Next Level Church - Charlotte

What if the most world-altering event in history has been hiding in plain sight — tucked into one morning a week, dressed up for Easter, and mostly left out of everything else? In the first episode of More Than Sunday, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus opens a six-week journey with a message called "This Changes Everything." Drawing from Romans 6:4, Clay unpacks what Paul meant when he wrote that we were buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life — with the emphasis firmly on the word walk. Not sit. Not show up occasionally. Walk. This episode is meant to unsettle you a little — in the best way. Because if the resurrection is true, it isn't just the headline of Easter Sunday. It's the foundation everything else gets built on. More Than Sunday is a six-week series exploring what it looks like to stop sorting faith into a Sunday category and start letting the resurrection loose in the rest of your life.

n this Easter sermon, Pastor Clay gets unusually personal — sharing the story of resigning his church in 2007, stepping back from faith entirely, and spending two years asking the hardest questions he'd ever faced. At the center of it all was one question he'd been avoiding: Did Jesus actually rise from the dead? Using the analogy of a load-bearing wall, Clay makes the case from 1 Corinthians 15 and Luke 24 that the resurrection isn't just one belief among many — it's the belief that holds everything else up. He walks through the historical evidence, the eyewitness accounts, and why the disciples' own confusion and skepticism actually strengthen the case. Wherever you are — skeptic, longtime churchgoer, or somewhere in the middle — this episode invites you to stop treating the resurrection as an idea and consider it as a reality.

Unmet expectations might be one of the quietest and most painful sources of pressure we carry. We expected God to show up a certain way—and He didn't. Or so it seemed. In the final week of Under Pressure, Teaching Pastor Christian Nichles brings us to the triumphal entry in Matthew 21, where crowds welcomed Jesus with enormous hopes—and He deliberately chose a different path than the one they had mapped out for Him. Not because He failed them, but because He was after something far greater. This Palm Sunday message is the perfect bridge into Easter—a reminder that when God doesn't meet our expectations, He's often exceeding them in ways we can't yet see. Under Pressure is a five-week series exploring what Scripture says about anxiety, burnout, comparison, disappointment, and expectations—leading up to Easter.

Comparison is sneaky. It rarely announces itself, but it quietly drives more of our decisions—and more of our exhaustion—than most of us realize. In week four of Under Pressure, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus opens Galatians 1:10, where Paul flatly refuses to live for human approval. It's a short verse with enormous implications. When your identity is rooted in Christ rather than in how others see you, the pressure to measure up begins to lose its grip. This episode exposes comparison as a hidden source of chronic stress and points toward a more grounded, freer way to live. Under Pressure is a five-week series exploring what Scripture says about anxiety, burnout, comparison, disappointment, and expectations—leading up to Easter.

Burnout doesn't always look like a breakdown. Sometimes it looks like a person who has given everything they have and simply has nothing left. In week three of Under Pressure, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus looks at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19—a man fresh off a mountaintop moment who collapses in total exhaustion and despair. God's response isn't disappointment or correction. It's compassion, presence, and quiet restoration. If you've been running on fumes and wondering whether God notices, this episode speaks directly to that place. Under Pressure is a five-week series exploring what Scripture says about anxiety, burnout, comparison, disappointment, and expectations—leading up to Easter.

Trials are easy to resent and hard to make sense of—until someone reframes them entirely. In week two of Under Pressure, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus opens James 1:2–4, where James writes to scattered and persecuted believers not with an escape plan, but with a perspective shift. Pressure, James says, is the pathway to perseverance and spiritual completeness. The hard season isn't a detour from your growth—it might be the whole point of it. If you've been asking why, this episode is worth your time. Under Pressure is a five-week series exploring what Scripture says about anxiety, burnout, comparison, disappointment, and expectations—leading up to Easter.

