Steven Furtick

Last updated

Steven Furtick
Steven Furtick in 2023.jpg
Pastor Steven Furtick in 2023
Church Elevation Church
Orders
Ordination2006
Personal details
Born
Larry Stevens Furtick

(1980-02-19) February 19, 1980 (age 44)
Moncks Corner, South Carolina, U.S.
Spouse
Holly Furtick
​
(m. 2002)​
Children3
OccupationGospel preacher, pastor, author, songwriter
Alma mater North Greenville University
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Years active2004–present
Website www.stevenfurtick.com

Larry Stevens Furtick Jr. [1] (born February 19, 1980), known professionally as Steven Furtick, is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, [2] and composer of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and general overseer of Elevation Church, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Contents

Early life and education

Furtick was born and raised in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, and attended Berkeley High School. [3] At the age of 16, after reading the book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, he felt called to pastor a church in a major city. [4] He studied at North Greenville University in communication and earned a Bachelor of Arts, then he studied at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned a Master of Divinity. [5]

Ministry

In 2004, Furtick served as worship leader at Christ Covenant Church in Shelby, North Carolina, a Baptist Church. [4] In 2006, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and founded Elevation Church with seven families and his own. [6] The church had their first service on February 5, 2006.

In 2007, he helped found the music group Elevation Worship as a songwriter and since has been nominated for GMA Dove and Grammy Awards, [7] winning a Grammy for their album, Old Church Basement . [8]

In 2007, he made headlines when his church gave $40,000 to members in envelopes with $5, $20, and even $1,000, telling them to spend it kindly on others. [4]

Furtick speaks at events all over the world including the 2011 Global Leadership Summit hosted by Bill Hybels, [9] the C3 Conference 2012 hosted by Ed Young Jr., [10] the Hillsong Conference 2012 hosted by Brian Houston, [11] and the Presence Conference in 2012 and 2013 hosted by Phil Pringle. [12] Furtick also participated in The Elephant Room 1 and The Elephant Room 2 hosted by James MacDonald. [13] Furtick was named to Oprah's SuperSoul100 list of visionaries and influential leaders in 2016. [14]

In 2012, in response to a need of mentorship for 1,000 students in area schools, Furtick launched an outreach program at Elevation Church called the M1 Initiative. Furtick said, "We have always said we want to be a blessing to our city and support our leaders with a volunteer force they can count on." More than 1,600 members responded and committed to mentoring a child for the 2012–2013 school year. [15]

Furtick has committed to donating 12 percent of Elevation Church's giving to support outreach efforts nationally and globally. [16]

Public life and media

Furtick is a New York Times best selling author. [2] He has also participated in various philanthropic campaigns, donating clothes and furniture to families in need. [4]

In 2013, Furtick has declined to answer questions regarding his salary, his tax-free housing allowance, and how much he makes from books and speaking fees, and how the church is governed. [17] Elevation has stated that Furtick is generous to the church with the money he receives from writing books—that he arranges for the church to purchase his books directly from the publisher, allowing Elevation to receive the author's discount and keep the money from sales. They have also reported that the publisher pays the church to produce marketing materials to promote Furtick's books. Elevation has confirmed that Furtick's salary is set by a Board of Overseers composed of other megachurch pastors, who vote on his salary based on a compensation study conducted by an outside firm, and that Furtick does not vote on his own salary. [18] [19]

On October 2, 2020, Trinity Broadcasting Network began airing programming from Furtick, replacing the Kenneth Copeland ministries program "Believer's Voice of Victory". [20]

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

GMA Dove Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2017 "O Come to the Altar"
(credited as songwriter)		Song of the YearNominated
Worship Song of the YearNominated
2018 "Do It Again"
(credited as songwriter)		Worship Song of the YearNominated
2020 "See a Victory"
(credited as songwriter)		Song of the YearNominated
"The Blessing (Live)"
(credited as songwriter)		Worship Recorded Song of the YearWon
2021 [21] "Graves into Gardens"
(credited as songwriter)		Song of the YearNominated
"The Blessing"
(credited as songwriter)		Won
HimselfSongwriter of the Year (Non-artist)Nominated
"Never Lost"
(credited as songwriter)		Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the YearNominated
"Tumbas A Jardines"
(credited as songwriter)		Spanish Language Recorded Song of the YearNominated
"Graves into Gardens"
(credited as songwriter)		Worship Recorded Song of the YearWon
"Jireh"
(credited as songwriter)		Nominated
Graves into Gardens
(credited as producer)		Worship Album of the YearNominated
Old Church Basement
(credited as producer)		Won
Living Color
(credited as producer)		Children's Album of the YearNominated
2022 "Jireh"
(credited as songwriter)		Song of the YearNominated
Worship Recorded Song of the YearNominated
"Rattle!"
(credited as songwriter)		Song of the YearNominated
Lion
(credited as producer and art director)		Worship Album of the YearNominated
Recorded Music Packaging of the YearNominated

