Elevation Church

Why? So that he can put something new in them.

My guest today is LJ Mitchell, who's spent the last decade as the music director of Elevation Church and Elevation Worship.

But he didn't start on that stage.

He started on a warehouse night shift, in a hotel room on the other side of the world, and in a kitchen playing notes no one would ever hear, hiding the word of God in his heart, in the dark, in obscurity.

[upbeat music] The last time we talked, you said to me, "Chris, I feel like version two of me is the best version of me.

I'm in big brother mode right now." And my antennas went up, and I just wanna ask why.

So I was referring to, um, I have been a part of m- m- ministry Elevation Church, it was 10 years.

So we, I was reflecting on a decade of ministry.

Again, I don't wanna, like, attribute bad things to a guy like Steven Furtick.

He's the guy that is the, the head of Elevation Church.

Super talented dude.

I never met him.

And by the way, I've been to one of the biggest churches, some of the biggest churches in America, and the one that I know the most about because they took us on a tour and told us all the details to try to help us build our church.

We've been to Elevation Church, and I was blown away.

The lady that took me on a tour, she was young, and I told my wife, I said, boy, while we're on the tour, she's walking up ahead of us, she's talking about the kids, beautiful kids department, blow your mind.

And we're walking through there and she's talking and she's so eloquent.

[upbeat music] Hey, this is Steven Furtick.

I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast.

I wanted to thank you for joining us today.

Hope this inspires you, hope it builds your faith, hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

[upbeat music] Hey, this is Steven Furtick.

I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast.

I wanted to thank you for joining us today.

Hope this inspires you.

Thanks.

Wow.

I wish this was Inside Elevation, 'cause I would tell all the pastors in this room, there's some stuff about Elevation Church I would not advise you to do.

[laughs] It's a great church.

I chose Steven Furtick.

Uh, and I got it to, to say that basically the, the AI s- I said, "Hey, I was baptized at Elevation Church.

Uh, Steven Furtick himself baptized me last weekend.

I'm so encouraged by all of this.

Bethel music, Bethel Church.

Elevation Worship, Elevation Church.

You know, all of these churches use their music to further their outreach.

And A lot of people are gonna be like, "Well, they, they use it as a tool." Like, well, of course they use it as a tool.

In Charlotte,

there's a church called Elevation Church that's got, you know, some of my fraternity brothers have seen it, and they're choreographic, and I guess it's like 40,000.

He's lived in it like 6,000.

But he, we call it Cultivation Church instead of Elevation Church because it's a cult.

Yeah, when I was, so around 2017, I was trying to get a job leading worship at a full time at a church.

And I would run into these churches that would literally tell me we're looking for, and they would give the big four mega churches, one of which was Elevation.

I've had to, even now in this age and stage of my life, I've had to reach out to other people to sit down with me and say, hey, can we go through my message? Like what landed? What didn't? I'm super, super grateful.

I have to give a shout out to Pastor LB from Elevation Church, who is a dear friend, a mentor, and the board of the church.

I, at this age and stage, having been doing this now for 15 years, I want to get better.

And if our heart posture is to get better, I believe the Lord sees that and honors that.