Steven Furtick Says House Is From God, Apologizes for Controversy

 

 Pastor Steven Furtick apologized to his congregation Sunday for any uncomfortable conversations they may have had as a result of recent controversies surrounding his newly built house. (Elevation Church, Facebook)

Steven Furtick Says House Is From God, Apologizes for Controversy 

http://www.charismanews.com/us/41539-steven-furtick-says-house-is-from-god-apologizes-for-controversy  

4:00PM EDT 10/28/2013 Gina Meeks

 

  Amid controversy surrounding his 16,000-square-foot home and questions about his salary, pastor Steven Furtick apologized to his congregation Sunday—not for the house, but for any uncomfortable conversations they may have had as a result.


“My wife and I made a decision, and we built a house,” the founder and pastor of the 12,000-member Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., said at a service in Blakeney, N.C. “It’s a big house, and it's a beautiful house, and we thank God for it. … We understand everything we have comes from God.”
Furtick was open about the house—which he described as 8,400 square feet of heated living area, with the rest consisting of basement, attic, garage and porch space, according to an Associated Press report.
Critics say the $1.7 million home does not reflect the heart of a servant.

“The pastor should be the servant of his people. He should be the one that is most transparent,” said Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation, a nonprofit that monitors and investigates religious fraud, in an investigative report from NBC Charlotte. “It saddens me to see what the church is becoming.”
The Elevation Church pastor told his congregation he was most worried about how the attention from the media affected them.

“I’m sorry for the uncomfortable conversations you had to have this week,” he said, according to the Charlotte Observer. “I have always tried to make this a church where you could be proud of your church.” The congregation responded with a standing ovation.

Furtick, author of best-sellers Greater and Sun Stand Still, insists that he paid for the house with money from book sales—though he has not revealed how much he makes from his books and speaking engagements. He has also not divulged his salary from the church, which has been determined by an appointed “board of overseers” rather than the congregation.

The megachurch pastor thanked his members on Sunday for “what you’ve prayed, what you’ve said and what you haven’t said. … We appreciate knowing that you have our back.”

Furtick also added that the media is not an enemy, noting that news outlets can report what they want. “I do not call this an attack,” he said. “This is a news story, and the media is not our enemy.”

In his 10-minute address preceding the sermon, Furtick concluded that he looked forward to continuing his ministry in Charlotte “for the next 50 years,” adding that “the best is yet to come.”

To Steven Furtick: An Open Letter

http://brotherbaird.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/to-steven-furtick-an-open-letter/  

1 Reply

 

Steven Furtick,

It is difficult to write a letter of this nature because I sincerely believe that the Christian disposition is one of hope and mercy. Your present circumstance brings to mind Paul’s words to the church in Corinth, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Cor. 5:12 ESV). Paul’s affirmation that christians should hold other christians accountable compels me to write.

I visited my home town of Charlotte, NC and the first local news I heard in conversation was that the pastor of Elevation church had purchased a multi-million dollar home. This was disheartening because I was used to hearing about so many of the great things Elevation church was doing in the community. I read some of the articles critiquing your decision to build the house which brought up some valid points. The Christian Post was rightly concerned about the source of the money, while The Charlotte Observer report detailed your response and apology to the congregation for putting them in an uncomfortable position. You apologized for how this has made people feel (which is warranted), and referred to the house as a gift, but that answers nothing substantial. The size and cost of the house are concerning, however, it is the lack of theological reflection that is most alarming. These articles raised valid questions, but they didn’t raise the right questions for christians.

What is missing from these stories is what your theology of money is? The source of the money for your house does not answer whether you are a good steward of your resources? How should you, as a pastor, teacher, and example, spend your money? On what biblical basis are you making these decisions? What does this $1.7 million house have to do with serving Jesus? This is what Charlotte needs to hear.

I had a professor at divinity school who told me about a difficult decision to build an addition on his house. Ultimately he discerned that as a christian his resources meant he had a responsibility to provide for more people. So they prayed about what their family should do and decided that they would adopt a child. I have learned more about money from this story than any sermon I’ve heard. There are many avenues he could have taken but his actions in his life were his sermon. Steven, Elevation’s many services demand a lot of speaking, but what are you preaching?

People are paying attention, this is an opportunity for the Word to be preached through your life in unexpected and powerful ways. This is the gift.

Peace,
-Andy Baird, M.Div.

Also see,

How a pastor Steven Furtick built a multi-million dollar home - says he's being persecuted for it

http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-team-how-pastor-built-multi-million.html