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 2 0 1 4

“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

2014

BAPTISMS &SALVATIONS

2014

B A P T I S M S S I N C E T H E C H U R C H S T A R T E D

2014 BAPTISMS

1,089

2014 DECIS IONS FOR CHRIST

6,028

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 | ELEVATION LAKE NORMAN

SO THAT

PEOPLE

FAR FROM

GOD WILL

BE RAISED

TO L IFE IN

CHRIST.

(AT Y EA R-EN D 201 4 )

ATTENDANC E STATIST ICS

2014

ATTENDANCE STATIST ICS

2014

H I S T O R I C A LA V E R A G E W E E K L Y A T T E N D A N C E

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2014

16,000

15,817

13,798

11 ,708

9,595

6,139

5,510

3,892

2,089

483

NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN eGROUPS

7,401

NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVING ON AN eTEAM

5,714

2014 eK IDZ AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE

3,008 KIDS

2014 LOCATION AVERAGE WEEKLY ATTENDANCE

BLAKENEY | 4,309

MATTHEWS | 2,443

PROVIDENCE | 620

ROCK HILL | 1,150

UNIVERSITY CITY | 1,253

UPTOWN | 1,326

GASTON | 979

CONCORD | 963

*LAKE NORMAN | 2,229

*RALEIGH | 324

*ROANOKE | 481

TORONTO | 327

INCREASE15% FROM 2013 TO 2014

INCREASE22% FROM 2013 TO 2014

* LAUNCHED DURING 2014

OUTREACH & LOVE WEE K

2014

OUTREACH& LOVE WEEK

2014

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 2014). 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 2014 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 truthdrives our desire to leave a legacy as a church, to be a church thatextends far beyond the walls of the buildings we occupy into the world we are trying to reach.

JOSH BLACKSON

Operations & Expansion Pastor

OUTREACH

2014

OUTREACH & LOVE WEE K

2014

SERVANTS CIS - SAFE CLT FAMILY WATER YO

UN

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IS A

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OP

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OW

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’S URBA

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INISTRY 2XSALT A21 HARVEST RIGHT MOVES S

PORTS SECOND HARVEST

CITIZ

EN

ONE7 WITH A HEART JOURNEY HOUSING MISSIONS IN

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MIN

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PA

RK

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HU

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SCHO

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58

O U T R E A C H

P A R T N E R S

H I G H L I G H T S

G I V E N T O O U T R E A C H S I N C E T H E C H U R C H B E G A N

WE GAVE $2 5 0,0 00 FROM OUR YEAR-END OFFERING

TO HELP FU ND A BRAND NE W FACIL ITY AT ONE7.

TH IS WILL A LLOW THE M TO H OST IND OOR MIN IST RY

EVENTS AND ATHLE T IC AC TIV IT IES .

OUTREACH2014

OUTREACH & LOVE WEEK

2014

This includes outreach from both operating revenue and Surround.

ONE7

GIVEN TO OU TRE AC H IN 2 01 4

$3,784,937

12% of every dollar Elevation Church receives is given

to Outreach.

A FEW OF OUR OUTREACH PARTNERS

OUTREACH & LOVE WEE K

2014

OUTREACH& LOVE WEEK

2014

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 | ELEVATION GASTON

H O U R S S E R V E DD U R I N G L O V E W E E K

MONEY G IVEN TO OUTREACH PARTNERS DURING LOVE WEEK

$490,000

LOVE WEEK PARTNERS

160 ORGANIZATIONS

WE GAVE THE

EQUIVALENT

OF $ 1 .2

M ILL ION

WORTH OF

T IME DURING

LOVE WEEK

(Calculated by Independent Sector Website that calculates

the value of a volunteer in North Carolina at $21.04/hour)

LOVE WEEK VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNIT IES

1,027 EVENTS

JULY 26 - AUGUST 3 , 2014

ELEVATIONCREATIVE & ME DIA

2014

ELEVATION CREATIVE & MEDIA

2014

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 2014 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

ELEVATION CREATIVE & ME DIA

2014

6

5

4

3

2

1

TOTAL NUMBE R OF S E RIE S IN 2014

TWELVE

LE

NG

TH

IN

WE

EK

S

J F M A M J

“Fix your focus and keep up your courage.”#CRASHTHECHATTERBOX

“Today’s attack just might become tomorrow’s advantage.”#ST ICKSANDSTONES

“Sometimes Jesus will bypass your hopes, so He can fulfill your needs.”#THEHOPEOFGLORY

ELEVATIONCREATIVE & MEDIA

2014

MON TH S E RIE S BE G AN

“Beware of the temptation to give up what you want most, for what you want now.”# DEAT HTOSEL F I E

