I recently attended the 11:30 service at Elevation Ballantyne, and it was overwhelming in the best way. As an introvert, large crowds can be a lot for me, but I truly felt the Spirit of God, his presence. The people were kind, welcoming, and even prayed for me. Though I usually watch the 9:30 service online (since 2019!), being there in person felt like leaving family when I walked out the doors. Elevation is a place for everyone--the old, the young, and those in between. I'm still working on my concerns with large crowds, but I know I'll be back. I am hoping to one day meet the pastor and his wife. They are such wonderful people. For now, I'm grateful to keep worshiping online until I'm ready again. Elevation is truly a wonderful church home. read more

great place to be! the spirit of God is here and there's nothing like it. so grateful to be apart of a house that's intentional and so welcoming. read more

I'll give this 2 stars, because years ago (2012) this church hosted a revival (Code Orange Revival), and invited Matt Chandler to speak. God used this man, mightily, in my life that evening...and I'm grateful I was there to hear the sermon before the church ripped it off of their website. Other than this, I cannot recommend this church from previous visits. Just never connected here. read more

I've never been in person but man has Pastor Steven changed my life! I attend my local church every Sunday and I'm even apart of our small groups here in Michigan. However, I look forward to the daily YouTube streams with Pastor Steven, he's real, explains things in a way I relate/understand and is inspirational with the word. He may not be for everyone but I'd pay to see/listen to him any day. I cant wait for the day to see him on tour! read more

Best thing that ever happened to me when I got invited to come to elevation church - it was life changing and heart changing for sure. If you don't know about this or have never been consider yourself invited - let me know and I will go with you if you need a friend to go with you. read more

Elevation Church - Blakeney - LifeChanging experience ! - Churches Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Celebrates Halloween Right after Church on Sundays i was attending this church and just found out they are having a big halloween celebration right after church on sunday! i emailed the pastors including furtick that this is wrong and they said they disagree! i am no longer attending, listening, or giving my tithes. Steven Furtick is very arrogant and will do anything to bring in crowds. i'm praying god deals with them! Warning do not attend this church! They just want your money and to conform with the world to drawn in crowds. Furtick is a millennial still in his party phase! read more

It was uncomfortable and I felt like it really wasn't a church. I expect to learn and actually have a pastor that talks about the Lord and not all about the church. I lasted almost a half an hour before I removed myself as fast as I could from the location. There's places and times for technology, and they broadcast EVERYTHING. There was a camera man and photographer running around the entire time... I've never seen anything like that and it was not only distracting, but weird to the point it threw me off. It seems like it's about the view of the church first and God later. Another thing was, before the pastor even spoke about God, the tithes were collected. God likes a happy and willing giver to HIM. Why wasn't he mentioned or talked about before asking for tithes. Oh, and as many mention, you cannot take a bathroom break during the hour a thirty min. Service. I immediately saw on their three screens that you must take one now (5 min.s before service) because you would be forced in overflow if there is room. I assume you get locked out, because there are many people standing guard at the doors; To the point that one guy stood in the middle of the Walk way would not move to allow me to make my exit. I won't return to a church like this ever again read more

I have been going to this location with the boyfriend for about a year and a half... I jokingly refer to the beginning of the worship service as a rock concert with Jesus sprinkles... :) The music team does a great job, getting people pumped up with praise... They even provide ear plugs... It goes hard inside the sanctuary, dude... Seriously. I love the overall experience... The messages are thought-provoking... You're challenged, but not judged... It makes you wonder how you can be better without making you feel badly because you're not already there... The app rocks... You can go back and listen to all (yep, all) of the previous sermons, there's a blog from Pastor Steven and ways to connect to the church website, Facebook page or Twitter handle. The financials are accounted for with an annual report, but if you ever have any questions, you can pull it up online from the church website... Transparency in this area is really important to me, so I appreciate that... They also send you receipts for tax purposes toward the end of the year or at your request... We love it here so if you're open to a new experience, give it a whirl... read more

I started attending Elevation church in 2014 and have attended since then. Elevation provides me with an opportunity to share God with other Christians and my weekly attendance has been life-changing. I also donate bi-weekly; because I believe in this church, it's messages, and how it spends its money. My critique and compliment are it's large. I can be as involved, or not, as I want to. This was important to me. As a 58 year old woman, I have my own social circles and networks, so "church" is not where I go to get these needs met, although others possibly do, and there's no judgement here. My advice is "don't judge it before you try it!" read more

Words cannot even begin to express the love if have for Elevation. This church had become my favorite event each week. I look forward to church, I truly believe just recently that God, our lord Jesus had brought my here to Charlotte 700 miles away from home just to get closer to him. I moved to Charlotte, and just being closer to God and being in his presence has made me a much better person and closer to God. Elevation church is the best thing in my life, I thank God each day for the pastors and their families that make this church my home church. God is awesome. read more

They treat you as a VIP. Literally, If its your 1st time you get treated like a celebrity. It was amazing!

