E L E V A T I O N C H U R C H A N N U A L R E P O R T

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "E L E V A T I O N C H U R C H A N N U A L R E P O R T"

Mary Hunter
6 years ago
Views:

1 CHURCH ANNUAL REPORT

2 I want the annual report we present to the church to be one of our highest priorities every year. I m pretty sure our CFO, Chunks Corbett, thought I was kidding when I said that to him several years ago. He found out pretty quickly that I wasn t. For me, leading a church is serious business. I know of no higher privilege or more significant endeavor. And each week I approach the task with the awareness that I am accountable to God for the way I fulfill this calling. That s a pretty good motivation for me to bring my best. But as I begin my tenth year as the pastor of Elevation Church, I m also recognizing more clearly my responsibility to you, my spiritual family. Your investment and trust in the mission of this church deserves to be maximized and stewarded with the highest integrity and efficiency. Our leadership team is completely committed to that. Hopefully, this report will give you a glimpse of that commitment. The Elevation Church Annual Report is an opportunity to keep our eye on the metrics that matter. As we have often said: behind every statistic is a story. I think you ll be informed and inspired by this year s edition. There s some good stuff in here, and our team did a really nice job communicating it. Hopefully you ll be able to relive some of the moments that were special to you, and rejoice in the miracles we experienced together last year. To God be the glory for the great things He has done! And we believe the best is yet to come! Thank you for the part you play. Let s keep bringing it...full circle. So that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ,

BAPTISMS & SALVATIONS BAPTISMS & SALVATIONS BAPTISMS SINCE THE CHURCH STARTED (AT YEAR-END ) I ve spent most of my life making poor decisions, living a wild lifestyle because I thought there was no

3 BAPTISMS & SALVATIONS BAPTISMS & SALVATIONS BAPTISMS SINCE THE CHURCH STARTED (AT YEAR-END ) I ve spent most of my life making poor decisions, living a wild lifestyle because I thought there was no way God could accept me. But when my friend Steve invited me to Easter at Elevation this year, I heard about grace. That day I realized God would accept me just as I am, and during the invitation, I stood to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. - TED S LAKE NORMAN SO THAT PEOPLE FAR FROM GOD WILL BE RAISED TO LIFE IN CHRIST. DECISIONS FOR CHRIST 6,028 BAPTISMS 1,089

4 ATTENDANCE STATISTICS ATTENDANCE STATISTICS HISTORICAL AVERAGE LOCATION AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE WEEKLY PROVIDENCE 620 MATTHEWS 2,443 UPTOWN 1,326 ATTENDANCE ROCK HILL 1,150 UNIVERSITY CITY 1,253 BLAKENEY 4,309 GASTON 979 TORONTO ,000 14,000 13,798 15,817 CONCORD 963 *ROANOKE 481 *RALEIGH 324 *LAKE NORMAN 2,229 * LAUNCHED DURING 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,139 9,595 11,708 ekidz AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE 3,008 KIDS 6,000 4,000 3,892 5,510 FROM % INCREASE TO 2,089 2, FROM % INCREASE TO NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN egroups 7,401 NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVING ON AN eteam 5,714

OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK One of the things that drew me to Elevation Church nine years ago was the church s generosity and commitment to outreach.

5 OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK One of the things that drew me to Elevation Church nine years ago was the church s generosity and commitment to outreach. Now, as part of my role on staff, I have the privilege of overseeing that generosity up close and personal. Giving twelve percent of every dollar to local, national, and global partners, gives us exponential opportunities to impact lives here in the Charlotte area and all around the world. Our outreach strategy is all about partnership. Each year, our Partner Advisory team, made up of professionals within our church, helps us evaluate all of our outreach partnerships (88 partners in ). They review all new applicants and current partners based on their area of impact, sustainability of impact, financial stability, and volunteer engagement. The addition of campuses outside of the Charlotte region has given us new opportunities to reach out. One of our biggest accomplishments of was bringing our outreach model into these new communities where we now have locations. As the church and our impact continue to grow, our passion to generously serve our communities with the love of Jesus has also grown. To whom much is given, much is required. This biblical truth drives our desire to leave a legacy as a church, to be a church that extends far beyond the walls of the buildings we occupy into the world we are trying to reach. JOSH BLACKSON Operations & Expansion Pastor

