to be part of this , as much as we value the platform they have outside of church , that when we ’ re in church this is family and we ’ re doing this together . We get to lay down our names to lift up the name of Jesus , and that ’ s really been the heartbeat of our team , and something I think our team has done incredibly well . You speak of Natalie and Kari and Cody . It ’ s really our heartbeat that when we come together it doesn ’ t devalue their artistry or their careers outside of church , but we just really understand that when we come together in church it ’ s really just about Jesus . I have that same conversation with our church and say , “ Hey , you might see people here that you recognize , and that ’ s amazing , but they also need a space to just be able to come to church with their families . It ’ s important that they have an opportunity to bring their kids and just be in church where they can have a moment uninterrupted with God . So , if you see someone you know , don ’ t go and ask for a selfie , don ’ t make a big fan moment of it . If you go to their event or concert or something that they ’ re doing outside of church , absolutely , knock yourself out . But when we are at church together , we are one family together and nobody is more important than someone else , let ’ s make it about Jesus .”
That ’ s taken a little bit of guidance , I think in general people love celebrity and they love to celebrity people and put them on a pedestal . I think its good to have role models in life , and obviously there are always going to be people we look up to , that inspire us or encourage us . But when they become a focus or an idol in our lives its only going to lead to disappointment . I think people in those positions are very well aware of that , so we just do our best to help steward that within our church body .
[ WM ] Several years ago you released a song called , “ Zeal ”. Zeal is pretty important aspect in the life of a believer . In fact , in Isaiah 59 , the prophet lists “ the cloak of zeal ” as part of our spiritual armor . I suspect zeal is something that many believers are struggling with now in their weariness , after dealing with Covid-19 for the past 9 months . What say you ?
[ Henry ] We actually released that song in 2017 . “ Zeal ” is a song we released on our first record . When we were writing the song “ Zeal ” and even when we were first talking about it I thought it felt like such an old feeling word , we need to redeem it and bring it into this day and age . Its something I think , especially in this generation , I see a lot of believers that become too cool for school , like you don ’ t want to show that you ’ re too excited for God because that might seem uncool or whatever . I don ’ t know , there was just something staring in our hearts when we were writing that we needed to stir the church to get back to this place of fervency and zeal for God , an unashamed passion for Jesus . Not just in our worship but in our ability to praise and dance before the Lord . Dancing in church is not the most comfortable thing for a lot of people . Let ’ s be honest , it can be awkward . But I think sometimes we need to push past our sense of comfort that we fall into , and the methods and the ways that we do church and that we fall into are the easiest options .
We got a sense that God wanted to stir something in the church , and I think in 2020 we ’ ve found ourselves in a year that ’ s been an onslaught , and we ’ ve been confronted and challenged on every side , and not just the church but the world over . I think a lot of people have been struggling in their faith , struggling with anxiety about the future and what the
future looks like , and I think to just get back to that place of passionately worshipping God , being passionately in love with God , that ’ s the place where we encounter His presence in a tangible and real way and that ’ s what centers our lives and reframes our experience with God . I think its so easy to be distracted by the things we hear and read and see on TV , but how intentional are we being about passionately pursuing God as we are about pursuing all of the other things .
[ WM ] As an adjunct professor , I ’ m intrigued by the church ’ s partnership with Southeastern University , in offering both academic and experiential opportunities . Your website states , “ Students will become Spirit-led , Kingdomminded , servant-hearted leaders and equipped to succeed in their chosen fields through our on-site practicum opportunities . Please tell us about college life at The Belonging Co .?
[ Henry ] It ’ s been an exciting addition to our church and something we just launched last September . I think we have a real heart as a church , not just to give people an opportunity to show up to a service once a week , but to really impact and create disciples who ’ s every facet and every aspect is intrinsically changed by the Gospel and by the Holy Spirit . And that really is the conversation that started The Belonging Co College . We didn ’ t just want to raise people up with knowledge and intellect , but we wanted to really raise up disciples who have an understanding of God but who also walk practically in the power and the ways of Jesus . So we ’ re on that journey right now , it ’ s a learning curve for us and we ’ re in the first year of our college , but SEU has been incredible in helping us have a structure and a framework to enact that for our students . We really do want
Heaven Fall Zeal Holy ( Song of the Ages )