Grammy Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2019 Hallelujah Here Below Best Contemporary Christian Music AlbumNominated
2021"The Blessing"
(credited as songwriter)		Best Contemporary Christian Performance/SongNominated
2022 Old Church Basement Best Contemporary Christian Music AlbumWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlene Zschech</span> Australian singer and pastor

Darlene Joyce Zschech is an Australian Pentecostal Christian worship leader and singer-songwriter who primarily writes praise and worship songs. Described as a pioneer of the modern worship movement, she is the former worship pastor of Hillsong Church. Zschech is currently a contributing songwriter with CompassionArt, a charity founded by Christian songwriter Martin Smith. Along with her husband, Zschech is the lead pastor of Hope Unlimited Church in New South Wales.

Hillsong Music is Christian music produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as offshoot churches, Hillsong London, and Hillsong Kiev. Hillsong albums are released and distributed by Hillsong Music. The main groups are Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, Hillsong Young & Free, and Hillsong Kids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church UK</span> Church in United Kingdom

Hillsong Church UK is a charismatic Christian Non-denominational megachurch in the United Kingdom which is a part of Hillsong Church global. Hillsong London, founded as London Christian Life Centre, was the first church planted in the UK by the Sydney-based church, in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John MacArthur (American pastor)</span> American Reformed Baptist pastor, televangelist, and author (born 1939)

John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. is an American pastor and author who hosts the national Christian radio and television program Grace to You. He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in Santa Clarita and The Master's Seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Houston</span> Australian musician

Joel Timothy Houston is an Australian musician, songwriter, pastor, and leader in the Sydney-based band Hillsong United, a worship band of Hillsong Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church</span> Global megachurch network headquartered in Australia

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louie Giglio</span> American pastor

Louie Giglio is an American Christian pastor. He is the leader of Passion City Church in Atlanta. The founder of the Passion Movement, he is an author and public speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Conference</span> Annual Christian conference in Sydney, Australia

Hillsong Conference is a mid-year week-long annual Christian conference hosted in Sydney, Australia, with a smaller three-day event held in London later each year. It is the largest annual conference in Australia of any kind. The event is hosted by Hillsong Church at the Qudos Bank Arena and surrounding Olympic Park precinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Stanley</span> American pastor

Charles Andrew Stanley, known as Andy Stanley, is an American who is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, a nondenominational evangelical Christian church with several campuses across the north metro Atlanta areas. He is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Community Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elevation Church</span> Church in North Carolina, United States

Elevation Church is an Evangelical non-denominational multi-site megachurch based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Weekly church attendance was 14,000 people in 2023. Elevation has 20 locations. Its senior pastors are Steven Furtick and Holly Furtick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Revolution Church</span> Church in California, United States

Heart Revolution Church is a non-denominational, charismatic megachurch in National City, California.

Elevation Worship is a contemporary worship music collective from Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The collective leads worship in weekend church services at Elevation Church, as well as performing concerts and tours around the United States. The collective has sold over 2.5 million albums in the United States.