First time church goer. Not just this church, but any church. That's a long story for another time. My family and I were invited to attend service by a friend, and we are glad we decided to go. Fortunately, I asked Michelle in advance if I should wear a tie, because otherwise I would have been the only guest wearing one. When we pulled in, there was a sign telling us to turn our flashers on if we were there for the first time. We were immediately ushered into VIP parking, and everyone we drove past greeted us with a wave and a smile. After parking, we were approached by Isabel, who greeted us and handed us information about the church. We met up with our friends, we found seats in a rapidly filling room that looked more like a concert venue than a church. I read reviews from other Yelpers, so I expected loud music and bright lights. I wasn't ready for the mediacentric spectacle before us though. I won't go into details about the service, other than to say I was intrigued my the energy level on stage and in the audience We had a great time, we will have to decide whether this is the church for us, or if any church is in our future. We loved the experience though! read more

I discovered Steve Furtick accidentally on YouTube. All I can say is it is no wonder that you are under attack Pastor Furtick. You're one of the most amazing teachers preachers I have ever heard. And of course the devil wants to stop that in anyway he can. You take the Bible and make it practical and make it relate to right now. I appreciate that about you please don't let anything stop you. God bless you and your family . I tell everybody about you. I hope you read this and you are encouraged to keep going read more

Love it. Has changed my family's lives forever. I love the practical application of the bible and I think my kids love going as much as we do. read more

Elevation Church - Blakeney - I love the ability to watch online while traveling. - Churches Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

An amazing place to worship and fellowship. Great music! This church has such a mixture of race and culture that blend so beautifully together creating a truly unique experience. The word of God is preached through scripture colorfully illustrated by preacher Steven Furtick. Elevation encourages small groups and community service work. Nothing but good things about this beautiful house of worship. read more

This "church" doesn't look like a church because it's not; it's a cult. Yes, they want to take young children away from parents during services and put them in another room; yes, the performance is like a loud rock concert and the "performer" is Pastor Steve and yes, most of the five-star reviews for this place were probably ordered by him. No, you can't use the bathroom or leave during the intensely loud "performance" and finally no you shouldn't join this strange place but instead run as far away as possible.... read more

Okay, for the audience they are aiming for, this church is amazing. Unfortunately, it's not for me. They set up a very youthful "rock concert' experience and make it a point to make you feel like the "VIP" when you first arrive. I personally can only take this type of environment in small doses, and although the talent is very impressive, I feel like they spend too much time on the entertainment factor. I didn't feel like I ever got the chance to be reverent with the constant audio and visual stimulation. There weren't too many opportunities to be prayerful or reflect on the passages presented. The minister is very good at what he does, but the environment doesn't feel like a church, and I'm sure that's what most people love about it - just not me. read more

THIS INVOLVES BOTH BALLANTYNE AND WEDDINGTON LOCATIONS Who kicks out a family of 4 on EASTER SUNDAY from service??????? Who....ELEVATION CHURCH....that's who!!! I just moved to Charlotte a few months ago with my husband and our 2.5 year old and 10 month old. We are looking for a church to become our home and heard good things about Elevation, so we decided to check it out on Easter Sunday. We attempted to visit the Ballantyne location, but after arriving, we were redirected to the the Weddington location because there wasn't any room. As soon as we pulled up, we were greeted with a kind hello. All 4 of us made our way out of the car and headed toward the building. Before we got in, someone approached us right away to see if we wanted to leave our infant and baby toddler with them. We smiled and said no...we would like for our babies to enjoy the message and Easter Holiday Service with us. Plus, we have never been there before, and we just moved to the state a few months ago. We made our way into the auditorium and they gave us 2 seats for 4 people. We also had a baby carseat with us, diaper bag, heavy blanket, and everyone was wearing a coat, so we had to hold the babies and all of our belongings in our laps. About 7 minutes into the service, another person approached us in the dark and whispered "would you like me to take your child?" My husband kindly said "NO" again. At this time, I began to feel uncomfortable. Our children were not being disruptive. My 2.5 year old was almost asleep on my chest, and my 10 month old wasn't making a peep! No crying or anything!!! We sat for about 35 minutes before another person came up to us and said "I need to take your children". My husband said, "I already told the other person that our children will be staying with us". Then the guy said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave"!!!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS!! THEY WERE ACTUALLY KICKING US OUT OF CHURCH BECAUSE WE WANTED TO KEEP OUR BABIES WITH US!!!! Again, I will be the first person to admit if my children were being fussy, or disruptive, but THEY WEREN'T!!!! If anything, they were the ones being disruptive by continuing to bother us during the service. I could not believe and STILL CAN'T believe that we were kicked out of CHURCH on EASTER Sunday!!!! We quickly grabbed all of our belongings and hauled tailed out of that place! WE WILL NEVER STEP FOOT IN ANY ELEVATION CHURCH AGAIN AND WANT TO WARN ANY FAMILIES WITH YOUNG KIDS TO STAY AWAY unless you like going to 2 locations, just to be turned away from 1, and kicked out of the other!!!!! read more

