N.C. Megachurch Celebrates 5th Anniversary With Live Album
.As part of Elevation Church’s fifth anniversary celebration, the Charlotte, N.C.-based megachurch will release an album of worship songs performed live and recorded by its members and staff next week.
For The Honor is the church’s fourth music album and is a combination of new and favorite songs all written by the Elevation worship staff. Chris Brown, one of Elevation’s worship leaders, told The Christian Post Tuesday, that Senior Pastor Steven Furtick brought him on board the original worship team almost five years ago.
Brown said that Furtick’s vision was to write songs for the church based on “what our church is walking through.”
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The album, planned for release on Monday, is the church’s first live recording. The worship team recorded it in February, using members of the church’s almost 50-person worship team, as a celebration of Elevation’s five year anniversary.
The title of the album comes from one of the theme’s Elevation is most passionate about.
“Pastor Steven stated from the beginning he wanted to see us, this ministry and our people strive to restore honor to the church to our generation,” Brown explained. “So we’re honoring those who lead us, and those we serve beside and those we lead. All of it stems from us honoring God first and foremost.”
Brown said he wanted to capture the energy of the church’s worship experience. “That’s something that isn’t always captured by a studio album,” he said.
For The Honor was produced by worship team member Mack Brock. In July, the church signed an agreement with Provident Essential, a subsidiary of Sony, to release the album in stores, iTunes, and Amazon.
Brown said the album will cost $12.99 in stores and $10.99 on iTunes, with the option of a deluxe version that has extra songs and videos for $14.99.
Elevation has committed to donate proceeds from the album’s release to Compassion International – up to $25,000. The organization has a Child Survival Program and Elevation’s money will go towards supporting people in Kamwokya, one of the poorest slums in Uganda. The church began taking pre-orders for the album last Sunday and will release it on iTunes Monday. The church gave release-date proceeds away from their previous albums as well.
Elevation emphasizes what it calls the “worship experience.” One of the core values in Elevation’s “The Code” – its mission statement – says: “We are Ruth’s Chris, Not Golden Corral. Simplicity enables excellence. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.”
Brown says the worship team puts a lot of work “into creating an experience both for believers after long weeks, and also to reach the lost who don’t know Jesus.” Elevation wants to create an electric celebratory atmosphere to show their excitement about Jesus, he said.
Elevation Church began in Charlotte in 2006 with Pastor Steven Furtick and seven other families. About 121 people attended the first service at a local Charlotte high school. Since then, the church has grown to six locations throughout the Charlotte area. Elevation states that over 10,000 people attend the six combined locations every Sunday, with a seventh site in the works for January.
