Post by Cindy on Jan 20, 2017 10:00:17 GMT -5
I've looked into this church since it just bought out the church I used to go to. I was really sad to see what's become of the wonderful church I used to go to. It started going downhill when our Pastor left and we got a new one, and finally has gotten to the point where there's nothing left, so Next Level bought it. Anyway, I keep getting red flags when I read about this church. Nothing specific - well, yeah, some specific things, but they aren't doctrinal things, just things that throw up red flags for me. Like the pastor wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt to preach, and having a hard rock band for the service, and doing all kinds of showy things to get people's attention, even illegal things at one of the churches. Oh, and most of the sermons are watched on a big screen because the head pastor, Joshua Gagnon, is the only one allowed to do the sermons from what I've found. So all the churches watch his sermon on a large screen TV basically. The fact that Joel Osteen recommends the Next Level Church is a real big red flag to me as well. Another problem I have with it is that you can have popcorn, coffee or soda etc during the service, while the sermon is being preached, while the worship is going on, etc. That's a huge red flag to me as well. Sorry, I don't like it. I want to warn people to stay away from it, but I suspect since they're a "feeling" and "experience" based church, that they'll make it really big here too. That's the biggest red flag of all to me since the Lord tells us not to trust our feelings and that we're not to be looking for an "experience" but instead to be dwelling in Him. Satan is alive and well in New Hampshire, that's for sure. Here's a little bit of what I've found about it and about the head pastor.
Church Hands Out Shot Glasses at Bars
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — To get people to attend his new church campus, Robbie McLaughlin is sending his message out to where the people are.
Next Friday, staffers from Next Level Church of Matthews will go to bars in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte to hand out shot glasses which ask patrons to “give us a shot” and bear the slogan, “Real church for real people.”
The idea is to draw people to the Ballantyne campus, which opens next month.
McLaughlin is the pastor, and said he is confident that it will be controversial, but he said the goal is not necessarily to impress people who already go to church. He said it’s to impress people who don’t.
Next Level is a nontraditional church that encourages members to dress casually and snack on coffee and doughnuts during services.
McLaughlin said the idea has caught on, and in two years, the church has grown from a handful of members to more than 700.
www.religionnewsblog.com/20345/next-level-church
Next Level Church brings religion to the Big Screen
At Next Level Church you can bring popcorn to the service, and next week's Bible stories are previewed as Coming Attractions on the big screen.
The non-denominational Christian congregation holds two services - or "experiences," as it calls them - on Sundays at the Showcase Cinemas at 135 Brooks St.
"We want to connect with people where they're at, and use the language they use to connect them to God," said Pastor Marty Holman of Worcester. "We are very intentional about changing to connect with our culture.....
...This past Sunday, Rev. Holman said about 200 people attended the two "experiences" at 9 and 10:15 a.m. that day which featured live rock music and audiovisual elements complementing the preaching in a "come as you are" environment.
more:
www.telegram.com/article/20151010/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/151019938
New church gets word out – illegally
Members of a new church in Portland who peppered the city with 450 signs announcing the church's opening took them down Thursday, nearly three weeks after learning that the postings were illegal. Members of a new church in Portland who peppered the city with 450 signs announcing the church’s opening took them down Thursday, nearly three weeks after learning that the postings were illegal.
more:
www.pressherald.com/2010/10/15/new-church-gets-word-out-illegally_2010-10-15/
Joshua Gagnon (born November 14, 1979) is the founding pastor of Next Level Church, a church with multiple locations throughout New England. NLC has grown from a team of 12 people to a megachurch, with multiple locations across the New England region, since its launch on Easter of 2008. Next Level Church has been featured on CNN, and has become known for its unique outreaches, community involvement, and relevant, tangible teaching. In 2009 they hosted their first annual Egg Drop which drew over 12,000 people in attendance, and the event has become an annual tradition, with tens of thousands of plastic eggs dropped from helicopters.
Gagnon is considered one of the most influential leaders and visionaries in New England and now coaches and works with dozens of other pastors and church leaders, as well as being a highly regarded speaker for leadership and church growth. He is the founder of the Activate Conference, a conference and coaching network where church leaders throughout New England are inspired, encouraged, and taught how to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Gagnon
Church Hands Out Shot Glasses at Bars
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — To get people to attend his new church campus, Robbie McLaughlin is sending his message out to where the people are.
Next Friday, staffers from Next Level Church of Matthews will go to bars in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte to hand out shot glasses which ask patrons to “give us a shot” and bear the slogan, “Real church for real people.”
The idea is to draw people to the Ballantyne campus, which opens next month.
McLaughlin is the pastor, and said he is confident that it will be controversial, but he said the goal is not necessarily to impress people who already go to church. He said it’s to impress people who don’t.
Next Level is a nontraditional church that encourages members to dress casually and snack on coffee and doughnuts during services.
McLaughlin said the idea has caught on, and in two years, the church has grown from a handful of members to more than 700.
www.religionnewsblog.com/20345/next-level-church
Next Level Church brings religion to the Big Screen
At Next Level Church you can bring popcorn to the service, and next week's Bible stories are previewed as Coming Attractions on the big screen.
The non-denominational Christian congregation holds two services - or "experiences," as it calls them - on Sundays at the Showcase Cinemas at 135 Brooks St.
"We want to connect with people where they're at, and use the language they use to connect them to God," said Pastor Marty Holman of Worcester. "We are very intentional about changing to connect with our culture.....
...This past Sunday, Rev. Holman said about 200 people attended the two "experiences" at 9 and 10:15 a.m. that day which featured live rock music and audiovisual elements complementing the preaching in a "come as you are" environment.
more:
www.telegram.com/article/20151010/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/151019938
New church gets word out – illegally
Members of a new church in Portland who peppered the city with 450 signs announcing the church's opening took them down Thursday, nearly three weeks after learning that the postings were illegal. Members of a new church in Portland who peppered the city with 450 signs announcing the church’s opening took them down Thursday, nearly three weeks after learning that the postings were illegal.
more:
www.pressherald.com/2010/10/15/new-church-gets-word-out-illegally_2010-10-15/
Joshua Gagnon (born November 14, 1979) is the founding pastor of Next Level Church, a church with multiple locations throughout New England. NLC has grown from a team of 12 people to a megachurch, with multiple locations across the New England region, since its launch on Easter of 2008. Next Level Church has been featured on CNN, and has become known for its unique outreaches, community involvement, and relevant, tangible teaching. In 2009 they hosted their first annual Egg Drop which drew over 12,000 people in attendance, and the event has become an annual tradition, with tens of thousands of plastic eggs dropped from helicopters.
Gagnon is considered one of the most influential leaders and visionaries in New England and now coaches and works with dozens of other pastors and church leaders, as well as being a highly regarded speaker for leadership and church growth. He is the founder of the Activate Conference, a conference and coaching network where church leaders throughout New England are inspired, encouraged, and taught how to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Gagnon
!!