Hillsong Worship is a praise and worship collective from Sydney, Australia. They started making music in 1983 at Hillsong Church. Fifteen of their songs have appeared on the Billboard magazine charts in the US, with "What a Beautiful Name" (2016) representing their greatest success, reaching platinum in the US. The band has some notable members, including Darlene Zschech, Marty Sampson, Brooke Fraser, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What a Beautiful Name</span> 2017 single by Hillsong Worship

"What a Beautiful Name" is a song by Australian praise and worship group Hillsong Worship. Written by bandmates Brooke Ligertwood and Ben Fielding, the song refers to the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ as represented by His Holy Name. The "genre-smashing single" contributed to Hillsong being named Billboard's Top Christian Artist of 2017. "What a Beautiful Name" won two Dove Awards for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year in 2017. It won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. "What a Beautiful Name" was released on 6 January 2017, as the lead single from their 25th live album, Let There Be Light (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do It Again (Elevation Worship song)</span> 2018 single by Elevation Worship

"Do It Again" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. Written by Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Matt Redman and Steven Furtick, the song was released as the first single from their 2017 album There Is a Cloud. It was released to Christian radio on February 23, 2018. The song peaked at No. 6 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart, becoming their second Top 10 single from that chart. It lasted on the charts for 33 weeks, their second longest charting song. The song is played in a B-flat major key, and 172 beats per minute.

<i>Graves into Gardens</i> 2020 live album by Elevation Worship

Graves into Gardens is the eighth live album by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. It was released on May 1, 2020, via Elevation Worship Records alongside Provident Label Group. The album contains guest appearances by Brandon Lake of Bethel Music, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, Tauren Wells and Isaiah Templeton. Steven Furtick, Aaron Robertson, Chris Brown, and Jonathan Mix collaborated on the production of the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here Comes Heaven</span> 2018 song by Elevation Worship

"Here Comes Heaven" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. On November 30, 2018, the song was released as the fifth single from their eleventh live album, Hallelujah Here Below (2018), to Christian radio stations in the United States. The song was written by Aaron Robertson, Chris Brown, and Steven Furtick. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd GMA Dove Awards</span>

The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at the Allen Arena located in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2021. The awards show was aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network on Friday, October 22, 2021.

<i>Lion</i> (Elevation Worship album) 2022 live album by Elevation Worship

Lion is the tenth live album by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. It was released on March 4, 2022, via Elevation Worship Records and Provident Label Group. The featured worship leaders on the album are Chris Brown, Jonsal Barrientes, Brandon Lake, Pat Barrett, Tiffany Hudson, Joe L. Barnes, and Chandler Moore.

References

  1. ↑ Funk, Tim (March 12, 2017). "Want to know more about Elevation's pastor? Here are 10 Furtick facts". WBTV. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Elevation Church pastor sells books from pulpit". WCNC. February 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Dennis, Rickey Ciapha (August 12, 2020). "Same town, different views". Post and Courier.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Funk, Tim (September 14, 2008). "A cool pastor, and a hot church". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Leadership: Pastor Steven and Holly Furtick". Elevation Church.
  6. ↑ Schapiro, Jeff (September 3, 2013). "An Inside Look at a New Generation of Pastors: Steven Furtick (Pt. 6)". The Christian Post.
  7. ↑ Funk, Tim (August 11, 2017). "Elevation Church's music team – including Pastor Furtick – nominated for top Dove Awards". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ Clarks, Jessie (April 4, 2022). "Elevation Worship Receives First GRAMMY Award With Best Contemporary Christian Music Album". TCB. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ City of Athens, TX. "Things to do: 2011 Global Leadership Summit". Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  10. ↑ C3 Conference. "Speakers" Archived April 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  11. ↑ Hillsong Conference. "Speakers". Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ My C3 Church. "Presence 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ The Elephant Room. "Conversations". Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Meet the SuperSoul100: The World's Biggest Trailblazers in One Room". O Magazine. August 1, 2016. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  15. ↑ Murashko, Alex (September 25, 2012). "Over 1,600 Elevation Church Volunteers Answer Call to Mentor Students". The Christian Post.
  16. ↑ Martinez, Jessica (February 6, 2014). "Elevation Church Donates $300,000 to Fight Homelessness in Charlotte; 'I Can't Thank You Enough,' Says Mayor". The Christian Post.
  17. ↑ Watson, Stuart. "Pastor responds to critics of his $1.7M home" Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  18. ↑ Watson, Stuart (October 23, 2013). "I-Team: How a pastor built a multi-million dollar home". NBC Charlotte. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
  19. ↑ Wilson, Jen (October 23, 2013). "Elevation Church pastor's home draws scrutiny". Charlotte Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Steven Furtick to Replace Kenneth Copeland on TBN". ChristianHeadlines. Religion News Service. August 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ "2021 Winners". doveawards.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.