“Sometimes covenant isn’t convenient.”# MEA N T TOB E

“The news you receive is not as important as the report you believe.” # HOWTOB EB RAVE

J A S O N D

“Don’t let your plans make you miss God’s purpose.” # T WAST HEWEEKEN D

“Let’s bring it full circle.”# SURROUN D

“When you believe God is your source, everything else is a resource.”#CONSIDERTHESOURCE

F O R E V E R Y 1 P E R S O N A T T E N D I N G E L E V A T I O N E A C H W E E K ,

A R E T U N I N G I N O N L I N E

ELEVATIONCREATIVE & ME DIA

2014

AUDIO | 2 ,752 ,206

VIDEO | 845 ,661

ELEVATION S E RMON PODC AST D OWNLOADS IN 2014

3,597,867 CUMULATIVE T IME WATCHING ELEVATION CHURCH MEDIA ONLINE IN 2014

2014ELEVATION

CREATIVE & MEDIA

ELEVATIONNETWORK.COM

2013

2014 775,361 VISITS

530,139 VISITS

V IDEO V IEWS

ELEVATIONCHURCH.ORG

3,599,849 VISITS2013

2014 3,599,849

2,772,373

1 , 39 1 ,765 UNIQUE USERS

8 3 % O F V I S I T O R S W E R E F R O M O U T S I D E C H A R L O T T E M E T R O A R E A

1 8 0 C O U N T R I E S L O G G E D O N T O T H E E L E V A T I O N N E T W O R K .

179 YEARS | 103 DAYS | 24 HOURS |

44 M INUTES | 49 SECONDS

3 ,289 ,637 LAUNCHES159 ,599 DOWNLOADS

VI MEO 5 , 3 05 , 4 28

YOUT UB E 1 , 25 4 , 3 8 2

2014 ELEVATION APP STATS

TOTA L D OW N LOA D S S I N C E 2 0 1 1 : 4 3 7, 4 1 4

40%FROM 2013

ELEVATION CREATIVE & ME DIA

2014

ELEVATION CREATIVE & MEDIA

2014

2014 LOCAL TELEVIS ION MARKETS

2014 NATIONAL TELEVIS ION

2014 INTERNATIONAL TELEVIS ION

RALEIGHCHANNEL WRAZSundays 7:00AM

GREENSBOROCHANNEL WGHPSundays 11:30AM

CHARLOTTECHANNEL WCCB Sundays 10:30AM

ROANOKECHANNEL WSLSSundays 1:05AM (after SNL)

37,161 VIEWERSTOTA L W E E K LY AV E R AG E

81,589 VIEWERS

TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK W E E K L Y A V E R A G E

GOOD T V TA I WA N

T B N A F RI CA

MY FA I T H T V A F RI CA

REL EVA N T T V SOUT H A F RI CA

T B N UK ( LAUNCHED JANUARY 1 5 , 201 5)

ELEVATION WORSHIP

2014

ELEVATION WORSHIP

2014

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 2014, 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 2014 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 JOYEWorship Pastor

E L E V A T I O NW O R S H I P R E L E A S E D

I N 2 0 1 4

WAKE U P THE WOND ER

ALBUM RELEASED | NOVEMBER 2014

NUMBER OF SONGS | 16

ELEVATION WORSHIP

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

2014ELEVATION

WORSHIP

2014 B ILLBOARD STATIST ICS

2.8 MILLION TIMES

#1 ON CHRISTIAN CHARTS

#2 ON CHRISTIAN CHARTS

WA K E U P T H E W O N D E R | E L E VAT I O N W O R S H I P

O N LY K I N G F O R E V E R | E L E VA T I O N W O R S H I P

BOTH ALBUMS DEBUTED AS #1 CHRIST IAN

ALBUMS ON ITUNES AND TOP 10 OVERALL

NUMBER OF T IMES SONGS FROM “WAKE UP THE WONDER” WERE STREAMED ON SPOTIFY IN 2014

A V E R A G E 3 1 , 0 0 0 S T R E A M S / D AY

109,885 SONGSELEVATION WORSHIP CUMULATIVE DOWNLOADS

O NLY K ING FORE VER

ALBUM RELEASED | JANUARY 2014

NUMBER OF SONGS | 14

ELEVATION WORSHIP

2014

ELEVATION WORSHIP

2014

L IVE RECORDING LOCATION

TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA

LIVE ALBUM | AUGUST 1 , 2014

WORSHIP LEADERS ON STAGE

MOMENTS OF THE N IGHT

Every time the church

gathers with one purpose,

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.