6 OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK ONE7 SERVANTS CIS - SAFE WITH A HEART JOURNEY GIVEN TO OUTREACH SINCE THE CHURCH BEGAN ONE7 WE GAVE $250,000 FROM OUR YEAR-END OFFERING TO HELP FUND A BRAND NEW FACILITY AT ONE7. THIS WILL ALLOW THEM TO HOST INDOOR MINISTRY EVENTS AND ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES. GIVEN TO OUTREACH IN $3,784,937 This includes outreach from both operating revenue and Surround. FOOD BANK SCHOOLS PROJECT 658 HARVEST RIGHT MOVES SPORTS SECOND HARVEST CITIZEN OUTREACH OUTREACH P A R T N E R S HIGHLIGHTS 12% of every dollar Elevation Church receives is given to Outreach. CENTER FOR YOUTH CAMPAIGN A21 CLT FAMILY HOUSING CENTER MINISTRIES LIFE YOUNG MINISTRIES AFRICA INT WATER MISSIONS A CHILD S URBAN MINISTRY 2XSALT PLACE CRISIS ASS. HUNGER NOW CHURCHES PARK JACKSON GROWING A FEW OF OUR OUTREACH PARTNERS STOP

OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK HOURS SERVED DURING LOVE WEEK JULY 26 - AUGUST 3, Through this church I ve found the kind of love I d never experienced before - the love of Christ.

7 OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK HOURS SERVED DURING LOVE WEEK JULY 26 - AUGUST 3, Through this church I ve found the kind of love I d never experienced before - the love of Christ. And, Elevation showed me how to spread this love I ve received in so many amazing ways. I ve been able to give back to the community through outreach events, volunteering, and leading an egroup. It s truly changed my life. - BRANDI H GASTON WE GAVE THE EQUIVALENT OF $1.2 MILLION WORTH OF TIME DURING LOVE WEEK (Calculated by Independent Sector Website that calculates the value of a volunteer in North Carolina at $21.04/hour) MONEY GIVEN TO OUTREACH PARTNERS DURING LOVE WEEK $490,000 LOVE WEEK PARTNERS 160 ORGANIZATIONS LOVE WEEK VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 1,027 EVENTS

8 CREATIVE & MEDIA CREATIVE & MEDIA Part of what makes our church unique is our commitment to use creativity in preaching the Gospel. We believe that God is The Creator, and we have to use what He s given us to be creative in sharing the world s greatest message. One of my favorite projects from was the Surround series. I enjoyed seeing all the Creative Department teams working together to help create the different layers of the series. Seeing how one video in the worship experience, a print piece, or even a post on social media helps someone connect with what God is doing through our church makes everything we do worth it. Our digital presence (websites, apps, social media, etc.) continues to be a main focus going into the next season of our church. When you think about millions of people visiting your church online every year, that s a massive opportunity. We also want to focus more on reaching new audiences through our TV ministry. We live in the best time in history, because we get to use creativity and technology together to reach people in ways that weren t even possible for the generations before us. LARRY HUBATKA Creative Pastor

9 CREATIVE & MEDIA CREATIVE & MEDIA TOTAL NUMBER OF SERIES IN TWELVE Let s bring it full circle. #SURROUND Sometimes covenant isn t convenient. #MEANTTOBE 6 Fix your focus and keep up your courage. #CRASHTHECHATTERBOX 5 LENGTH IN WEEKS Today s attack just might become tomorrow s advantage. #STICKSANDSTONES When you believe God is your source, everything else is a resource. Sometimes Jesus will bypass your hopes, so He can fulfill your needs. #THEHOPEOFGLORY Beware of the temptation to give up what you want most, for what you want now. #DEATHTOSELFIE The news you receive is not as important as the report you believe. #HOWTOBEBRAVE 1 #CONSIDERTHESOURCE Don t let your plans make you miss God s purpose. #TWASTHEWEEKEND J F M A M J J A S O N D MONTH SERIES BEGAN

10 CREATIVE & MEDIA CREATIVE & MEDIA FOR EVERY 1 PERSON ATTENDING EACH WEEK, CHURCH.ORG 3,599,849 VISITS 40% FROM ,599, ,391,765 UNIQUE USERS 2,772,373 83% OF VISITORS WERE FROM OUTSIDE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA NETWORK.COM ARE TUNING IN ONLINE 775,361 VISITS ,139 VISITS 180 COUNTRIES LOGGED ON TO THE NETWORK. SERMON PODCAST DOWNLOADS IN VIDEO VIEWS VIMEO 5,305,428 YOUTUBE 1,254,382 APP STATS 3,289,637 LAUNCHES 159,599 DOWNLOADS TOTAL DOWNLOADS SINCE 2011: 437,414 3,597,867 AUDIO 2,752,206 VIDEO 845,661 CUMULATIVE TIME WATCHING CHURCH MEDIA ONLINE IN 179 YEARS 103 DAYS 24 HOURS 44 MINUTES 49 SECONDS