We live in a time when the pressure never really turns off—and most of us are carrying more than we admit. In the first message of our new series Under Pressure, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus opens Philippians 4:6–9 to show us that peace isn't something that just happens to us. It's practiced. It's cultivated. And according to Paul—who wrote these words from inside a Roman prison—it's available to anyone willing to pursue it. If anxiety has felt like your default setting lately, this episode is a good place to start. Under Pressure is a five-week series exploring what Scripture says about anxiety, burnout, comparison, disappointment, and expectations—leading up to Easter.

We've reached the finale of our Meant for More series, and Lead Pastor Clay Monkus brings a message that ties it all together: the Church is at its best when everyone is engaged in their God-given role. Using Romans 12:4–8, Clay unpacks Paul's powerful metaphor of the body. Just like a physical body needs every part functioning to be healthy, the Church needs every member using their gifts with diligence and humility. No role is insignificant. No gift is unimportant. When we all play our part, the body of Christ becomes fully alive and effective in God's mission. Over this series, we've discovered that faith isn't passive, that we're each uniquely gifted, that showing up matters, and now—it's time to act. Clay calls us to step into a serving role, both in the church and in the community. You weren't meant to just observe God's mission. You were meant to be part of it. So the question is: will you play your part?

Continuing our Meant for More series, Digital Ministries Pastor Bradley Medford tackles a common misconception: that serving God's mission is about having the right title, position, or platform. Using Mark 10:42–45, Bradley takes us to the moment when Jesus' disciples argue about status and greatness. Jesus responds by completely redefining what greatness looks like—not authority over others, but humble service to others. He points to His own example: He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life for many. Serving isn't about credentials or recognition. It's about availability and humility. It's about saying "yes" in the small, everyday moments where God places opportunities right in front of you. This week's message will inspire you to see that showing up matters more than standing out—and that God uses ordinary availability to accomplish extraordinary things in His mission.

Jesus isn't just part of life; He's the One who holds life together. Most of us treat Jesus like a helpful add-on—someone to invite into the hard moments, the Sunday mornings, the moral decisions. But the rest of the week? We're on our own. In this message, Digital Ministries Pastor Bradley Medford unpacks Colossians 1:15-17 and shows us what happens when we stop compartmentalizing our faith and start letting Jesus hold everything together. A true reset doesn't come from asking God to bless the life we've already built. It comes from centering every part of life—work, relationships, schedules, goals—around Him. Join us as we learn how to move from fragmentation to integration, and discover the peace that comes when Jesus is at the center of it all.

Rest isn't earned; it's received. Most of us are exhausted—not just physically, but spiritually. We're constantly chasing relief through distraction, entertainment, or just powering through. But relief is not the same as rest. In this message, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus explores Jesus' countercultural invitation in Matthew 11:28–30 and shows us what it looks like to trade temporary fixes for lasting refuge. The soul doesn't find peace when life finally calms down. It finds peace when it returns to Jesus. Join us as we learn how to stop running from our weariness and start resting in the One who offers true refuge—no matter how loud life gets.

In this episode, Clay and Christian talk about what it means to experience Jesus — not just know about Him. They explore why our culture is starving for peace, why outrage and speed are spiritually corrosive, and why stillness and presence are essential to real faith. The conversation touches on peacemaking, prayer, shared spiritual experience, and how slowing down helps us hear God more clearly. If you feel tired, distracted, or disconnected from God, this episode is an invitation to slow down and rediscover what it means to truly be with Him.

You can't rest in a God you never notice. In a world that runs on hurry, noise, and notifications, most of us have forgotten what it feels like to be truly still. We believe in Jesus, but do we actually experience Him? In this opening message of our new series, Lead Pastor Clay Monkus explores Psalm 46:10 and invites us into a different kind of reset—one that begins not with doing more, but with waking up to God's presence right where we are. Spiritual transformation doesn't start with a better plan. It starts with awareness. Join us as we rediscover how to quiet the chaos, tune out the distractions, and encounter the Jesus who's been waiting for us to simply be still.

