Pros
Grow in ways you would never expect and make some great friends along the way.
Cons
Some say it is a calling, some are not sure what lead them there, some are looking to serve the Lord. Next Level Organization doesn't see it that way. As an employee here, you are a disposable job position that needed to be filled. I understood going into the job that this was the case. Several people both within the organization and that I was close with personally warned me about the questionable leadership at Next Level. Knowing this, I moved forward into the job with these risks in mind as an opportunity to grow my career. Now, I will disclose that not everything at Next Level is terrible. You do learn a lot if you pursue your position personally and passionately. They have some systems in place that keep the organization in business that undeniably work well. Your fellow coworkers are friendly and many of them I still have relationships with. The leadership on the other hand is incredibly corrupt. You are told they care about you but on countless occasions, prove otherwise. They abuse your position, use fear mongering and threaten you with your employment on a consistently. You are forced to work on your vacation days, weekends and after hours. They boast a balanced work/life experience. This is false. They stole any time that my wife and I had together and even went as far as to pin us against each other by lying to my wife about my job status without informing me it was in danger. You are never home, even in your own house- they keep you mentally distraught and twist your arm into submission. Fair wages are promised to you which are quickly proven to be grossly underpaid for the amount of work you are forced to do. Pastoral leadership, mentoring and love is faked in order to control you. Authenticity does not exists there. The lead pastor is not a pastor. He is a stage entertainer who takes various quotes from true leaders and plasters them onto his ego for self inflation. He will put others down to stand on their efforts and has even gone as far as to personally insult me in front of the staff using slang derived from those with mental disabilities. As you scroll through these reviews you will see, "The culture here is amazing!" But this is a confused statement. The work culture at NLC is toxic at its best. The workers at NLC have great camaraderie because of the common goal they come around, (Reaching the 1 for the Kingdom of God), the countless hours they put in together and the encouragement they give each other as they all recognize the constant stress. There is zero unity brought by the "leadership", only by the efforts of those below it. Next Level was founded on an admirable cause. To Reach the One. Unfortunately, it was built on spite, ignorance and arrogance which lead to a multi-million dollar corporation that will slaughter the 99. The tactics that are used within the organization go beyond abusing the staff but also forcing staff members to conduct illegal acts and backdoor money laundering through various business fronts in order to benefit the top leaders beyond their salaries. Next Level consistently lies and inflates their numbers to secure participation by its members. You may have seen or been told they have had record breaking numbers on any given weekend. This is a lie and they are in fact in decline. They will never admit failure because it is in their character to cut down anything that will obstruct their attempts to advance. Someone I am extremely close with, who at the time did not have any affiliation with Next Level, used to play basketball with Daniel King, Roman Archer, Walter Robbins and Joshua Gagnon. The 4 leaders within the organization. On a consistent basis they displayed poor sportsmanship, bad leadership and even bickered with each other if there was any chance they could lose. They would regularly use profane language, get in fights and cheat in order to win in a backyard game of basketball. All this translates to how they operate at Next Level. This review will be combated with a slew of positive reviews that the staff is "encouraged" to write. I say encouraged lightly as they will pin it against your job performance should you choose not to post a review. This review will be matched with phrases like, "Disgruntled employee" or "They were not the right fit." But just know, this is not a review out of bitterness, it is a review of honesty. There are incredible churches, jobs and sites that are all in need of your talents. Gagnon, King, Robbins and Archer will all tell you that Next Level is the best you are ever going to get and that it takes their extremist views to get ahead in your career. This is a lie conjured to use people instead of equip them. Use your talents where God can bless you for them. For myself personally, I do not regret my time at Next Level at all. Many good things did come out of it and I personally grew exponentially. But my approval of the leadership does not exist. I do not condone their actions or employment tactics. To the members still on staff: Do not fear, for God is with you. God is working through you and is truly using your work to affect lives. Do not fear standing up for yourselves because the best is ahead of you, it just may not be at Next Level. God has blessed you with incredible gifts, do not allow them to go stagnant or be dried up under poor leadership. Know that you can reach out to any former employee and they will support you, love you and help you through your struggles. The thought of putting your family at risk is terrifying, but I encourage you to reflect on what is best for them. In what I have seen and personally experienced, they will leave you and your family stranded anyways, no matter how many times they deny that. You are loved, consistently prayed for and supported by myself and others who are no longer there.