CREATIVE & MEDIA CREATIVE & MEDIA LOCAL TELEVISION MARKETS ROANOKE CHANNEL WSLS Sundays 1:05AM (after SNL) GREENSBORO CHANNEL WGHP Sundays 11:30AM CHARLOTTE CHANNEL WCCB Sundays 10:30AM RALEIGH

11 CREATIVE & MEDIA CREATIVE & MEDIA LOCAL TELEVISION MARKETS ROANOKE CHANNEL WSLS Sundays 1:05AM (after SNL) GREENSBORO CHANNEL WGHP Sundays 11:30AM CHARLOTTE CHANNEL WCCB Sundays 10:30AM RALEIGH CHANNEL WRAZ Sundays 7:00AM TOTAL WEEKLY AVERAGE 37,161 VIEWERS NATIONAL TELEVISION TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK W E E K L Y A V E R A G E 81,589 VIEWERS INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION GOOD TV TAIWAN TBN AFRICA MYFAITH TV AFRICA RELEVANT TV SOUTH AFRICA TBN UK (LAUNCHED JANUARY 15, 2015)

WORSHIP WORSHIP There is power when the church gathers together to worship the name of Jesus. When that happens, our praise becomes a sound that changes our surroundings and shifts atmospheres.

12 WORSHIP WORSHIP There is power when the church gathers together to worship the name of Jesus. When that happens, our praise becomes a sound that changes our surroundings and shifts atmospheres. I will never forget the special atmosphere of worship at Time Warner Cable Arena when over 13,000 people came seeking the presence of God as we recorded Wake Up The Wonder, our newest worship album. The moment that stands out the most to me was during the song Jesus I Come. As we sang the lines, thank You Jesus, just as I am I come, the crowd erupted with cheers of gratitude. In that instant, I was overcome by the faithfulness of God. Pastor Steven has often said that thankfulness is always present in a worshipper s heart, and this has become a signature theme in the songs we write because God has been so good to us. With the release of two albums in, Only King Forever and Wake Up The Wonder, we ve seen the anthems of our church bless other churches all across the nation. Currently 26 Elevation Worship songs are charting on CCLI, which reports on the songs that 160,000 churches in America sing on a weekly basis. With over 58,000 albums sold in and a number one Christian album on the Billboard charts, the sound of this house is rising. So, we will do our best to continue to write songs that honor God and that encourage our church, believing that the best songs, and the most meaningful albums, have yet to be written. WADE JOYE Worship Pastor

13 WORSHIP WORSHIP WORSHIP RELEASED IN ONLY KING FOREVER ALBUM RELEASED JANUARY NUMBER OF SONGS 14 BILLBOARD STATISTICS WAKE UP THE WONDER WORSHIP #1 ON CHRISTIAN CHARTS ONLY KING FOREVER WORSHIP #2 ON CHRISTIAN CHARTS BOTH ALBUMS DEBUTED AS #1 CHRISTIAN ALBUMS ON ITUNES AND TOP 10 OVERALL NUMBER OF TIMES SONGS FROM WAKE UP THE WONDER WERE STREAMED ON SPOTIFY IN WAKE UP THE WONDER ALBUM RELEASED NOVEMBER NUMBER OF SONGS MILLION TIMES AVERAGE 31,000 STREAMS/DAY I got lost from the path God set for me, but God used Elevation Worship to reach me. The lyrics spoke out what my spirit desired - intimacy and faith and a relationship with Him. I reached my breakthrough and currently I am standing strong again, continually watching Pastor Steven s sermons as well. I ve proudly referred you to friends, knowing they will get the nourishment they need to feed their spirits and faith. -ARIANNE G, NEW ZEALAND WORSHIP CUMULATIVE DOWNLOADS 109,885 SONGS

WORSHIP WORSHIP LIVE RECORDING LOCATION TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA WORSHIP LEADERS ON STAGE LIVE ALBUM AUGUST 1, WAKE UP THE WONDER MOMENTS OF THE NIGHT Every time the church I remember towards the The

