Paul Baloche: A new beginning for the father of US modern worship
Thursday 10th
August 2017
Tony Cummings spoke to the American modern worship pioneer PAUL BALOCHE
Paul Baloche
In the same way that Graham Kendrick is
considered the founding father of the modern worship movement in
Britain, Paul
Baloche is similarly hugely esteemed for
his vast contribution to the growth of modern worship in America's churches. A
native of Maple Shade Township in New Jersey the singer, songwriter, guitarist,
pianist and worship teacher has written some of the most performed songs in
American church services including "Open The Door Of My Heart", "Hosanna", "Your
Name", "Above All" and, co-written with Michael W and Debbie Smith, "A New
Hallelujah".
For more than 26 years Paul and his
singer/songwriter wife Rita made their home in East Texas. There when not
touring, Paul served as worship pastor at Lindale's Community Christian
Fellowship. He and Rita raised their family in Lindale. Then one day in 2015,
after returning to a house full of empty bedrooms, the couple knew the time had
come to consider a new season. Paul recalled, "We pretty much said out loud: the
easy thing would be for us to just stay right here and rock on our porch.
Nothing was broken; it didn't need fixing. But it was good to hit the reset
button and let go of the comfort and roll the boat into some new waters." The
couple put out a fleece, told a realtor they were considering selling their
house if an offer came along. Without even going on the market, the house sold
within a month. So Paul and Rita left their church family with a blessing and
headed back to the land from whence they had come - the north-east. They stayed
between their eldest daughter Sarah's home near Philadelphia and their son
David's studio apartment before eventually landing in a one-bedroom apartment in
New York City.
It was wild new adventure for the
couple. Said Paul, "We didn't know exactly what we were going to do in New
York." For the previous 18 months Paul had been ministering at festivals,
conferences and workshops in the USA, UK, France, India, Netherlands and
Philippines. But as Paul explained, "Our prayer was, 'Lord, we would like to be
available to the Church in New York and to be an aunt and uncle or mother and
father to these kids in ministry who are just getting started."
Plugging into a church with their son -
himself a singer/songwriter and teacher - the Baloches began building a new
community, reaching out to churches like Christ Tabernacle in the Bronx,
Redeemer Church and Trinity Grace. And so a new album 'Your Mercy' began to take
shape. Produced by Baloche and longtime collaborator Michael Rossback the album
delivered 12 songs written by Baloche with co-writers including All Sons &
Daughters, Michael Neale, Corey Voss, Andi Rozier (Vertical Church Band), Aaron
Shust, Meredith Andrews, Aaron Gillespie, Jason Ingram and Britain's Matt
Redman. Said Paul, "We did the recording live in the studio with a few members
of Brooklyn Tabernacle and then Christ Tabernacle which is in Queens, and David
Gungor of The Brilliance. That brought in a bit of a different angle with
strings and an orchestral approach. This album was an interesting mix with black
gospel singers, Hispanic, and orchestral players and we were all just live in
the studio."
Paul commented on those young Christians
who'd grown up in the church but who were finding themselves somewhat disengaged
by pop rock worship. Said Paul, "What I've found is a lot of kids who grew up in
charismatic and evangelical churches were finding more relevance to their faith
with things that were rooted and grounded in tradition, from Anglican to
anything that had a liturgical, historical grounding to
it."
Worship with a liturgical flavour is now something Paul, Rita and their son and daughter are regularly experiencing at Trinity Grace Church in New York which they all attend. Paul said, "I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it an Anglican church but it has almost that sort of modern Anglican approach; there's a call to worship, there's liturgy and yet within that structure there's a communion, there's the confession of faith, but within that structure there's a bit more contemporary worship, guitar-driven with a few orchestral instruments. I love it, it's been really refreshing. I've had 25 years of rock, guitar, bass non-denominational evangelical worship expression. I still love and enjoy it. However, I'm enjoying seeing what the next generation, this particular group of 20, 30 somethings like the hymns, and some modern songs, but there's still a reverence and a solemnity and a traditional feel to the service."
Worship with a liturgical flavour is now something Paul, Rita and their son and daughter are regularly experiencing at Trinity Grace Church in New York which they all attend. Paul said, "I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it an Anglican church but it has almost that sort of modern Anglican approach; there's a call to worship, there's liturgy and yet within that structure there's a communion, there's the confession of faith, but within that structure there's a bit more contemporary worship, guitar-driven with a few orchestral instruments. I love it, it's been really refreshing. I've had 25 years of rock, guitar, bass non-denominational evangelical worship expression. I still love and enjoy it. However, I'm enjoying seeing what the next generation, this particular group of 20, 30 somethings like the hymns, and some modern songs, but there's still a reverence and a solemnity and a traditional feel to the service."
I suggested to Paul that he is today
straddling two different parts of the Church - the evangelical charismatic and
the liturgical emerging church. He agreed. "I really am and yet I'm excited
because I'm in my early 50s. I've been doing this a while and I don't ever want
to stop growing and being challenged and I'm willing to concede that what God
used in a certain period of time in terms of style and expression. I'm willing
to let go of things that at one point had great meaning or context but as you
say, simply having your hands in the air doesn't mean that something's happening
in your heart. Sometimes the guy with his hands at his side is experiencing a
deeper. It's hard to say, I don't want to judge the outside. The large point is
we want the Spirit to be alive, the Spirit in whatever structure or expression
we are presenting, that we cry out and ask for the Spirit to breathe life into
these dry bones. Otherwise our services become dry bones - even what can seem a
lively Pentecostal service can be just as dry." Cross Rhythms.
The opinions
expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any
expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not
reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later
date.