Bethel Church’ Jesus Culture, Redding, California:
Worship Leader with Kim Walker-Smith
WL: Please share a little bit about your unique worshiping community.
KW-S: Jesus Culture started over 10 years ago as a youth and young adults conference. The majority of the people coming were high school age. As we started to grow, and to take the Jesus Culture conference to other communities, the age range of people attending also expanded. We would ask for a show of hands to see who was 30 years and older and it was surprising to see such a large percentage! While we still keep our focus on youth and young adults, we love that people of all ages are connecting with our music and ministry. Our prayer is always that every generation would come into the presence of God in worship and be impacted to go out and change the world around them.
WL: As your community has grown and had a larger impact on the world around it, what has been the role of music?
KW-S: The music has definitely opened doors for us, allowing us to partner with other streams and churches. More importantly though, worship is at the center of all that we do. For us, worship simply defined is “God pouring out his love on us, and us in turn pouring our love back out on him.” This relationship is where everything we do flows out of. The music is the fuel behind the movement, keeping it fresh, real, and alive.
WL: In the new landscape of the worship music industry, the model for “success” seems to be more of a communal approach to creating music than a single worship leader front person. Why do you think this approach is resonating with worshipers and/or your specific community?
KW-S: People are desiring something real. They desire a deep connection to God. We are created to be in intimacy with him and to encounter him in worship. People don’t need to be entertained, nor do they need a single person to sing them a pretty song. This type of worship resonates with them because it’s what they were created for. The bigger picture is the people of God starting to recognize that the “Church” is all of us, not a building. We all have a place and a piece to bring that is needed within the body. As this revelation is revealed more and more, people are looking for a place to not only connect with Jesus, but be a part of what he is doing.
WL: How important is it for worship music to have a connection to a living, breathing, worshiping community? And what are some ways to make sure that connection is happening?
KW-S: If our worship was not connected to a living, breathing, worshiping community, it would be pointless. It would just be noise. The whole point of worship is to corporately, all together, come into the presence of God, love him, receive his love, be changed, and go out and give that love to the world. Jesus made it very clear when he said, “Love the Lord with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” To keep that connection happening, we must stay connected to Jesus and his heart and stay accountable to each other. We sing songs that can be sung corporately. We encourage people to engage in worship.
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