Elevation Church Produces Rap/Dance Video as Tribute to Pastor Steven Furtick

Members of Charlotte-based Elevation Church have put together and performed a rap-and-dance video which honors their pastor, Steven Furtick.

October was Pastor Appreciation Month, and members of Elevation Church, the megachurch founded by Pastor Steven Furtick, created and performed a rap-and-dance video based on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Downtown.”

The Christian Post reports that in the original version of the song, the rapper is looking for a moped, but the 100 or so Elevation Church performers changed their version to have the search be for a church.

Although the video is not available for public viewing due to previous criticism that the church already puts Furtick on too high of a pedestal, it is known that lyrics from the video say:

"Pastor/He has big arms/And has big faith/No word he says will go to waste/For well over 3,000 days/He always preaches down the place."

The 35-year-old Furtick founded Elevation Church in 2006. It has since grown to over 17,000 members, according to the Charlotte Observer.

"There is a misconception that says Christianity is a dry religion based on rules and restrictions," Furtick told The Christian Post in an earlier interview. "That couldn't be further from the life Jesus came and died to give us. … The more we can break through barriers that people may put up against religion and allow them to experience Jesus in a clear, refreshing way, the more we will see people embrace Him.”

“While I may reference popular culture or make a joke in my sermon that steps outside of the stereotypical church context, that's not what engages and changes people,” Furtick continued. “God's Word does that. I don't have to make God's Word relevant — it transcends time. I simply have to make it clear. If I can communicate God's Word clearly and understandably, all people, young people included, can apply it to their lives."

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: November 2, 2015