https://www.premierchristianity.com/news-analysis/explained-why-has-stephen-furticks-elevation-church-quit-their-denomination/15880.article


Elevation is one of the largest churches in the United States. It was founded by Steven and Holly Furtick in 2006 and according to their website, now has an average weekly attendance of 26,000 people across 21 campuses with an additional 65,000 people joining online.

It is also one of four megachurches whose songs dominate the Christian Music market in the US. Its worship band, Elevation Worship, has won six Dove Awards, including song of the year for ‘The blessing’, which went viral during the 2020 Pandemic.

Furtick himself is a Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer, as well as a New York Times best-selling author.

Why did they leave the SBC?

Although no reason was given in the letter submitted to the SBC executive committee, and the church itself has not commented, many have speculated that the move comes in response to two major votes at the SBC’s annual meeting last month.

The first saw an overwhelming majority vote to finalise the expulsion of two churches with female pastors: Saddleback, the Californian megachurch founded by Rick Warren, ordained three women along with a husband and wife team in 2021. Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, have had a female lead pastor for over 30 years. Three other churches were also expelled earlier this year but did not appeal.

The second vote approved a constitutional amendment to further limit women in leadership by requiring SBC churches to affirm, appoint or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by scripture.” A further vote to ratify this amendment will take place in 2024.

Although the 2000 document Baptist Faith and Message already states that “the office of pastor is limited to men”, Dr Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said further “doctrinal clarity was needed…precisely because it’s one of the issues that has been a sign of creeping liberalism.”

More than 2,000 male pastors and professors signed a letter in support of the amendment before the convention began. A non-exhaustive list of more than 170 female pastors in the SBC was also published. The list, which was 218 pages long and included names, photos and addresses, has since been taken down, after individuals and churches on the list reported that they had been harrassed as a result.

Another list published by American Reformer, estimates that the current number of female pastors in the SBC is likely to be nearer to 2,000. SBC president, Brett Barber, acknowledged that those pushing for the amendment were poised to file complaints against every church in violation of it.

Although Steven Furtick’s wife, Holly, is not explicitly listed as a pastor on the church’s website, text on the homepage reads: “Meet the lead Pastors who set the vision of Elevation Church” and links to a biography of the couple. Holly also preaches regularly at the church, along with other women.

They sound like something out of the Righteous Gemstone TV show.

I can't believe so many people buy it and get scammed, but here we are.


Edited so as not to offend LW's tender ears with crude talk.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2023 07:16PM by dagny.

Lack of equal access for women to the ministry/priesthood is what initially drove me out of the Roman Catholic church. When I was a young teen, I had access to feminist literature -- those pesky books, indoctrinating kids! :) The literature convinced me that women need and deserve full access to society, including leadership roles. In the intervening years, that has happened to a large extent -- not perfectly, but a lot of progress has been made.

But now I have come to believe that churches which do not allow equal access to the highest levels of leadership are indeed harmful to women. There is, to my way of thinking, an implicit disrespect to women in those churches. It may be low level, but it's there. I really don't care how the men in charge dress it up and call it "doctrinal." Churches should be about promoting a kinder and more just society. They should be about promoting respect for others. It is not a mark of respect to exclude women from "the big boys club." It puts women into the category of inconsequential donut makers. It leads to attitudes, rules, and laws that disempower women.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2023 04:47PM by summer.

Anybody, quoting from the linked article wrote the following paragraph:

"Elevation is one of the largest churches in the United States. It was founded by Steven and Holly Furtick in 2006 and according to their website, now has an average weekly attendance of 26,000 people across 21 campuses with an additional 65,000 people joining online."

Anybody who really wants to know what the biggest problem of running megachurches like this should read John D. McDonald's 1984 novel, "One More Sunday," and specifically near the end of the book and the judgment that the Reverend Tom Daniel Birdy, a minister being sought to take over the running of the church, says to explain why he won't do it. It will tell you all you need to know about what is wrong with these televangelist churches today, even though it was written some 40 years ago. (And yes, this is the same John D. McDonald who wrote the Travis McGee novels, though the latter doesn't appear in this story.)

As to the subject of the original post, all I can say is "conservative/reactionary" and way, way behind the times!

There is a megachurch about an hour away from me, and I've driven by it on occasion over the years. It has never looked very appealing to me. I don't for the life of me understand why people go there.

I'm envisioning about 800K SBC females under age 30 extending the finger of fellowship. Disfellowship. Whatever.