- Next Level Church
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Next Level Church is a loosely affiliated group of interdenominational Christian churches. Next Level was founded in 2005 in Matthews, North Carolina, a Charlotte suburb. As of 2010, the Next Level Church now boasts congregations all over the United States.
Contents
History
Next Level Church initially began meeting as a launch team in January 2005 at Park Church South in Pineville, North Carolina. Meetings were held on Sunday nights and drew around 40 people. The church held its first public worship service on Sunday morning September 11, 2005, in the gymnasium of Community House Middle School located in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte.[1] Due to potential damage to the wooden gym floor, Next Level Church's lease was terminated in July 2006. The search for a new location yielded a campus with three buildings on 16 acres (65,000 m2) and another church named Tri-County Community Church (TC3) in Matthews which was meeting weekly on Saturday nights. Next Level Church met in the Matthews facility[2] for the first time on August 20, 2006. TC3 and Next Level merged into a single congregation under the name of Next Level Church.
In 2007, Next Level adopted Project 485, an ambitious plan to begin Next Level campuses near every exit of Interstate 485, the loop highway surrounding Charlotte. The first Project 485 campus, in the Ballantyne area, launched on February 2008, led by Campus Pastor Robbie McLaughlin.[3]
On February 10th, 2008. Next Level Church launched its second campus in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte.
Mission and values
Next Level Church's mission is to be a church for people who are "spiritually curious or committed, looking for life purpose and meaning, trying to figure out how spirituality and real life intersect, or just trying to find some real relationships."[4] They aim to be a place where anyone can come and take the next step in a relationship with the Christian God. They call themselves "a place for the screwed and the screwed up."[4]
The three core values of Next Level are:[5]
- Living Life Together
- Giving Ourselves Away
- Connecting Disconnected People
Church "planting"
Next Level planted one church in November 2006 known as The Journey which meets within a few miles of uptown Charlotte. The lead pastor is Mark Griffith.
On January 28, 2007 Next Level planted Element, a church led by Brian Phipps, along with Bill Babson and Frank Hamrick in the Southwest suburbs of Charlotte. Element had an attendance of approximately 330 on their first Sunday of public worship services.[6]
Controversy
In January 2008 Next Level Church announced the launch of its Ballantyne Campus using a controversial tactic. The church handed out shot glasses at area bars with the slogan "Give Us a Shot" printed on them. The story received national attention and both positive and negative feedback.[7] Some felt like the church was compromising or being hypocritical by giving away shot glasses.[8] Others though it was a great way to reconnect people who don't attend church.[9] Pastor Todd Hahn explained the church's reasons for the shot glass outreach:
1. It is time for the church to stop expecting people to come to us and time for us to go to them...to where they live, work, socialize, and play. Coffee shops, bars, clubs...wherever they are. 2. Jesus identified himself with drinkers and partiers - not sharing in their excesses, but living life with them. That's what we want, because that's what he did. 3. We will do anything, anything, anything that does not violate God's word to help disconnected people get connected to God.[10]
References
- ^ White, R. "Taking Faith to the Next Level" Charlotte Weekly, page 2s, September 1, 2005.
- ^ Moseley, D. "Music Instructor Takes His Talents To Church" The Charlotte Observer, January 28, 2007
- ^ Next Level Church Launches Ballantyne Campus on February 10 | Reuters
- ^ a b Welcome to Next Level Church
- ^ http://www.nextlevelchurch.org/index.cfm?SECTION=932
- ^ Valle, K. "New church starting at Ayrsley theater" The Charlotte Observer, January 25, 2007
- ^ FOXNews.com - 'Give Us a Shot': N.C. Church Hands Out Shot Glasses at Bars - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
- ^ SHOT GLASS EVANGELISM « The 8th Person
- ^ renown: all about the kingdom (+ shot glasses)
- ^ Next Level Church: BLOG: Give Us A Shot-Wednesday
External links
Categories:- Churches in the United States
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