Join us for our Christmas Eve message given by Lead Pastor Clay Monkus. In this one, Pastor Clay discusses the wonder of Christmas, why many adults have lost sight of that wonder, and how we might regain it again.

The waiting is over. The promise has arrived. In this final message of our Christmas series "The Promise Kept," Lead Pastor Clay Monkus brings us to the moment that changed everything: the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:1–20. After centuries of prophecies, generations of waiting, and 400 years of silence—God spoke. And He didn't just speak with words. He spoke with a baby. The arrival of Jesus in that humble manger was the fulfillment of every promise God had ever made. From Genesis 3 to the prophets to that starlit night in Bethlehem—God proved that He always keeps His word. If you've been waiting on God for something—healing, restoration, breakthrough, hope—this message is your reminder: God finishes what He starts. He kept His promise then. He will keep His promise to you. Celebrate with us as we close out this series by discovering why Jesus is the ultimate proof that you can trust God with your future.

What do you do when God's promise feels delayed? When the waiting stretches on so long that you start to wonder if He's forgotten? In this second message of "The Promise Kept" series, Bradley Medford tackles one of the hardest parts of faith: waiting. For 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, God's people heard nothing from heaven. No prophets, no signs—just silence. And yet, Galatians 4:4–5 reveals the truth: God was right on time. "At the right time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, to redeem us." The waiting wasn't wasted. God's timing was perfect, even when it felt painfully slow. If you're in an "in-between" season right now—waiting for answers, healing, breakthrough, or clarity—this message will encourage you to trust God's unseen work and keep your faith alive. The promise is still coming.

The story of Christmas didn't begin in a manger—it began in a garden. In this opening message of our Christmas series "The Promise Kept," Lead Pastor Clay Monkus explores Genesis 3:15 and the first promise God made about sending a Savior. After humanity's fall, in what seemed like our darkest hour, God spoke a promise that would echo through centuries: one day, the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent's head. This wasn't a backup plan or a quick fix—it was proof that God had always been writing a story of rescue. Discover how this ancient promise in Genesis connects directly to that silent night in Bethlehem, and why you can trust God with the promises you're still waiting on today.

In Episode 7 of The Cutting Room Floor, Clay Monkus sits down with “resident scholar” Christian Nichles for a real, unfiltered conversation about gratitude when life absolutely does not go the way you planned. Fresh off our “Grateful Anyway” message series at Next Level Church, they talk honestly about brain injuries, job rejection, losing stability, church hurt, financial struggle, and how easy it is to let bitterness take over instead of thankfulness. Christian shares more of his story from the Sunday message, and Clay opens up about his own season of losing everything he thought made him “successful.” Along the way they dig into: Why gratitude is rebellion in a culture of outrage The difference between knowing God’s grace and experiencing His graciousness Christian’s G.R.A.C.E. framework for practicing gratitude in hard seasons How struggle can actually be good and form something deeper in us Why your identity can’t be built on titles, money, or success A sneak peek at our new Christmas series on “The Pro

We've reached the final week of our "Grateful Anyway" series, and Lead Pastor Clay Monkus brings us to the foundation that makes lasting gratitude possible. In Psalm 100:4–5, we encounter a worship song sung by God's people as they entered the temple courts. This wasn't just a feel-good moment—it was a declaration rooted in deep theology. The psalmist calls us to give thanks and praise, but notice where the focus lands: on God's goodness, His enduring love, and His faithfulness that spans every generation. Here's the truth: gratitude anchored in circumstances will always be fragile. When life is good, we're thankful. When life gets hard, our gratitude wavers. But when we transfer our gratitude from the gifts to the Giver—from what God does to who God is—everything changes. That kind of gratitude grows deep roots that can withstand any storm. This message will challenge you to build your thankfulness on the only foundation that never shifts: the unchanging character of God. His love doesn't fluctuate with your