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Worship Leader Chris Brown on His Goal to Turn ‘Old Hallelujahs Into A New Melody’ 

Worship Leader Chris Brown on His Goal to Turn ‘Old Hallelujahs Into A New Melody’ 

By Movieguide® Staff

Elevation Worship leader Chris Brown says that modern music song in Church has made a shift over the past couple of years, away from focusing on the Lord and toward a focus on ourselves.

The Grammy-award winning artist recently discussed the current state of worship music with Relevant Magazine.

“We’re not going to stop singing about the Gospel,” Chris Brown said of Elevation Worship’s goal to break the ‘Sunday morning worship song’ formula. “We’re not going to equate honesty to putting in our own feelings where they would trump what truth is, or putting in our own narrative or our own truth in songs. But there is room after having spent so many years writing with rules that felt a bit boxy — even though they served us in our songs well — for us to be a little more honest in our writing.”

Part of Brown’s way of digging deeper into what constitutes a good worship song, was expanding the musical style of the songs while preserving the theologically sound lyrics.

Recent examples for Brown and his band came in 2020’s Graves Into Gardens, 2021’s Old Church Basement, and 2022’s LION, tested out taking “old hallelujahs” and turning them
“into a new melody.”

“As the ministry’s grown and as God’s given us influence, and He’s brought people here, what has meant a lot to me has been seeing people who are being impacted by these songs,” Brown explained.

“Who said we had to only be this? I like that we’re just challenging why we have rules,” Brown says. “I feel like the challenge has been good for us. We’re not going to change what we’re singing about and what we’re rooted in and what we believe in, but maybe there’s room to not fit the box,” he added.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Brown noted that his parents were his example of carrying out ministry, regardless of criticism.

“I had an amazing example in both my parents because my mom was behind the organ every Sunday morning. We literally lived across the street from the church, so at least five days a week, I was running the halls of our church. I just grew up in church,” he noted.

“I saw even my parents model how to carry ministry and how to be in ministry and continue to love people and continue to serve who God called them to serve at our small church in our small town,” Brown added. “I think that has informed a lot of how I’m raising my kids, and it’s informed a lot of how I’m approaching ministry now.”

Brown confessed that as his music has changed, his view on theology has changed.

“I don’t presume, in the least, to always be perfect or always be even right. I could probably find things that I’ve said five years ago, 10 years ago, that I don’t even necessarily agree with the methodology of it anymore,” he said. “But that’s part of being human, that’s part of evolving. Now, if it was not rooted biblically or not rooted scripturally, that’s a different thing. But hopefully, too, there’s grace for someone who is constantly learning.

“My approach is I am trying to be as faithful as I know how, to God and His Bride, and to the Church,” Brown added.


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