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 strength
that they could be su
called them to do in the
local church, we’re c
do life with others in co
had just got off a cou
these events, and I go
guy asking if I’d be inte
church, and it was a pre
said no, but I couldn’t s
but it just started a pro
the Lord saying to us th
So I started talking to o
I feel like we’re called
called to start a church,
said, “We’re in! Where
did. We picked up and w
in 2014 we started Je
the Sacramento area w
equip people and encou
has never really chang
our mission, has it chan
church, and I’m like, nop
I want to see people e
people fall in love with J
June 2020