14 WORSHIP WORSHIP LIVE RECORDING LOCATION TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA WORSHIP LEADERS ON STAGE LIVE ALBUM AUGUST 1, WAKE UP THE WONDER MOMENTS OF THE NIGHT Every time the church I remember towards the The best part of the My favorite moment gathers with one purpose, end of Pastor s message, night was hearing every from the night would to lift up the name of Jesus, we believe something truly special can happen. Seeing all the people singing together as one voice...it s world-changing. when the arena declared together surely the Lord is in this place... I realized what I got to be a part of. It was very overwhelming for me. voice in the whole arena singing the bridge of For the Lamb. There was so much power in that moment; it felt like all of heaven came down and joined in that song. have to be the bridge of Jesus I Come. There was a tangible shift in the atmosphere as our church sang Thank you Jesus. - MATTHEWS NTLELE - JONSAL BARRIENTES - JANE WILLIAMS - CHRIS BROWN

FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION An in-depth look at a church s financials can tell you a lot about their effectiveness, vision, and priorities.

15 FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION An in-depth look at a church s financials can tell you a lot about their effectiveness, vision, and priorities. We have always considered ourselves money managers. We manage the Kingdom investments of thousands of people, and we don t take the responsibility lightly. As the church has grown, so has the responsibility to continue to reach out, expand, and steward all that we are given. The details of how we budget and spend are in the pages that follow, but simply put, it s divided into thirds. In, we spent a third of our operating income on personnel, a third on doing what we do (ministries, operations, weekends), and a third on Expansion and Outreach. After giving 12% to Outreach, we are able to use 20% toward future expansion, assets, and debt retirement. This discipline, in addition to the year-end Surround offering that will all go to Expansion (after giving away 12%), allowed us to do some great things in. We completed one building, launched two portable locations, signed a contract to purchase a leased facility, and began construction on two more locations. And that was all in one year, thanks to the generosity of our church. CHUNKS CORBETT Chief Financial Officer

FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION OPERATING REVENUE ALLOCATION (AUDITED) $10 MIL $9 MIL $8 MIL $7 MIL $6 MIL $5 MIL $4 MIL $3 MIL $2 MIL $1 MIL 0 *PERSONNEL $9,034,499 EXPANSION/SAVINGS/ DEBT

16 FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION OPERATING REVENUE ALLOCATION (AUDITED) $10 MIL $9 MIL $8 MIL $7 MIL $6 MIL $5 MIL $4 MIL $3 MIL $2 MIL $1 MIL 0 *PERSONNEL $9,034,499 EXPANSION/SAVINGS/ DEBT REDUCTION $5,658,014 OUTREACH estudents/ekidz/ egroups/eteams FACILITIES $2,495,291 OPERATIONS $2,223,751 WEEKEND EVENTS $1,352,232 $3,331,791 $3,669, % PERSONNEL 20.4% EXPANSION 13.2% estudents/ekidz/ egroups/eteams 12.0% OUTREACH 9.0% FACILITIES 8.0% OPERATIONS 4.9% WEEKEND EVENTS * NATIONAL AVERAGE OF PERSONNEL EXPENSES FOR CHURCHES IS 40-50%. OPERATING REVENUE COMPARISON 10% FROM 2013 $27,764, $25,185,118 SURROUND (EXPANSION OFFERING) $5,775,965 TOTAL REVENUE $5,775,965 TOTAL GIVEN TO OUTREACH* $453,146 * ADDITIONAL $239,970 TO BE GIVEN IN EARLY 2015 TOTAL REVENUE BREAKDOWN OUTREACH BREAKDOWN TOTAL REVENUE $33,725,359 TOTAL OUTREACH $3,784,937 OPERATING $27,764,921 SURROUND $5,775,965 OTHER REVENUE $184,473 $3,331,791 OPERATING + $453,146 SURROUND OUTREACH $3,784,937 Elevation Church undergoes a voluntary annual year-end audit by C.Dewitt Foard and Co., P.A.

FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION A UNIVERSITY CITY We began construction in the Summer of on the new CHURCH IS 1,200-seat University City location.

15 LAKE NORMAN We opened this 1,200-seat location in the North Charlotte area in January. We have seen an average attendance of 2,229 people at this location.

After leasing the Matthews location, which has also been home to our headquarters (offices) for five years, we took advantage of an opportunity to purchase the entire plaza.

14 BALLANTYNE Since freshmen year, I ve been praying for my friend Bryn to come to church. Fast-forward to junior year, and Bryn came to Elevation and gave her life to Jesus.

