Pros
Positives of being a part of NLC I loved many of the people I worked with at NLC, even a couple of the top leadership team. Thankfully some have developed into friends that will continue on with authenticity. I did grow in my leadership skills while there and truly appreciated that. They have learned a lot from other churches as far as systems etc. Sometimes what is most positive though is not just learning what to do but what not to do. For sure that is my greatest lesson.
Cons
Negatives to be aware of: 1. Horrid work life balance At Next Level Church (NLC) they pride themselves at working hard and playing hard… but the reality is you don’t have time to play. From the top they tell you that you have to say no to things but think nothing of piling on tasks regardless of your need as a spouse or parent. You get one day off a week (Saturday) and that can and will be interrupted. To think the day before church that you’ll have everything set up with zero loose ends is ridiculous. I also repeatedly had my vacation time interrupted as the job comes before down time. Simply put I witnessed over a dozen amazingly talented servants of God be fired or cooked only to be discarded with no signs of regret. The number of casualties is staggering. 2. Operates as a business not as a ministry. I’m not ignorant. I realize there are “business” elements of a ministry but there is a HUGE difference between the two. In my time there we had weekly mandatory meetings that always included a teaching on how to be a better leader. I did grow from these and truly don’t see this as only negative but never once was there a topic on how to be a better pastor. They aren’t the same! Though they overlap God never once intended for a pastor to be a CEO or a celebrity pastor. He instead said if you love me “ feed my sheep.” On several occasions the lead pastor told us that he didn’t want us to use the cop out of it being our calling, but instead said it was a job. He then said that if we couldn’t get the job done he’d fire us and find someone who could. This gives you a glimpse into the true heart of this organization. 3. Lack of integrity, humility and transparency. Big words for sure but this is for real! Throughout the organization’s model they are comfortable with performing actions that are banned within communities and twisting information (spin) to present or leverage their desired outcome. A white lie or stretching the truth is still a lie, which is sin. Even though they say they will answer any question, the reality is they will not. They hide a ton of information in their annual report within a pie chart that lumps salaries etc in such massive numbers that you could never remotely grasp what the overhead is. No one but those on the lead team know this information and if you ask your deemed as lacking trust and they will begin distancing themselves from you. They talk like they are humble until you attempt to hold them accountable (Gods word tells us all to hold each other accountable, that isn’t a one way street). It’s spoken but not lived out. It’s sadly hypocritical and the last Sunday I went was when the lead pastor said across the church that he loved us. I couldn’t sit under someone who lied to his flock like that. He loves what they do for him, not for who they are. Harsh words but truth. 4. The title pastor is not accurate to what is seen in scripture. At NLC the location pastor is really a three part role that values only the relational qualities of the pastor to hold it all together. Understand that you won’t preach unless it’s a low attended holiday weekend. You are there as a franchise manager that recruits volunteers and pulls off the events they tell you to do, when they tell you to do them. Oh, and be the locations administrative assistant and bookkeeper each week, and you cannot go home until it’s done. Your pastors heart will only serve as the glue to hold it all together. Burn out is an inevitability.