Our Vision Statement:
Leading people to discover God, develop themselves and be deployed into leadership with a biblical worldview.
Core Values
Our core values guide how we realize our vision, achieve, our mission and make daily ministry decisions.
Beliefs
In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. // Augustine
These basic doctrines represent what Elevate Life Church believes to be essential elements of biblical teaching. We believe that the Church should be united around these essential beliefs. We seek to not allow non-essentials to be divisive. We celebrate the freedom and differences of perspective on all non-essentials within the Church.
God
We believe that God created all things out of nothing and He is one in essence and three in person (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). We believe that God reveals himself to the world through Jesus Christ, Scripture and natural creation.
Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God – fully human and fully divine. He died for the sins of humanity and was raised from the dead so that we could no longer be separated from God.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts humanity of sin. When we decide to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit leads us, guides us and helps us live like Jesus.
Humanity and Sin
We believe that all human beings are made in the image of God and have the capacity for good. Every part of every person is corrupted by sin. Our sin separates us from God and is the cause of much of our difficulty.
The Church
We believe that the gathering of Jesus followers (the Church) is sent into the world to shine to preach the Gospel, live like Jesus and love all people.
Scripture
We believe that the Bible is inerrant, infallible, and the final authority for determining what is true (what we must believe) and what is right (how we must live). All claims of truth, behavioral and ethical standards must be tested by God’s final Word, which is Scripture alone. The beliefs, character, or conduct of a Christ-follower cannot be dictated by any other authority.
The Gospel
The gospel is the divine message about Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, detailing his identity and actions, promising salvation to all who repent and trust in Him as Lord. Adding anything, like works or opinions, distorts it into a different gospel.
Gender and Sexuality
God created Adam and Eve in His image, equal yet distinct as male and female. Biological sex is Biblically integral to self-conception; physical anomalies do not invalidate this design nor hinder a fruitful life in Christ. Approving non-biblical sexual or gender identities is sinful, deviating from Christian faithfulness, as human sexuality is not socially constructed but divinely ordained.
Marriage
God designed marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, for covenantal, sexual, and procreative purposes; sexual desires outside this design, including homosexual or heterosexual expressions are sinful. Any union not fitting this definition is not biblical marriage, and persistent desires for sexual immorality do not justify such behavior nor exclude someone from the gospel’s hope.
Race/Ethnicity/Racism
God created all people equally from one man, transcending ethnic and national distinctions, and Christians should view their identity in Christ as paramount over racial or group identity. Race is a social construct, not a Biblical one. Racism, a sin of pride and malice, must be condemned by those honoring God’s image in everyone, as it violates God’s will and the Great Commandment. It is a misconception that only those in power can be racist or certain ethnic groups are immune to racism. The Bible cannot be used to justify racial prejudice, and systemic racism contradicts Christian principles and Scripture; Elevate Life does not promote one ethnic group over another.
Love and Grace
We believe our true battle lies with evil and spiritual darkness, not with fellow humans, as all have sinned yet can be led to repentance by God’s goodness. God’s grace, covering all sins, empowers us to transform, aligning our self-conceptions with biblical teachings, and through Christ’s sacrifice, offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and follow Him. This grace obligates us to forgive others as we are forgiven, and truth spoken in love brings freedom through Jesus and Scripture.
Click below for a detailed explanation of Elevate Life's beliefs about race, gender, sexuality and marriage.
Leaders + Ministries
Keith Craft
Lead Pastor
Keith Craft is the founder and lead pastor of Elevate Life Church. He founded the church in 2000 with his wife, Sheila, who he has been married to for forty years. Keith is an author, leader, mentor and coachivator.
Sheila Craft
Lead Pastor
Sheila Craft leads Elevate Life Church with her husband, Keith Craft. She is an author, cheerleader, encourager, child advocate, mother and grandmother “Precious” to her 8 grandchildren.
Joshua Craft
Co-Pastor
Joshua’s greatest privilege is to make his parent’s dreams reality. He also writes, teaches, leads and coaches entrepreneurs and business leaders in practical philosophy. He and his wife, Courtnei, have three daughters, Charlie Monroe, Harper Elizabeth and Daisy Autumn.
Men
Men
Women
Women
Youth
Youth
Marriage
Marriage
Outreach
Outreach
Groups
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Servant Leadership
Servant LeadershipFAQ
God doesn't just want us to be "ok," or "good enough" God has called us to be the best we can possibly be. God wants to maximize every ounce of potential he's given us. That's greatness, and that's why we talk about it so much.
We believe that if you're not growing, you're dying. Everything about our church is geared toward helping us all develop ourselves into who God has created us to be. We never stop pushing growth, because there's always a price for us to pay to be who God wants us to be.
We call ourselves the "Incubator of Greatness" because, like an incubator, Elevate Life is a strategic atmosphere created to cause growth and development.
