“Love Never Fails.” I actually bought it the night [Chris] Yep. It’s in Franklin, just south of [WM] How does that balance with your
before we recorded! I was like, “Oh, I need a Nashville. But, yeah, I’m still there and the family and ministry? Are you taking your family
new guitar!” drummer from Jesus Culture actually lives here with you?
too, so we travel to all the JC events together.
[WM] I’ve seen many pictures of you with
Any tour that we do is also out of Nashville too.
that guitar. It looks like you have an L.R. Baggs
M1 pickup.
[Chris] It’s a little bit half-and-half. We tried to
do the take-my-family-thing on everything, but
[WM] Tell me a bit about your church and how in all honesty, sometimes it’s easier for my wife
things are going there. to just keep the kids at home, for the sanity of
[Chris] Yep, that’s it. I put that pickup in after I
our family and to keep a normal routine and
bought it. I love that pickup. It hasn’t worked for [Chris] It’s called Church of the City, and it’s stuff. But this year, now that the kids are getting
all of my guitars. I loved it so much on that J-45 amazing. For me, having a home church to a little older, we all travel together a little more.
that I tried to put it in two more guitars, and anchor to is probably one of the most important We try to make fun trips out of everything, like
it just didn’t work for them. For those guitars I things to do for a worship leader. Especially for if I am going to Florida with Jesus Culture, we
have a K&K Trinity in one and the L.R. Baggs ones that travel, it’s important to have a church take the whole family and make a mini-vacation
Anthem in my two small body guitars. It’s great family and have church leadership that can out of it. I think that’s how we try to manage
because it has the mic and the piezo to help speak into your life and into you as a person. it. For the family, it’s just to try to make it fun
those smaller guitars sing. A bonus for me is that my church is kind of to where everyone is looking forward to it. It’s
amazing! I think it’s the best. It’s called “Church important that at the end of my life, I’m not
of the City” because we really are trying to going to care about how many shows I played,
change our city. We have four campuses, but was I a good dad, friend, and husband?
[Chris] Well, I played piano from when I was a actually churches. Each one of them has a Was I a good pastor? These are the things that
kid. Even when I first started leading worship, it worship pastor and a pastor. But we’re all really matter, and I think that what we do is
was from a piano. But when I was fifteen, I also kind of in the same family heading in the same important. Like I said earlier, it’s such an honor
wanted to find a wife eventually and it wasn’t direction. The church on the west side of to be able to write songs that other churches
cool to carry around a keyboard! So, I bought Nashville, Nate Moore from Housefires is the are using. But, being a dad is still way more
a guitar! And you really can’t put a piano in worship pastor there. That’s fun too, getting to important than that to me.
your trunk, so I got a guitar and it was multi- hang out with buddies.
[WM] When did you learn to play guitar?
purpose… I played for the Lord and for the
ladies! Now my wife probably could have cared
[WM] Now, really important, tell me about the
[WM] What does your campus team look like? “Tiny Hands” videos!
[Chris] Well… Sunday before last, I had Stu [Chris] (Laughs) Yes! Well, I was on tour with
[WM] Staying on gear… Do you have any G on guitar and last Sunday, James Duke was Lauren Daigle and we went to a coffee shop
special processors you run through? What is in on guitar. I mean it’s Nashville! We’ve got the one day, and there was a toy store across the
your signal chain? best! And to have guys like Stu G and James street from the coffee shop. So, I went in and at
less that I played guitar! (laughs)
Duke, who are kind of icons in worship guitar, the counter, I just bought on impulse a left and
[Chris] No, I just go straight because I’m too and they’re just serving at their local church… a right tiny hand because they were sitting there
lazy to carry stuff around. I mean, the truth is, it’s amazing! I don’t want to brag about it, but at the counter. I don’t know, tour life can get
in Nashville, we have some incredible sound I don’t take lightly the fact that there is a real boring sometimes, so we started making
guys and they’ll always have the best D.I.’s to honor in being able to live in Nashville and have videos with these little hands. It was to crack
plug into. Then, they do their sweetness on the people like that available and coming to your ourselves up! We were just making videos and
back end, making the guitar sound awesome church. I’m really thankful for where I’m at. it turned out that people loved them, so yeah!
in the front-of-house. When I’m out with Jesus
It’s been kind of an ongoing joke. I quit making
Culture, the same thing, our sound guys on the [WM]
road are amazing! I have not had to struggle Jesus Culture?
How
often
are
you
out
with
them! But I still have a bunch, and I fully intend
with knowing all that stuff in a long time because
of having great sound guys!
videos because other people started making
to bring them back at some point!
[Chris] In all, between Jesus Culture and
the tour I did with Sadie… I was only gone
[WM] You’re still at your church outside of 16 weekends. Other than that, I lead worship
Nashville, right? every week at my church.
May 2018
WorshipMusician.com
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