WACO—Texas Baptist roots run deep for Canon Sound, a contemporary worship band. The group wants to connect young worshippers to old hymns and a rich heritage of sound doctrine.
Ministering to teenagers is especially important to Canon Sound because of their backgrounds in Baptist churches around the state.After moving to Waco to pursue graduate studies at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, Matt Oberhelman started the worship band with his friend, Aaron Houston. Band members Tyler Jordan, Andy Clark and BB Sanford joined later.
“We chose the name because it is a fantastic play on words that we simply could not ignore,” Houston explained. “A canon is a body of work such as the Scriptures, and we wanted our band to be rooted in Scripture and connected to the heritage of our faith, tradition and music.
“We wanted our sound to be of good quality, sound doctrine and theology. That is something very important to us, our ministry and mission. The idea of connecting our music to the music in our Christian heritage, joining in singing with those who have come before us and who will come after us is remarkable to me. To join in the ‘canon sound’ of the church is a beautiful idea to me.”
While growing up at First Baptist Church in Garland, BB Sanford was actively involved in the music ministry and sang in the church choir. Now, in addition to her involvement with Canon Sound, she serves as the minister of music and youth at First Baptist Church in Mart.Wherever the band members perform—coffee shops, concert venues, churches, youth rallies or college campuses—their goal is to bring people into a closer relationship with God.
“God does incredible things through imperfect people who are simply willing to be used. The Old Testament proves that,” Jordan noted. “We are a group of Jesus followers who happen to have similar gifts and desire to use those gifts for a common purpose—leading people toward God in special times of worship.
“We’re not perfect, but God is. Everything God does is perfect. Even when we mess up a chord progression, God still moves and touches the hearts of people. Even when I miss an entrance, God doesn’t miss a beat and brings another soul to eternal salvation. God’s success is not limited or determined by our abilities.”
Members of Canon Sound particularly want to minister to teenagers—both as part of the band and in their own churches.
Canon Sound leads worship for students attending the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Super Summer at Houston Baptist University.While growing up at First Baptist Church in Garland, Sanford was involved in the music ministry and sang in the church choir. She now serves as the minister of music and youth at First Baptist Church in Mart.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
In addition to playing drums for the group, Jordan is student pastor at First Baptist Church in Valley Mills. Oberhelman is the associate worship pastor at First Baptist Church in Belton.
Last summer, band members spent a week leading worship for students attending the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Super Summer at Houston Baptist University.
“We are committed to serving both on stage and off, and to be as approachable as we can be,” Oberhelman said. “This group is never afraid of getting into the mix and mess of ministry, and yet, still coming through with a true smile on their face ready to do the next ministry or worship opportunity. We want to have as much fun as we can interacting with students, eating meals with them and playing games with them.
“While there are plenty of times to have fun, we always take our ministry and art with the utmost seriousness. We never lead a worship service or write a song without the greatest amount of intentionality and prayer. Our heart is to simply point people to Jesus in all we do.”
Several band members have graduated from Baylor University and are pursuing their master of divinity degree at Truett Seminary. Houston has returned to Baylor to pursue his master’s degree in music composition.
Canon Sound recording session.“We are really intentional about the theology when we play and write songs,” Sanford said. “It is not a matter to take lightly, and we want to honor God in the best way we know how, which includes lyrics that portray what we learn as we continually study God’s word.
“Each of us lead worship at our own churches on Sunday mornings, and it is always a blessing to come together and worship in various settings. It is incredibly meaningful to be able to worship with people we just met and who love Jesus.”
More than having a passion for music, the group has a calling to touch lives.
“We are passionate about bringing the love of God to those who feel unwanted, because that aspect of Jesus’ ministry resounds with me personally on such a deep level,” Clark noted.
Houston agreed, adding: “It is a very humbling feeling to have a grown man come up to you and thank you for playing the hymns that he grew up hearing and seeing how much they affected him. Every time we get to play somewhere and lead in worship, something happens that I am so grateful to experience.”
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.