Similar to the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, leadershipologies are thoughts that are meant to spur people into action.
We also talk about money because it tends to be an idol for many people. Throughout the Bible, idolatry and greed are consistently portrayed as contrary to God’s purposes. Because the love of money is central to both behaviors, Jesus spoke regularly of the relationship between our pocketbooks and the health of our hearts.In present-day culture, the issue of finances remains key to our spiritual lives. Many individuals, families, organizations, and businesses experience serious financial problems caused by idolatry, greed and a lack of Biblical order.
Giving is about more than money. It's also about our time and our talent. God wants us to make our lives about others, and we can’t do that without giving our time, talent and treasure to advance God’s Kingdom. We give and talk about giving often because we as Elevate Life Church believe that giving is a biblical principle. It’s a lifestyle marked by generosity that produces a rich harvest in our lives.
John 3:16 reminds us that "..God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son." This teaches us three life lessons about true biblical generosity. It is always motivated by love, not law. God loved, so he gave. It reveals our priorities and the things we value most - He loved the WORLD. It is measured not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves. God held nothing back; He gave his very best, His only begotten son. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38
Every year since our founding, our board has hired an independent third-party auditor to conduct a full audit of our finances.
During a church audit, auditors:
- Independently verify all financial reports.
- Follow all funds and see if proper steps are being taken in handling them
- Evaluate accounting controls (systems that ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial records).
- Assess segregation of duties (assurances that more than one person is involved in critical steps in handling money so that there can be checks and balances, and that Lead Pastor and Vision Team have boundaries between themselves and the church finances).
- Calculate the reasonableness of systems and procedures in the light of all factors, including the size of the church and its budget
- Adequacy of insurance coverage.
In addition, the Lead Pastor and Vision Team have no say in their compensation.
Every few years, a compensation committee is established by the Board to recommend the compensation of the Vision Team. Which consists of a Lead Pastor, and Co-Pastors. A third party legal firm conducts a nationwide survey alongside the compensation committee that establishes the total compensation (salary and all other benefits) of the Vision Team. Members of the Vision Team are not allowed to be present for these discussions, nor do they know the results of the compensation study until after the compensation committee and the board have made their decision.
For additional information on our governance, click here.
FAQ
As a church, Elevate Life believes that these verses (Timothy 2:9-15) restricting women were written for specific times, places, and churches. The words of Paul here are not mandatory for all churches, at all times, and at all places.
Without women, the church is not the church. God intends to build something that includes all types of gifting that he creates and he does not limit authority based upon gender. If God gives a woman the ability to lead and speak, then those gifts must be used to benefit the whole church. Women are spiritually gifted by God to preach, teach, prophesy, evangelize and be apostles. God ordains and establishes women in positions of authority throughout the world (and the church) to accomplish his purposes.
P.S. I didn’t even factor in how God has used women since the first century church. You can look up people like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Catherine Booth, Catherine of Alexandria, Florence Crawford, Aimee Semple McPherson, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa and almost inumerable others.
WE BELIEVE that God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in his own image, equal before God as persons, and distinct as male and female. The differences between male and female reproductive structures are integral to God’s design for self-conception as male or female. Physical anomalies and/or psychological conditions do not nullify the God-appointed link between biological sex and self-conception as male or female. Ambiguities related to a person’s biological sex do not render one incapable of living a fruitful life and following Jesus. Those born with any disorder of sex development are created in the image of God and have dignity and worth equal to all other people. It is sinful to approve of immorality (homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual), transgenderism, or any other non-biblical definition of sexuality or gender. Such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness. The approval of any kind of immorality is not a matter of moral indifference about which Christ-followers should agree to disagree. Adopting a self-conception that is fluid or contrary to Scripture is inconsistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption. Human sexuality is not a socially constructed concept.
SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 19:4-6,12; ACTS 15:20, 29; ROMANS. 1:26–27; 1:32; 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9–11, 18-20; 7:1-7; 2 CORINTHIANS. 5:17
WE BELIEVE that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife. Sin distorts sexual desires by directing them away from the marriage covenant and toward sexual immorality - heterosexual and homosexual. We affirm that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. God has not designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship. No affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality. We further deny that any kind of partnership or union can properly be called Biblical marriage other than one man and one woman in lifelong covenant together. We deny that sexual attraction for the same sex is part of the natural goodness of God’s original creation, or that it puts a person outside the hope of the gospel. An enduring pattern of desire for sexual immorality of any kind never justifies sexually immoral behavior.
SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 1:26-28, 2:15-25, 3:1-24, 4:1, 19:24-28; MATTHEW 19:3-6; ROMANS 8:13; 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-11; 1 TIMOTHY 1:10; TITUS 2; JUDE 7
WE BELIEVE God made all people from one man. Though people often can be distinguished by different ethnicities and nationalities, all are equals before God in both creation and redemption. Christ-followers should not segregate themselves into racial groups or regard racial identity above - or equal to - their identity in Christ. “Race” is not a biblical category, but rather a social construct that often has been used to classify groups of people in terms of inferiority and superiority. Any divisions between people groups have no legitimate place in the Church. All that is good, honest, just, and beautiful in various ethnic backgrounds and experiences can be celebrated as the fruit of God’s grace. All sinful actions and their results (including evils perpetrated between and upon ethnic groups by others) are to be confessed as sinful, repented of, and rejected. We reject any teaching that encourages racial groups to view themselves as privileged oppressors or entitled victims of oppression. While we are to weep with those who weep, we deny that a person’s feelings of offense or oppression necessarily prove that someone else is guilty of sinful behaviors, oppression, or prejudice.
SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 1:26–28; ACTS 17:24-26; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:16-18
WE BELIEVE that racism is a sin rooted in pride and malice which must be condemned and renounced by all who seek to honor the image of God in all people. Such sinful prejudice or partiality falls short of God’s will and violates the Great Commandment. We affirm that virtually all cultures at times contain laws and systems that foster racist attitudes and policies. Treating people with sinful partiality or prejudice is inconsistent with following Jesus. We deny that only those in positions of power are capable of racism, or that individuals of any particular ethnic group are incapable of racism. Systemic racism is incompatible with the core principles of historic Christian convictions and Scripture. We deny that the Bible can be legitimately used to foster or justify partiality, prejudice, or contempt toward any ethnicity. We deny that the church has any deliberate agenda to elevate one ethnic group and oppress another.
SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 1:26-27; DEUTERONOMY 10:17; ACTS 10:34; ROMANS 2:11; EPHESIANS 6:9; GALATIANS 3:28; JAMES 2:4
WE BELIEVE that some cultures operate on assumptions that are inherently better than those of other cultures because biblical truths inform those worldviews. All people belong to larger social groups and cultures. Those cultures help shape us, but they do not define us. Elements of a given culture that reflect God’s revelation should be celebrated and promoted. All earthly cultures have features that are sinful - and therefore those sinful features should be rejected. Whatever evil influences to which we have been subjected via our culture can and must be overcome through repentance and the training of both mind and heart through biblical truth. All individuals and sub-groups in any culture are able, by God’s grace, to rise above whatever moral defects or spiritual deficiencies have been engendered or encouraged by their respective cultures.
SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 1:18-32; EPHESIANS 4:17-24; COLOSSIANS 3:5-11
We believe God wants us to have a fulfilled life that has purpose and challenges you to grow to become your best self. If you are comfortable, you are not growing. We create positive tension (create meaning for people, honor people, demand excellence) wherever we go. Jesus Christ was offensive to the culture, and we too must stand for what is truth and biblical in a world that so quickly forgets to honor God.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Prov 27:17
We believe that transformation happens in relationships. Just as iron is honed and made sharper by friction against another piece of iron. You can advance, be made sharper and refined through interactions with others. It is important to surround yourself with people who challenge you and inspire you to personally grow.
It is the art of ruling oneself in spirit, soul and body. Principles (truth) over preferences. When a leader has principle-based values their leadership behaviors align with those values (not preferences).
- The study of leadership
- It is the process that when applied to life, will reap untold benefit to you and those around you. Be a doer, not a hearer only. Take time to study each quote and find application in your life.
At Elevate Life, we honor God by returning the first 10% of all our earning to Him. When we do so faithfully, we are acknowledging God’s sovereignty over our lives and our resources.
We give and talk about giving often because we as Elevate Life Church believe that giving is a biblical principle. It’s a lifestyle marked by generosity that produces a rich harvest in our lives.
John 3:16 reminds us that "..God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son." This teaches us three life lessons about true biblical generosity.
It is always motivated by love, not law. - God loved, so he gave.
It reveals our priorities and the things we value most - He loved the WORLD.
It is measured not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves. - God held nothing back; He gave his very best, His only begotten son.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
Giving starts with finances, but it is not limited to that. When we live this biblical principle, we give of our time, our talent and our tithes (first fruits) and offerings (our treasures). When we live this principle, we put God first in every aspect of our lives and we believe that in doing so we are living a life that God can truly bless.
A leader is someone who can lead themself first. It is a person who is excellent, has wisdom and discipline. It is someone who embraces resistance, refuses to be offended, doesn’t gossip, desires to be the best, acts their way into a feeling, believes the best even when the worst has been displayed, do more than what is asked, loves people the way they need to be loved, gives generously, leads themselves first, lives with a transcendent cause… more.
Leadership is choosing a way of thinking, being and doing that is not common.
//Pastor Keith A. Craft
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