North Carolina Pastor Builds $1.7 Million Mansion – ‘A Gift From God’

The pastor of a North Carolina megachurch is blessing the Lord for the $1.7 million mega-house he’s building.

Steven Furtick, 34, preaches to 14,000 evangelical Christians every weekend at North Carolina’s Elevation Church. He’s currently under fire for building a 16,000 square foot house in Weddington, N.C.

Furtick, his wife, Holly, and their three young children will live there.

It reportedly has five bedrooms, 7 ½ bathrooms and 8,400 square feet of heated living area.

In a speech given at his church, Furtick said,

“That’s a big house; no doubt about it, we recognized that everything we have is a gift from God, it comes from him and God could take it all away tomorrow. But we made a decision to build a home for our family and we’re excited to live in that home.”

 

Elevation was named one of the fastest growing churches in America by Outreach Magazine.  When it started in a living room!  Now there are 8 branches, including in Toronto.

Elevation Church reported an income of $20 million in 2012, which does not include the $8 million they made during an offering drive.

Furtick says that he is building his new home with money made from book sales and speaking engagements.  His book, ‘Sun Stand Still’ devotional sells for $9.74 on Amazon.  Some say the church paid for ads for the book.

But, reports say that the lines between his personal fortune, and that of the church are increasingly blurred.

Pastors at Elevation get a tax-free housing allowance, but church leaders are refusing to share exactly how much money has ended up in Furtick’s pockets.  Although Elevation Church releases income reports on its website, Furtick keeps his income and pastor’s salary a secret.

Furtick and his church members volunteer for charitable causes. Since its founding, Elevation members have donated almost $10 million to outside nonprofit organizations.

Here's a news story about the scandal...