- MATTHEWS NTLELE

The best part of the

night was hearing every

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.

- JANE WILLIAMS

My favorite moment

from the night would

have to be the bridge of

“Jesus I Come.”

There was a tangible

shift in the atmosphere

as our church sang

“Thank you Jesus.”

- CHRIS BROWN

I remember towards the

end of Pastor’s message,

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.

- JONSAL BARRIENTES

WAKE UP THE WONDER

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

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 2014, 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 2014. 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

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

WEEKEND EVENTS

0

$2 M

IL

$3

MIL

$4

MIL

$5

MIL

$6

MIL

$7 M

IL

$8

MIL

$9

MIL

eSTUDENTS/eKIDZ/eGROUPS/eTEAMS

OUTREACH

*PERSONNEL

* NATIONAL AVERAGE OF PERSONNEL EXPENSES FOR CHURCHES IS 40-50%.

EXPANSION/SAVINGS/DEBT REDUCTION

$9,034,499

$3,331,791

$3,669,343

$1,352,232

OPERATIONS $2,223,751

$5,658,014

FACILITIES $2,495,291

2014 OPERATING REVENUE ALLOCATION (AUDITED)$

10 M

IL

$1 M

IL2014 OPERATING REVENUE COMPARISON

2013

2014 $27,764,921

$25,185,118

2014 SURROUND (EXPANSION OFFERING)

2014 TOTAL REVENUE BREAKDOWN

Elevation Church undergoes a voluntary annual year-end audit by C.Dewitt Foard and Co., P.A.

$5,775,965

2014 OUTREACH BREAKDOWN

OPERAT I N G | $27,764 , 921

SURROUN D | $5 ,7 75 , 965

OT HER REVEN UE | $ 1 8 4 , 473

TOTAL REVENUE$3 3 ,725 , 359

TOTAL OUTREACH$3 ,78 4 , 937

$3 , 3 3 1 ,791 | OPERAT I N G

$4 53 ,1 4 6 | SURROUN D OUT REACH+

$3 ,784 ,937

10%FROM 2013

TOTA L REVEN UE | $5 ,7 75 , 965TOTA L G I VEN TO OUT REACH* | $4 53 ,1 4 6* ADDITIONAL $239,970 TO BE GIVEN IN EARLY 2015

32.5%

20.4%

13.2%

12.0%

9.0%

8.0%

4.9%

PERSONNEL

EXPANSION

eSTUDENTS/eKIDZ/

eGROUPS/eTEAMS

OUTREACH

FACILITIES

OPERATIONS

WEEKEND EVENTS

ELEVATION LAKE NORMAN

01.11.14OP ENING

DAT E

We opened this 1,200-seat location in the North Charlotte

area in January 2014. We have seen an average attendance of

2,229 people at this location. The total construction costs

were $11 million.

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

A

C H U R C H I S

A

C H U R C H

ELEVATION RALE IG H

LAUNCHED 7.20.14 | AVG WKLY ATTENDANCE 324

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. | ELEVATION RDU

ELEVATION MATTHEWS

01.31.15CLOSED ONPROPERTY

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 long-term presence in the Matthews community and give us flexibility to expand in the future. The purchase price was $10.2 million.

ELEVATION UNIVERSITY C ITY

We began construction in the Summer of 2014 on the new

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.

03.21.15OPENING

DATE

ELEVATION BALLANTYNE

After a long permitting and zoning process, we began site work in late

Fall 2014 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.

EARLY 2016OPENING

DATE

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

ELEVATION ROANOKE

LAUNCHED 10.12 .14 | AVG WKLY ATTENDANCE 481

HOW MUCH DE BT DOE S E LEVAT ION CH URCH H AVE?

We finished the year with $9.84 million in debt. This was a slight increase of $435,000 from 2013. The

construction in 2014 (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.

WHAT WILL W E DO W ITH TH E 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 2015.

WHO MAK E S THE DE C IS IONS ON WH ERE TO BUILD OR P U RC HAS E NEW LOCAT IONS?

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.

ARE AUDITE D F INANC IALS AVAIL AB L E?

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.

F I N A N C I A L F A Q s

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. | ELEVATION MATTHEWS

F INANCE& EXPANSION

2014

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.

HERE A RE A F EW HI GHL I G HTS F ROM 201 4 :

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.

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.

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…

In Christ,GARY SESS IONSController (Retired as a CPA 2007)

A N O T E F R O M

O U R F I N A N C E D E P T .

FINANCE& EXPANSION

2014

WWW. E LE VATIONCH URCH .ORG