the best church ive ever been to. i started going to the providence h.s. location about 3 years ago. the music and teaching is great and the people are wonderful. this is where my friends go and this is where i go when im not going to one of the other loctions read more

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On fire for the Lord! The Team at Elevation really gets it! Was starting to wonder if I would ever find a Church here I could get excited about after moving to Charlotte. 8 weeks and a dozen Churches later, really thankful for the suggestion from the Starbucks dude. read more

Love this church. Pastor Steve always has a great message. I love the diversity at this church and praise and worship is really good. Just make sure you there early, it gets packed here. The online streaming and podcasts are routinely updated also so you can stay current with the current series. read more

I enjoy going to the church service and the rock concert is pretty cool. I'm yelping about it because it's worth going to check it out. The first time experience is good for every person! read more

My wife and I have been attending at Elevation for almost 2 years now! We watched online for a while before we moved to the area where we could attend in person! WE LOVE IT! read more

This is the first time I have come to Elevation Church. The praise and worship was fantastic. The music was incredible , although it was louder than any rock concert I have ever been to, & I have been to many rock concerts in the 70's. The message by the visiting pastor from Lakewood Church was incredible, timely and very helpful. I will be coming to the church in the future however, I will need ear plugs. read more

Best worship experience ever... Pastor Steven is one of a kind, his sermons are relevant and also reach all age groups. I wish I would've attended elevation when I was still in school, great for young and old alike! read more

Love Elevation Church!

An experience? For sure. A worship experience? No so much. I attended this church for the first time recently, and because of circumstances ended up attending two weeks in a row at two different locations. An earlier review mentioned the "rock concert" feel, and that is accurate. The volume is high, the bass literally bone-jarring. It is a high tech, media saturated, carefully planned and timed performance, and the pastor is a skilled performer. If this is what you need to feel connected to God, then Elevation may be what you are looking for. The good: The church is definitely welcoming and well organized. There is a big emphasis on getting involved in a small group (called an eGroup) so you're interacting during the week with others who share your values and beliefs. This definitely leads to personal growth, because it often means you have to step outside your comfort zone and get to know new people. I wholeheartedly concur that your beliefs are only valuable if they affect how you live day to day; a once-a-week Christian is by definition a weak Christian. The neutral: After just two weeks I don't think I can fairly assess either Pastor Furtick's sincerity or the faithfulness of his teaching to the Bible. He was raised a Baptist, and as far as I know still adheres to that church's set of beliefs. Some think sincerity is all that is important, and the specifics of what you believe and why don't matter that much. I don't see it that way. Sincerity is important, yes, but one can also sincerely believe something that isn't true ... and all the sincerity in the world won't change falsehood to truth. The not-so-good: Frankly, I was turned off by the "service." When it comes to worship, I'm more of a Psalm 46:10 and Isaiah 1:18 type, not a 1 Kings 18:26 type. As I stated at the beginning of this review, it didn't seem like a worship service to me, but a performance. Its purpose is to get people "pumped up" emotionally. I certainly acknowledge that life would very dull if God had not created us with the ability to experience a range of emotions, and there is nothing wrong with laughing and shedding tears at worship services ... I do that myself. Emotion, though, isn't the basis of my faith, and I'm uncomfortable in settings like Elevation where the pursuit of an emotional high appears to be the entire and exclusive purpose. read more

