you ’ re good . We were able to do that , both Bethel Music and Jesus Culture .
As Jesus Culture was really taking off at Bethel , it was just an amazing environment , to allow people to be who they are and to run after the things that God has put in their heart . I guess the difference would just be … wow , that ’ s a great question , I don ’ t even know . I would say that Bethel Music was birthed out of songwriting , where we were birthed out of worship leading . We ’ re out there just leading other people ’ s songs , but with this passion for the encounter and the presence . Brian has cultivated a songwriting environment that ’ s just really stunning .
[ WM ] Jesus Culture is now a church as well . It started as a conference , it became a band , then it became an experience around the world , and now it ’ s a local church . Tell us about that ?
[ Banning ] Our heart has always been the local church , whether its campus ministry , leadership development , worship- everything we did was to strengthen the local church so that they could be successful at what God called them to do in their city . We ’ re a diehard local church , we ’ re community people , we do life with others in community . In 2012 , we had just got off a couple year stint of doing these events , and I got a phone call from a guy asking if I ’ d be interested in pastoring his church , and it was a pretty significant church . I said no , but I couldn ’ t shake it . It ’ s a long story , but it just started a process where we heard the Lord saying to us that it ’ s time to go plant . So I started talking to our team , and said that I feel like we ’ re called to go plant and we ’ re called to start a church , and almost all of them said , “ We ’ re in ! Where are we going ?” so we did . We picked up and we moved in 2013 , and in 2014 we started Jesus Culture church in the Sacramento area with a deep passion to equip people and encounter God . Our mission has never really changed . People ask what ’ s our mission , has it changed now that we ’ re a church , and I ’ m like , nope . I want to see revival . I want to see people equipped . I want to see people fall in love with Jesus . I want to see the harvest . It was always the same . Chris and Kim are with us , the Torwalts are with us , and Derek Johnson is with us . All of these people are with us here helping to build the local church .
When we first started , people who only knew the worship were so confused why we would call the church Jesus Culture , because they just knew Jesus Culture as a band . The name of the church is Jesus Culture Sacramento , so in their mind it was like calling it ‘ Newsboys Sacramento ’. Like , “ Why would you call your church the name of the band !” ( laughs ) And I ’ m like , it was a movement way before it was a band ! So we ’ re here doing church . And I would say , and I think this comes from Bill as well , our heart has always been to export this . I don ’ t want to be just an itinerant speaker . We want to export what God is doing , and we feel called to that . I ’ m not saying it ’ s bad any other way , we just feel called to export . It was just me , some youth leader , and some young people and we were like , “ Let ’ s do a conference .” Let ’ s take what ’ s happening on Wednesday nights , and let ’ s serve people . So everything
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