Elevation Church, under the leadership of prosperity gospel Charlatan, Steven Furtick, has just announced their withdrawal from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). This development is hardly surprising at all given that Elevation Church, long known for its unconventional and controversial doctrines, has been a thorny branch in the vine of the SBC for years.

Elevation’s false gospel, shaped by Furtick’s personal brand of Word of Faith theology, has long sat uncomfortably within the framework of the SBC and the majority of its member churches. From endorsing the damning prosperity gospel to openly embracing the heresy of modalism, Elevation has consistently strayed from core biblical tenets held dear by the SBC community.

This friction, it seems, has finally culminated in the church’s decision to sever its ties. The crux of this decision, interestingly, coincides with the SBC’s recent constitutional amendment disallowing women pastors—a ruling Elevation directly contravenes through its practice of allowing women to regularly preach from the pulpit.

The response from some in the SBC, though composed, betrays a sense of relief. While the SBC is certainly far from returning to sound orthodoxy throughout the entire convention, there has been at least some notable movement with these unorthodox congregations. This follows the forcible removal Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church after Saddleback ordained several women to the pastorate in contradiction to the Scriptures and the Baptist Faith and Message. The departure of a congregation that consistently deviated from this course is, in a way, an act of self-purification. As the denomination sheds these elements that have veered away from orthodoxy, it can only be viewed as a step in the right direction, despite the enormous and daunting path it must take to return to conservative, biblical principles—an unlikely path in the grand scheme of things.

It’s worth noting that Elevation’s decision to withdraw was made without any intended public announcement. Their focus, they say, is on “reaching a world that needs the love of Jesus.” Yet it remains a poignant question whether the doctrines Elevation promulgates truly align with the love of Jesus as portrayed in the Scriptures.

While it’s a joy to see any false church depart from the unity of the SBC, some leaders insist that the Convention remains firm in its commitment to orthodoxy and conservatism. Elevation’s departure may have created waves, but, if anything, this move demonstrates the need for churches today to uphold biblical truth while refusing to bend to popular or contemporary trends that stray from the Word of God.

In the end, the departure of Elevation Church, which boasts 26 thousand in weekly attendance and up to 65 thousand in “online” attendance, is not a loss for the SBC, but rather an act of mercy by God Himself on the denomination, allowing it time to repent and return to the fundamentals of the Gospel, and to uphold the clear biblical teachings that define us as followers of Christ. In reality, Elevation should have been purged years ago. But later is better than never, and it’s sad that they had to remove themselves when they should have been forced out by the convention itself. Here is the full text of the letter sent to the SBC Executive Committee.

We would like to thank the Southern Baptists for the privilege of partnering with you, especially through the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina for nearly two decades.

This letter is to inform you that Elevation Church is withdrawing its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention effective immediately. You will find that our Statement of Beliefs on our website is very much in line with the Baptist Faith and Message – we have no intention of changing those core beliefs.

We have no plans to make a public announcement on this decision – we have too much to do in reaching a world that needs the love of Jesus. Should your Credentials Committee decide to make this decision by Elevation public, we will only respond with a copy of this letter in anyone inquiring about the notification.

Thank you again for the privilege of having been affiliated with the SBC all these years. Please know that our withdrawal from affiliation in no way means that we will withdraw from praying for you and your ministries and mission work in the future – we are all on the same side! We pray that we will continue to be able to work alongside many SBC churches in the coming years. We know there is much we can do more effectively in partnership than we can do alone. May God bless the SBC and her churches in the years ahead.