Stovall Weems
Stovall Weems is the founder and lead pastor of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Celebration Church is a global, diverse, multisite church that reaches people from all walks of life. Since it began with just seven people in 1998, the church has grown both regionally and internationally to twelve locations with more than twelve thousand people in weekend attendance.[1] Celebration Church along with Pastor Weems holds to no particular denomination or affiliation. Stovall is married to his wife Kerri Stovall and together they have three children, Kaylan, Stovie, and Annabelle.[2]
Stovall Weems is self described as energetic, charming and has a effective communication style. On the church's website, one will find it stated that as a Pastor Weems focuses on building the local church, reaching people with the gospel, and developing passionate followers of Christ.
The above description of Stovall Weems sounds impressive until one realizes exactly to in which what theological camp Celebration Church and Stovall Weems belong too. Both Weems’ church and himself, as stated before, hold no affiliation with any particular denomination. This is not necessarily a problematic position to hold, many good solid churches hold to this stance. The problem with Weems’ and Celebration Church is in the area of the theological position they hold too. This is to say that Weems’ holds to and runs his church under the Emergent / Seeker Driven Church model. This in itself is a problematic and troublesome position.
This ordering of the church or theological position can be seen in most of his sermons preached and in his speaking engagements or hosted events. For example, in the end of January 2013 Weems will host an event entitled “The Awaking Revival.” This will be gathering of many of the EC/SD starlets including; Bishop T.D. Jakes, Steven Furtick, Judah Smith, Israel Houghton, and John Siebeling. This association and willingness to join hands in ministry with such deviant preachers of false gospels should be a fair warning to what Stovall Weems is all about. He practices the typical doctrinal wind blowing of seeker driven pastors.
Stovall Weems holds to the typical style, practices and preaching mythology of EC/SD pastors. Weems’ sermons and messages behind his sermons focus on meeting Maslow’s hierarchy of felt needs along with filling the requirements of the social gospel. While Weems and his church may be popular in the EC/SD world and among those want to follow the social gospel of good works. His popularity does not make him or the church he leads biblically correct and worth attending, listening to, or following in membership. While Celebration Church may be large in numbers and have a large attendance, one must wonder are those who are attending God’s chosen elect or goats? Size is not always and most of the time, not the true indication of the success of a pastor or his church. Being blessed does not equally a grandiose church. Generally it is quite the opposite. God works His blessing to those who follow His Son Jesus Christ and His Word not the social gospel of the EC/SD church movement. This blessing is not often seen here in the temporal but will be know in the enteral.
[1] www.celebration.org/new/our-pastors
[2] www.celebration.org/new/our-pastors
Stovall Weems is self described as energetic, charming and has a effective communication style. On the church's website, one will find it stated that as a Pastor Weems focuses on building the local church, reaching people with the gospel, and developing passionate followers of Christ.
The above description of Stovall Weems sounds impressive until one realizes exactly to in which what theological camp Celebration Church and Stovall Weems belong too. Both Weems’ church and himself, as stated before, hold no affiliation with any particular denomination. This is not necessarily a problematic position to hold, many good solid churches hold to this stance. The problem with Weems’ and Celebration Church is in the area of the theological position they hold too. This is to say that Weems’ holds to and runs his church under the Emergent / Seeker Driven Church model. This in itself is a problematic and troublesome position.
This ordering of the church or theological position can be seen in most of his sermons preached and in his speaking engagements or hosted events. For example, in the end of January 2013 Weems will host an event entitled “The Awaking Revival.” This will be gathering of many of the EC/SD starlets including; Bishop T.D. Jakes, Steven Furtick, Judah Smith, Israel Houghton, and John Siebeling. This association and willingness to join hands in ministry with such deviant preachers of false gospels should be a fair warning to what Stovall Weems is all about. He practices the typical doctrinal wind blowing of seeker driven pastors.
Stovall Weems holds to the typical style, practices and preaching mythology of EC/SD pastors. Weems’ sermons and messages behind his sermons focus on meeting Maslow’s hierarchy of felt needs along with filling the requirements of the social gospel. While Weems and his church may be popular in the EC/SD world and among those want to follow the social gospel of good works. His popularity does not make him or the church he leads biblically correct and worth attending, listening to, or following in membership. While Celebration Church may be large in numbers and have a large attendance, one must wonder are those who are attending God’s chosen elect or goats? Size is not always and most of the time, not the true indication of the success of a pastor or his church. Being blessed does not equally a grandiose church. Generally it is quite the opposite. God works His blessing to those who follow His Son Jesus Christ and His Word not the social gospel of the EC/SD church movement. This blessing is not often seen here in the temporal but will be know in the enteral.
[1] www.celebration.org/new/our-pastors
[2] www.celebration.org/new/our-pastors
