The Belonging Co - A New Kind of Church
Sarah Reeves, Andrew Holt, Maggie Reed, Mia Fieldes, Lauren Daigle, Henry Seeley, Meredith Andrews, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Hope Darst
Interview by Eric Dahl
Photo by Ashley Mae Wright
Location, location, location. That is not just We felt God steering us to move to Nashville, it was going to grow much beyond that. For
a slogan for real estate salespeople, it is the and we had no idea what that looked like. In about a year we met on Tuesday nights and
reason for Nashville being one of the largest fact, we had been asking God to give us some grew and grew. Out of that we saw that God
music hubs in the known world. Why? A clear parameters as to what that would look was building something that we didn’t expect,
one day’s tour bus ride in any direction out like, and He just said, “Do you trust me if I tell and what seemed to be a church community.
of Nashville can land you in over one third of you to go?” We began to unpack this whole idea that Jesus
the venues across America for your next gig.
gave people a place to belong even before they
But if you are on the road for most weekends The first year we were here I was traveling, believed. The disciples didn’t really have a full
playing those venues, what do you do for leading worship and mixing records for people. understanding of who He was as the Savior,
church when you are back home in Nashville? We got to know quite a few musicians and or the Messiah. But He still gave them the
Enter Henry and Alex Seeley, they have created artists here in Nashville that were traveling on opportunity to have a sense of belonging long
a unique church home for just such people. the weekends. A lot of them felt disconnected before they fully believed in who He was. That
[WM] caught up with the founding pastors from a local church family because they were really resonated with us, from the viewpoint
of The Belonging Co at their home base not around on weekends. A lot of them were that the church sometimes wants people to get
in Nashville TN. running on empty because they didn’t have their life together before we give them a place
anyone, or any family pouring into them. For to belong. I’m not certain this is Jesus’ way of
Musician Alex and I, that really struck a chord in our doing things. He is about giving people a place
Magazine] How did you come up with the hearts of wanting to see these people find a to find that sense of belonging, and through
name The Belonging Co? framework that could sow into them and build that, get to know a deep understanding of
a community – in the season that they were in. who Jesus is.
[Eric
Dahl
for
Worship
[Henry Seeley] I’ll tell you a little bit of We felt that God stirred us about just starting the back story of the church. We moved to on Tuesday nights with a small group in our The word “company” raises a few eye brows
Nashville in 2012 and had been part of a big home. We started with a handful of people on from time to time. It’s not company in the sense
worship movement in Australia for a long time. Tuesday night, not knowing or expecting that of a business word. The original meaning for
16
January 2018
WorshipMusician.com