17 FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION A UNIVERSITY CITY We began construction in the Summer of on the new CHURCH IS 1,200-seat University City location. We are anticipating a March 2015 opening of this location. The upfit costs of this long-term lease were $4.9 million. A CHURCH OPENING DATE MATTHEWS LAKE NORMAN We opened this 1,200-seat location in the North Charlotte area in January. We have seen an average attendance of 2,229 people at this location. The total construction costs were $11 million. After leasing the Matthews location, which has also been home to our headquarters (offices) for five years, we took advantage of an opportunity to purchase the entire plaza. This will secure our longterm presence in the Matthews community and give us flexibility to expand in the future. The purchase price was $10.2 million. CLOSED ON PROPERTY OPENING DATE BALLANTYNE Since freshmen year, I ve been praying for my friend Bryn to come to church. Fast-forward to junior year, and Bryn came to Elevation and gave her life to Jesus. I don t take for granted what God is doing at my church, and I can t even tell you how thankful I am for a church where I get excited to bring people. - Alex L. RDU After a long permitting and zoning process, we began site work in late Fall on what will become the future broadcast location. We are anticipating an early 2016 opening of this new 1,600-seat location with approximate construction costs of $24 million. OPENING DATE EARLY 2016 RALEIGH LAUNCHED AVG WKLY ATTENDANCE 324 ROANOKE LAUNCHED AVG WKLY ATTENDANCE 481

18 FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCE & EXPANSION FINANCIAL A NOTE FROM FAQs OUR FINANCE DEPT. After working in the banking industry as a CPA in financial controls for 30 years, it s an honor for my retirement gig to be serving as the Controller at Elevation Church. When I came on staff six years ago, I set out to build the controls and finance department at Elevation Church with the same level of integrity and focus that I did for one of the largest banks in the county. And I couldn t be happier with the progress we ve made and continue to make. HOW MUCH DEBT DOES CHURCH HAVE? We finished the year with $9.84 million in debt. This was a slight increase of $435,000 from The construction in (University City, Ballantyne site work, Lake Norman completion, and two new portable locations) was paid for from operating funds. We do anticipate an increase in debt in 2015 with several new projects in progress. HERE ARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM : WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE SURROUND OFFERING? The $5.78 million year-end offering (after giving 12% to Outreach) will go entirely towards expansion. We have a credit facility that is secured at a low-interest rate to fund all existing projects. These additional funds will allow us to explore new opportunities in We became accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). The ECFA provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, transparency, fundraising, and board governance. We launched a new purchase order system designed to ensure continued cost oversight management. WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS ON WHERE TO BUILD OR PURCHASE NEW LOCATIONS? All new building/construction opportunities are examined by our Expansion and Finance team, a group of business leaders who attend our church. This team, along with our Lead Staff, then gives a recommendation to our Board of Overseers, who ultimately have final approval on new construction projects. The general annual budget of the church is also approved using this same process. We completed our annual independent audit process for the sixth consecutive year. We began implementation of an automated management approval system for our accounting and credit card platforms. We made plans to form an Audit Committee in 2015 made up of members from our Expansion and Finance team. The Committee will have independent accountability to both the Board of Overseers and our auditors. ARE AUDITED FINANCIALS AVAILABLE? As in years past, the financial numbers in this annual report are audited. Additionally, a full copy of our independent financial audit can be downloaded at elevationchurch.org. When I retired in 2007 (for the first time), I thought I would spend my time playing golf. I never dreamed that all my years of working was God setting me up to help build His church. Pastor Steven has preached before that gratitude is never silent. Well this old man is thankful and shouting about all that God has done in just 9 years of ministry. And we are just getting started Tithing may seem difficult, but we ve always been able to tithe and still maintain our home, make our mortgage payment, pay for the kids schooling, pay the medical bills from my cancer scare, and have working vehicles. This year we were blessed to be able to trade our old vehicles for two newer used cars. We re so thankful for a church that encourages us to be obedient. As a result, our kids have witnessed God s faithfulness through our financial discipline. KOSA AND RANDY F. MATTHEWS In Christ, GARY SESSIONS Controller (Retired as a CPA 2007)

Lets keep showing people who Jesus is!!!

Lets keep showing people who Jesus is!!! 1 he stories we experience and collect each year never get old T and they hold the same theme: The church is still God s #1 instrument for getting hope to the world. We have prayed that God would use Fountain