Bringing the Gospel to the World through Music: Grace Worship Ministry Students Collaborate with Encompass World Partners

Churches around the world need quality worship music in their native languages that fulfills the Colossians 3:16 exhortation: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” 

However, many churches don’t have the resources or equipment to record their own music. Grace College Worship Arts is doing something to meet that need. In collaboration with missionaries from Encompass World Partners, the worship arts program records and produces worship music for churches around the world. 

The Worldwide Need for Worship Ministry 

Dr. Wally Brath, director of the worship arts program at Grace, holds two music ministry degrees, a master’s degree in ethnomusicology and a doctor of worship studies. He’s led trips to Hungary, Myanmar, and France, among many other places, to teach and lead worship. 

Brath met Kevin Stauffer, a music missionary in France with Encompass World Partners, on a worship ministry Go Encounter trip to France in 2019. Stauffer has served Charis Fellowship churches in France for 22 years. He oversees music for The Gospel Coalition France and wrote “Intentional Worship,” a book about leading worship in the French church context. 

“Understanding that singing is found more than 400 times in the Bible and there are over 50 direct commands to sing in the Bible means we should learn to do it well in the context we’re given,” said Stauffer. 

Brath and Stauffer agreed that the French church needed doctrinally sound worship music with good French translations. Stauffer wanted to record worship music but didn’t have a recording studio equipped for it, so the two decided to collaborate. 

To produce a song, Brath creates a piano recording, and then Grace music ministry degree students record on guitar and drums. The vocals are then recorded in French, and Stauffer and Brath produce the songs together. Finally, Stauffer posts the song to The Gospel Coalition France’s website for churches to use. 

“My goal is to give French churches good, doctrinally sound music that fulfills Colossians 3:16,” said Stauffer. “Grace College has been a great partnership to advance that through these songs.” 

Serving the Global Church through Worship Ministry

The first collection of songs called the “Psalms Project,” features French translations of songs by Sovereign Grace Music and CityAlight, as well as original compositions. The Gospel Coalition France will debut the songs live at its conference for churches in May. The first song in the collection, Psaume 150 (Psalm 150), was released on April 5. It features instrumentals by two Grace worship arts students who volunteered their time and skills to make the recording. 

Hudson Felsman, a second-year worship arts major, provided the guitar tracks for the recordings, accenting the drum beat with an acoustic rhythm.

“The best thing is seeing the impact of the Gospel and how music can be a vehicle to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” said Felsman. “I’m thankful to be a part of it.” 

Kaleb Lovell, a second-year music production major, played drums for the recording. 

“It’s cool that people in France get to hear our music and that we get to see the reach of it,” Lovell said.  

The experience was valuable to Felsman and Lovell, as they learned how to produce studio music and developed their recording, tracking, and mixing skills.  

Missionaries in Spain and Central Asia have also contacted Brath to work on similar recording projects in their languages. These efforts will aid missionaries as they encourage people to write songs for their own contexts.

“God is making us aware of a need for worship ministry in other cultures,” said Brath. “We want to step up and respond to that need.”

These efforts to enable worship ministry around the world benefit Grace worship arts students by helping them develop their skills, discern their calling, and spread the Gospel.

“Working on these projects will hopefully cause students to think about how God is working all over the world and how they can use their musical gifts anywhere,” said Brath.

Interested in developing your musical abilities in a God-honoring way? Check out our worship arts degree! Want to use worship ministry cross-culturally? Contact Dr. Brath to learn more about music mission opportunities.