I have watched Elevation Church online and listened to every word Steven Furtick has preached for many years. He has really changed my life and strengthened my walk with the Lord. I think I have listened to every sermon he has ever preached. We do have a home church but I finally convinced my wife to attend Elevation just one sunday so we could experience the "worship experience". When we arrived, we were excited while everybody was very friendly. We were treated like "VIP's" until it was time to actually worship God. My wife did not want to leave our 3 children with people we had never met. We loaded them up with coloring books, crayons, and books to occupy them during the service. Fast forward to the sermon..worship was great and Steven Furtick started speaking about the guest pastor. My 3 year old said a few words a little loud along with another child directly in front of us. A lady came to use and rudely told us that if she can't be quiet, we would have to leave. She did not say anything about childcare or other options so that we could still enjoy our worship experience. About 10 minutes later, the guest speaker starts her sermon. My child barely said anything but the child in front of us says a few loud words. A man came down and sat down next to my wife and said that he was going to have to escort her out. She didn't say anything to me but grabbed my little girl and started to walk out. Once I noticed what had happened, I grabbed our other 2 quiet children and followed. At this point, we are embarrassed and my wife is mortified and very upset. I tried to speak to a few people about the situation as we were exiting. They were helpful and apologetic mostly but my wife was too upset to even speak to them. What if we were not believers and trying to find a church for the first time? What if we had ran away from the church and were trying to make it back for our kids? Luckily, we were able to shield our kids from the embarrassment and anger that we suffered. If we were not already believers, we would never step foot in a church again. We are blessed that we do have a home church to attend and this will not affect our walk with God. However, the people who "escorted" us out did not know that. I am very disappointed that a church that I followed and loved would treat anybody in this manner. At no point, did they even say anything to the lady's kid in front of us. Would Jesus have asked children to leave one of his sermons? I understand that it was a production but how would a few small words from a child hurt it? There were plenty of other people yelling and blurting out ...how is this any different? It almost ruined our sunday but we were able to still have a nice sunday afternoon outing despite our horrible "worship experience". Please do not allow this to happen to others. We are strong enough christians to accept it and move on but I can't say others will be able to do the same. read more

Hello Hello. I just wanted to take time to say how much I like Elevation Church:) I am a sixty year old woman who recently moved to Charlotte from Ft Lauderdale Fla. I had visited this church with a friend before I moved and liked it.I do still miss Pastor Bob Coy from my Calavary Church and watch him on the Internet. But I feel like I have found a home at Elevation. Pastor Stephen touches my heart and opens my eyes in new and unexpected ways:) One thing I like better is seeing the many outreach programs my money helps fund. So for anyone who wants to feel the love of GOD all around them try this church. Thank you for the way you make me grow and feel. Emilie Kennedy read more

Yes Elevation is a different kind of church but the church is built on Biblical principles. I see alot of hate thrown at the church because of the music and facility but honestly this church is sharing the gospel to millions of people over the internet and in the charlotte community. I think it is self righteous to criticize a church just because they use modern day technology and have such spirit in the services. I dare you to google all of the things this church has done around the community. Its mind blowing and inspiring. read more

Such a great church. I have a 16 year old, 7 year old, and a 2 month old. My eldest son loves the youth. He seems to be connecting really well, even though he is the quietest kid you will ever meet. My 7 year old daughter absolutely loves the kids area. She always comes back to me saying how much fun she had and when I asked her what she learned she can give me a mile long list. The first Sunday we came I kept my 2 month old with me because she wasn't feeling well and she was kinda sleepy. A nice lady came over and asked if she would like for me to sign my 2 month old in to the children's hall. I kindly said no and gave her my reasoning. She said "okay well if you change your mind I'll be in the back Corner behind you." The next Sunday I checked my 2 month old in to the children's hall and when I picked her up her teacher gave me a great update and even told me when her last diaper change was. The music and preaching is terrific for young people. Not sure if older people would like it just because of the type of music but it is perfect for my family!! TOTALLY RECOMMEND read more

message is great. music is great. well organized. love that they are attracting a lot of young people who might not normally attend church. I love loud music and concerts but church is not a place to turn the volume up to decibel levels that hurt the attendees. they have crates of ear plugs because they know what they are doing. shouldn't have to wear ear plugs to church. nowhere in the bible is there a mention of ultra loud music. and you cant talk to anyone about it=it falls on deaf ears. read more

I live near this church and sadly I've grown to dislike it. I would never even think of visiting even though I enjoy progressive churches. It has become a nuisance. I think of a church as a beacon of light in a neighborhood, not something to loathe. The church has the LOUDEST rock (I enjoy rock) type of music at 7:00 am on Sunday morning. It may end for a couple of hours and then starts again for several more hours . You can literally feel it in your house. You have to blast your own television to drown out the noise. This is just shows the church does not care about its community. In fact, along with myself; several neighbors were forced to call the police this particular Sunday morning. I know of one family with an autistic child, it's sad that this family has to take the child elsewhere because of the noise. I, myself have migraines...nowhere near as bad as a child with health issues but these are just examples of why the church should be aware of its noise level especially when you move into a residential neighborhood. If I were to have my music blasting like this, I'm sure I would have several tickets! If I had known this church was like this, I would've never moved near it. I can't imagine how the church doesn't have an audiologist on staff. read more