Student analyzes church

By Sarah Auvil

With the launch of Elevation Church’s Rock Hill campus this semester, a lot of students and people in the community are curious and suspicious about the new church and its success. It has also raised a lot of questions regarding whether media and technology should be used in the church.

Personally I feel like a big problem with the modern day church is that often what is preached on Sunday does not connect to anything the rest of the week. In some traditional churches preachers talk in lofty theological terms and use hymns written in language from hundreds of years ago. It’s a great way to preserve the past, but when it’s not explained, it doesn’t connect well to the present. 

As a digital information design major, I felt kind of conflicted when church leaders told me that each person’s gifts should be used to glorify God, but oh wait, your field should be left out of services, as if technology as a medium is innately “profane” or something.

It felt even more hypocritical to me when I realized that many church youth events revolve around watching a movie or playing a video game. Some pastors use Youtube clips in their sermons. But is this weird? After all, we use technology and media in countless ways each and every day.

This is the world we live in, if the church wants to reach people its message needs to be relevant to the modern world. Our lives are infused with technology and media; it’s a format we understand.

Media can be used for good or evil. Many churches feel the use of technology, satellite locations, and video is revolutionary – but the church across the street is doing the same thing. What’s the point of pretending that Christians don’t watch TV or only listen to music played on the organ?

We as students are living in a face paced world with complex problems and stressful situations. A huge gap in separating the content of religion services from many younger people’s day to day lives has formed. And when students can’t relate to or understand the sermon, music, and people, why go?

Though I was skeptical at first, I feel like Elevation bridges this gap for many to some extent. I don’t feel like I am entering a separate world or that I have to put on false pretenses when I go. I can wear jeans and a t-shirt if I’m in a hurry, or a dress if I’m feeling formal, it doesn’t matter. People aren’t going to stare at me if I bring a friend from another race or judge me during worship.

This is not the prosperity gospel, it’s the gospel in modern terms for real people. Pastor Steven Furtick has no problem calling people out and discussing some of Jesus’ tough-to-swallow teachings. Life is not always rainbows, butterflies, and dollar bills, nor does Jesus ever say it will be. But it is a church that people from all walks of life can come to, regardless of who they are, and be accepted.

Furtick’s sermons use examples from real life that apply to all ages to illustrate sometimes confusing Bible passages. For example, while you may not care that 3,000 years ago King Solomon’s son ignored his royal advisers, you can learn from his mistakes in the situations you are facing now by listening to those who care about you and have experience over peers who are just as clueless as you.

Whether Elevation Church just feels like attending a concert or you enjoy the loud music and message is personal taste. There is no perfect church since there are no perfect people. Modern is not better than traditional, nor is traditional holier; they’re just different formats and styles. 

But I think a lot of Elevation’s popularity is due to its attempt to use skilled people in technology, commitment to organization in their services, and relevance to today’s people.

For students that may have been burned by religion before or had trouble fitting into an extremely formal atmosphere, the option of an energetic, modern church is often much appreciated.