Celebration Church
 | This article contains promotional content. (June 2015) |
| Celebration Church | |
|---|---|
| Location | Main campus: Jacksonville, Florida |
| Denomination | Non-denominational Christianity |
| Weekly attendance | nearly 12,000 |
| Website | www.celebration.org |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder(s) | Stovall Weems |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Stovall Weems |
| Laity | |
| Music group(s) | Celebration Worship |
 | |
Celebration Church is a global, multi-site church. Founded by lead pastor Stovall and Kerri Weems, Celebration began in 1998 in Jacksonville, Florida and now has nearly 12,000 in attendance weekly. Celebration is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. The vision of Celebration Church is to lead people to experience a God-first life. This is done by connecting people with Jesus Christ through an accepting atmosphere and by creating an environment where people can experience the presence of God in true community.[1]
Celebration Church is a member of the ARC (Association of Related Churches).[2]
Beliefs
Celebration Church follow the Bible, and see God as "Creator of all things".[3] The Celebration Church has faced some criticism in regards to their views on homosexuality and transgender people, stating "Rejection of one's biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person" and comparing homosexuality to both incest and bestiality.[4]
Location
Celebration's central offices and main campus is located in Jacksonville, FL and broadcasts to campuses throughout Florida and abroad. Celebration also serves several international locations in Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, Northern Ireland, and Greece. Sunday services are broadcast online, reaching out to the global Internet community.
Celebration Worship
Celebration Worship has a passion for connecting people with Jesus Christ by creating an environment where people can experience the presence of God through worship.
Albums
- Awakening (2008)
- Kollide: Make It Loud (2009)
- Greater Than All (2010)
- Fuse EP (2011)
- You Amaze Us (2012) (single release)
- Our God, Our Mountain (2016)
Ministries
Celebration offers a variety of ministries in order for you to connect and live the most fulfilling God-first life possible. Each ministry is specifically designed so that you can build meaningful relationships with other believers and experience God. They also have many small groups.[5] Ministries are available for kids, youth (FUSE), young adults (sub30), singles, marriage/family life, men and women. leaders. Celebration also serves the needs of local and global communities through outreach and missions.[6]
Growth
Celebration Church began in 1998 with only 7 people[7] and grew to 4,500 by 2004. In 2006 the church was one of the nation's fastest growing churches because of Celebration's aggressive multicultural outreach.[8] In 2008, Celebration Church was listed at the 96th largest church in the nation with 7,000 in attendance[9] and currently[when?] claims to have nearly 12,000 in weekly attendance.
In August 2011, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for its new location, a 7,000 square foot facility on 30 acres near 9A and Baymeadows Road. The $15 million building project will feature 3,000 seats in the arena-style sanctuary, state-of-the-art broadcasting and audio visual capabilities and environmentally friendly civil design. The second phase of the project of the construction will include a 1,000-seat youth facility, church offices, adult classrooms and a wedding chapel.[10] The first services in the new "Celebration Arena" was held November 11, 2012.[11]
Because of Celebration's size and rate of growth in the past decade, Celebration Baptist Church, also in Jacksonville, FL, decided to change its name to The Fellowship at Celebration Baptist Church to reduce confusion.[12]
See also
References
- ^ About Us | Celebration Church
- ^ Association of Related Churches - Find an ARC Church
- ^ "Celebration Church :: Our Beliefs". www.celebration.org. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- ^ http://www.celebrationchurchva.org. "The New Consensual Holiness Code - Celebration Church". Celebration Church. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ http://www.celebration.org/ministries/
- ^ http://outreach.celebration.org/
- ^ http://www.celebration.org/about_us/
- ^ http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/090306/met_4805480.shtml
- ^ http://www.sermoncentral.com/articleb.asp?article=Top-100-Largest-Churches4
- ^ http://www.news4jax.com/news/29006723/detail.html
- ^ http://www.celebration.org/news/details/your_new_home_awaits/
- ^ http://jacksonville.com/lifestyles/values_and_religion/2008-12-29/whats_in_a_name_for_churches_a_lot
External links
- Celebration.org
- Stovall's Blog
- Celebration Church Extension Gatherings
- Celebration Church Online, an internet extension of Celebration Church