We Dress For The Wedding – we continually increase our capacity by structuring for where we want to go, not where we are. We will remain on the edge of our momentum by overreacting to harness strategic momentum initiatives.

Pastor Steven uses a great example to convey this concept. Imagine you are on your way to a formal event like a wedding. You are all dressed up in a gown or tuxedo, and you realize that you’re running out of gas. So, you pull into a gas station and begin to pump gas looking all fancy in your formal wear. To the people watching you from the other pumps, you may look a little ridiculous or out of place to get gas in those clothes, but the point is…you’re not dressed for where you are at that moment, you’re dressed for where you are going.

This idea can be applied to so many areas of our lives and ministry. For Elevation, we always want to evaluate where we are right now in our ministry and make plans, or structure ourselves in such a way that will best prepare us for where we’re going as a church. We always strive to harness any momentum we have and use it to plunge forward.

For example, as a worship department, we are always looking for great new players and singers to join us in this ministry. Even if we have the exact amount of people we need for right now, we still find ways to work in new players and tie them into the vision. Because, as a church we are changing and growing all the time. One day our campuses will double in number, and by looking ahead and preparing for that now, we will have new musicians and vocalists falling right into place. They will already understand our culture and have a heart for this church and ministry before they even get a regular weekly opportunity to serve.

Never be afraid to think big and think ahead. Dress for where you’re going!

So, we are wrapping up our highlight of The Code. If you would like to see the entire thing, you can find it here … we hope it has been helpful!

One of my favorite tenants of The Code is #11 – We are known for what we are for.

If you spend anytime on blogs or twitter, you can find a lot of opinions on what we should be against. Too often, that is also the impression that people far from God have of Jesus and His Church. We want to be a part of changing that.

We want the city of Charlotte to know that Elevation is FOR Jesus. We are FOR seeing broken lives changed by Christ every week. We are FOR loving and serving the least of these in our city. We are FOR generosity. We are FOR empowering people to live out the dreams and ministry God has placed in their heart. We are FOR seeing all churches rise up to advance the gospel.

We want to be all about what Jesus is all about, what Jesus is FOR. We’d love for you to join us.

In our list of codes, the 12th and final one is something that is so important to keep in front of our faces. “We will not take this for granted.”

God is doing something really special at Elevation Church – things are happening on a level that I’ve never personally seen before – And when God moves in such a powerful way time and time again, and you’ve seen him do the miraculous week after week, one of the hardest things to guard against is not getting used to it… not overlooking all the things He is doing.

When you are a part of something bigger than yourself, and you are witnessing things that only God can do – it is SO important that you acknowledge how blessed you are to witness it.
Having a job, actually getting paid to work for the kingdom of God is such a high honor. But it’s easy to get complacent, and it’s easy to get a sense of entitlement. We’ve got to constantly humble ourselves before God and remind ourselves that what we are a part of is special. We are privileged to be a part of His work. We cannot take for granted that He has chosen to use us.

Yo!  This week we’re back talking about “Elevation’s Code” (our defining, unique principles).

We Are United Under The Visionary: Elevation is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven.  We will aggressively defend our unity and his vision.

I’m about to break things down really simple like.  We believe that God’s given Pastor Steven the vision of where he wants to take Elevation’s ministry.  And the Lord’s called us all here to use our gifts and strengths corporately as a way of seeing that vision come to life.  We’re all playing a unique part in this movement, because we’re all uniquely gifted.  We all have different roles, because we have different strengths.   Ok, so that’s about as basic as it gets, right?  We all play different roles.

The key is that we’re devoted to having a unified spirit among our staff, and as a staff, we all have our pastor’s back.  We’re not here to build up our resumes, get a couple years of experience so we can move on to bigger and better things.  We’re not partially tied into Elevation, or partially behind Pastor Steven’s vision.  We feel called to support him and what the Lord’s doing here.

Worship leaders, we’ve said it before….GET BEHIND YOUR PASTOR.  Support him and the vision God’s given him.  And please don’t look at your worship leading title at your church as a launching pad for your career.  God has far bigger plans for you in your local church than for it to only be considered a stepping stone.  He desires a unified spirit between your entire staff and your pastor.  Invest your heart and soul into that ministry.  Pour yourself out in support of the visionary.