Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Andy Gill

Home
Progressive Christian
Steven Furtick and Elevation Church: Emotionally Manipulating Baptisms

Steven Furtick and Elevation Church: Emotionally Manipulating Baptisms

Last updated on: January 28, 2018 at 7:19 pm by Andy Gill

Steven Furtick and Elevation Church: Emotionally Manipulating Baptisms 2018-01-28T19:19:00-05:00 Andy Gill

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When I lived in Southern California I would visit various churches, the one I’d attend the most was a young, hip[ster], evangelical “mega Church [1].”

I recall sitting in services where they would have “altar-calls,” inviting the congregants to “commit their life to Christ” by publicly displaying their commitment and getting baptized then and there. The energy in the room was palpable. Music blasting, congregants clapping, pastors crying, and those baptized celebrating.

I couldn’t help but think during all of this, Is this the Holy Spirit or is this emotional manipulation?

Having worked in and with a couple megachurches, I know and understand the “laser-like” focus we have on numbers and enticing others into a commitment to Jesus our tradition. Steven Furtick’s church in Charlotte, NC is a perfect example of this laser-like obsession with numbers.

Let me explain as best I can…

Megachurches they’re really not Churches so much as they are businesses or markets. The people are not people so much as they are entities. The service is not “worship” so much as it’s entertainment. On any given Sunday, everything is planned down to a T. T-Shirts are ordered, set lists are planned, professional lighting is coordinated, powerpoint slides are designed, hashtag campaigns are created, volunteer’s are strategically placed, the list goes on…

It is commonly known by pastors that there is a thin line between emotional manipulation and a movement of the Holy Spirit. But being a part from the Church and years separated from being this person, an evangelical pastor, I’ve come to realize there is not a thin line. If you’re questioning whether or not something is an emotional manipulation or a movement of God, it’s fair to say it’s an emotional manipulation.

Getting these numbers is not a mistake, it usually driven by a marketing plan. Elevation Church openly documents their process on their website sunstandstill.org/baptismkit:

Steven Furtick Baptisms

To be clear, in case you read over it, the first 15 people to respond to the altar call are pretending to respond to the altar call. They’re deceiving others into believing they are not the first or only one to respond so that the ice of uncomfortability is shattered.

The document then goes on to encourage leaders to “Have them take out their phones and tweet “#follow” that they are being baptized today!!” This guide goes on to explain the “genius” of their marketing plan saying, “…We created a hash tag on Twitter and tweeted individual stories. We had a crawl on our iMag screens of live twitter feed to build excitement during the Worship Experiences.”

This is wrong in so many ways I simply don’t have enough time to cover it… But I think James Duncan brings up a necessary question asking,

“How many people will look back at that special moment and regret that they were merely a pit-stop project for a pastor who needed to boost his baptism balance sheet?” – James Duncan

We’re manipulating innocent bystanders into believing the emotions they’re feeling are of GOD. When in actuality the emotions their feeling were simply engineered for the purpose of a larger scheme, usually money. This is why Steven Furtick purchasing a 1.6 million dollar home raises questions.

Elevation Church has responded to WCNC, who have also highlighted this story, stating:

“We are confident that those who attend Elevation Church know and understand our mission and vision for reaching people for Jesus Christ. As attendees, they are provided, through weekly teachings, biblical context for everything we do and practice, such as baptism, giving, serving and inviting friends to church.:”

[1] Rather not name this church at this time.

Emotional Manipulation

James Duncan

Steven Furtick

Previous Post

September 1, 2014

Theological Abuse: The Problem is Not Mark Driscoll

Next Post

September 7, 2014 THE SAGAN SERIES - The Pale Blue Dot

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Books Buzzfeed Christian Church Church Culture Dating Dechurched eXvangelical Guest Post Humor Inspirational Justice LGBTQ Life Marriage Media Millennials Mini Post Monday Money Podcast Politics Race Reason Relationships Science Sex Socioeconomic Theology Theology Uncategorized Video Wednesday Youth Ministry

Select a Month June 2020 March 2020 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 January 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" at Jesus' crucifixion?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter Judas A Roman centurion Pilate

Support this
Column