to constantly tune. One part of the message. He was talking about being tuned to tradition, and that's the hardest to change.

[Chris Brown]

Sure.

[Chet Pete]

You know, how do you tune to truth when this is what my mom did, this is what my granddad did, and I'm tuned to something that I've seen over and over and over again. But to pause and ask yourself the question, is it the truth? Is this what God says? And if not, that tension. You know what I mean? Being able to commit to that, I think is beautiful.

[Holly Furtick]

Yeah. This has been so much fun talking with all of you. And I want to encourage you, if you're watching right now, and maybe you have some downtime, the week between Christmas and New Year's is, like, the weirdest week of the year. And it's like, time moves so slow. And so I just want to encourage you to go back, find your favorite sermon of the year, watch it again.

[Chad Zolo]

That's right.

[Holly Furtick]

Find your notes, read through them, and rediscover some of the things that God spoke to you. In 2024. As you look forward to 2025, we've got the links to all of these sermons, our favorites of the year, but you've got yours too, and they're all there available for you right, right here on the Elevation Church YouTube. And so I just want to encourage you to take some time to go back and think about the things that God has spoken to you this year and the things that God has done for you this year. Because it has been an incredible year and God has sure been good to us. And as you've seen today, there is so much more to be grateful for and so much to look forward to. And next year we'll actually be in our 20th year of ministry. I cannot believe it. So in February, we will celebrate our 19 year 19. But that launches our 20th year of ministry and we are making plans to celebrate big all year long. So more to come on that. But make sure you stay tuned to elevation because 2025 is gonna be incredible. So as we close out this year, I just wanna take a moment to thank all of you who have stepped out in faith to be a part of our year end offering. We didn't get to talk about that together, but your generosity is a powerful testimony of the impact that we're making together and it's helping to fuel the next season of our church. So thank you, thank you, thank you for your partnership and what God is doing through this ministry. As you've seen today, this is solid ground to put down roots in and stay planted. This is a place where you can experience community. It's a place where you can hear from God every single week. It's a place where you can serve and it's a place where you are truly making a difference. And if you hadn't had a chance yet, there's still time to be a part of our year end offering. All you have to do is go to elevationchurch. And click the give now button by December 31, which is just two days away. So thank you for being with us today and let's step into this new year with our hearts full of faith and expectation. Let's keep moving forward and trusting God every step of the way. I cannot wait to see what's ahead for us. And I just want you to know that Pastor Stephen and I, we love you, we're praying for you and we are so grateful to get to do ministry with each and every one of you. I hope you have a blessed and happy new Year and I will see you next Sunday.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to Give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. You can click the Share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and Tag us at ElevationChurch. Thanks again for listening. God Bless.