VIDEO: Another Megachurch Pastor Says His Megamansion Is "Gift From God"

 

 

 

North Carolina, Southeastern United States -- Steven Furtick, founder and pastor of a Southern Baptist Elevation Church, a megachurch with over 14,000 followers, is building a $1.7 million dollars, 16,000-square-foot home in Weddington, a town of about 10,000 residents.
The pastor describes his megamansion as a gift from God. He says the money came from the sales of his books, but he and his church aren't giving specifics.
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"My wife and I made a decision, and we built a house," Furtick said during church services last Sunday. "It's a big house, and it's a beautiful house, and we thank God for it… We understand everything we have comes from God."
Last month, however, he told his followers the home was "not that great of a house."
Furtick apologized to congregants for any uncomfortable conversations they may have had after news reports revealed the size and scope of the house he's building.
"I have always tried to make this a church where you could be proud of it," Furtick said, which earned him a standing ovation from the congregation.
Furtick, whose sermons include references to prosperity theology, spent about 10 minutes addressing the controversy over his new home, which Elevation Church officials say was not a parsonage or a gift from the church. They say the five-bedroom home was paid for with income from books the 33-year-old Furtick has written or will write.
Furtick has declined to say how much he makes from his books and speaking appearances, and has not revealed his salary, which is determined by an appointed "board of overseers" made up of other megachurch pastors.
The pastor told his church that the media had a right to report whatever it wished. "I do not call this an attack," Furtick said. "This is a news story, and the media is not our enemy."
Churchgoers say no one had a right to tell Furtick what kind of home to build because "it's his money."
"Every Sunday, people are lined up outside of church like they're trying to get into the club," one follower said. "Maybe this is an opportunity for everyone to see how great God is."
The Elevation Church has been defined as one of the Top 100 fastest growing churches in the United States. It has been described as "a pop culture-friendly church with an orthodox Christian message".