tomlin_51903

Posted: 5/19/03

WORSHIP WITNESS:
Texas songwriter Chris Tomlin

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Standard

As Chris Tomlin travels across the country leading thousands of people in worship, he remains true to his Texas Baptist roots.

“I grew up in a Christian home and grew up going to a Baptist church in a small town in Texas, ever since the nursery,” he explained.

While growing up at Main Street Baptist Church in Grand Saline, Tomlin had an intense desire to be used for God. “As a young kid, I had given my heart and said, 'God, whatever you want me to do … .' I didn't pray to be a songwriter or worship leader, anything like that. I just wanted to be God's man and be available to go wherever God would lead me.”

By the time he was a junior at Texas A&M University, Tomlin felt a calling to lead others in worship.

“All through college, God was really starting to open doors for leading worship,” he said. “Around my junior year, I felt like it was a strong opening of the doors. I was kind of at a crossroads as to whether I was going to pursue a career in business or whatever, or whether I was going to walk by faith and follow these doors that God was opening.”

With that inspiration, Tomlin began to pursue a full-time ministry as a songwriter and “lead worshipper”–which he views as a better description of his calling, rather than “worship leader.”

“As God started giving me some songs to write, people were starting to sing these songs. It was a really exciting time. It was also scary because I didn't know how to do ministry as far as a livelihood, but God was faithful.”

Today, his songs like “Forever,” “We Fall Down,” and “The Wonderful Cross” are sung in churches around the country.

“All kinds of things are involved in the songwriting process,” Tomlin explained. “Scripture is a big part of it. Sometimes, a certain Scripture will jump out in a way that we've never seen before; that's always a big deal.”

After forming an idea, Tomlin said, the melody and lyrics usually come together about the same time. From there, he usually collaborates with his co-writing friends, such as band mate Jesse Reeves and Passion Conferences founder Louie Giglio.

“It's a good process; that way it gives another perspective, another angle, another idea,” Tomlin said. “Usually the idea comes, and I just usually sit with an acoustic guitar in my room and just see what happens. I have a lot of ideas all the time, just trying to put those ideas on paper. Worship is simply a response to God, and in songwriting, you're responding to who God is. All of life is worship; it's responding in that way, and it comes out in songs.”

Throughout the year, Tomlin and his band maintain a busy schedule, which includes many Baptist General Convention of Texas events such as the Hot Hearts Student Conference, Super Summer, as well as performing at Baptist youth camps and area churches.

“Our style is just what really comes natural to us,” Tomlin said. “It's how we play, how we feel it. We're not trying to put on anything or be anything. We're just ourselves, and that's our style of music.”

That style is “definitely more progressive,” he acknowledged. “Mostly, our heart is the spirit behind it versus the style. Styles come and go, but hopefully the spirit is what is really reaching people.”

When Tomlin isn't on the road, he is the lead worshipper at a church he helped start, Austin Stone Community Church.

“A big deal this year has been planting a church in Austin,” he said. “We've been on a few tours, and we're doing a Passion tour this fall. This summer, we're doing a lot of festivals, conferences and camps. As for next year's plans, I don't look that far ahead. God could change things at any moment, but I know that this year's a lot of travel, planting this church and living in a new city. We're kind of building our lives here.”

When preparing for an event, Tomlin carefully selects songs he feels will best suit the targeted audience, with the goal of leading others to Christ.

“Because each event is different, I try to figure out what it's about, who the people are and where they're coming from,” he said. “We always have a planned-out set list, but we always have options, and the guys in the band know that I could go anywhere at anytime. We have an idea of what we're going to do, but there's the option of seeing where the people are and through the spirit of God, knowing where the crowd is.”

Tomlin's popularity among churches is largely credited to the humility and passion he displays while leading others in corporate worship.

“You don't want people following you,” he noted. “You want people following God. I think you see that in a great example from King David. He had a very humble heart before God and really sought after God. Whether we ever sell another record or anything, I know we'd still be doing this because we love to travel and to do this. … If he never gave us another stage, I know that we would still play music, sing to him, and worship him.”

One of his own most meaningful worship experiences happened at the OneDay conference in 2000, when he and Matt Redman were leading the song “The Wonderful Cross.”

“We were blown away by the idea of the cross,” Tomlin said. “We had just been teaching about the cross. Everything was focused, and these students brought a cross from the back of the field and set it up. People from everywhere started running to the cross and wanted to touch it; thousands of people wanted to get close to it.

“They began to pick the cross up and surf it over the crowd. Wherever the cross would go, people's hands would move. They just wanted to get close to touch it. At that moment, we were just like, 'Where would we be without the cross? Where in the world? We surely wouldn't be here, and there wouldn't be any hope.'”