In the Midst of Turbulent Times, Veteran Christian Artist Michael W. Smith Believes the Church is Uniting as Never Before

Josh Shepherd : Feb 26, 2019
The Stream

Michael W. Smith on Billy Graham: "I don't think there's another Billy. And I don't think his baton was passed to any one person ... We need a few thousand Joshuas to carry the baton of Billy ... Billy definitely loved me and I loved him. He poured his life into me on so many levels. The many prayers he prayed over me, something got deposited for sure."

[Stream.org] On August 30, 2018, more than 14,000 people gathered at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee for a prayer and worship gathering. Michael W. Smith led songs alongside CeCe Winans, Vanessa Campagna, Madelyn Berry, Mark Gutierrez and others, captured on the new album 'Awaken.' (Photo: Rocketown Records/The Fuel Music/via The Stream)

When a local church hosts a mid-week prayer meeting, often ten or fewer faithful ones show up. Thus, organizers of a Nashville gathering last August were a bit overwhelmed. On a sweltering Thursday evening, more than 14,000 people had come to participate in prayer and worship.

Diverse Believers united at Bridgestone Arena, one of the largest venues in Music City, USA—convened by a singer-songwriter eager to elevate Christ above all. "Unity made that night work," Michael W. Smith tells The Stream in an interview. "The diversity of who came together was absolutely something I had never experienced in my entire life."

Some know Smith as today's most prominent Christian recording artist, having sold 15 million albums since his debut in 1983. Others recall his moving musical tributes performed at the funerals of President George H.W. Bush and evangelist Billy Graham.

Still others esteem Smith as a reconciler of various Christian streams, with a focus on realizing common good through Compassion International and other outreach efforts. The multifaceted arena event, captured live on the new album 'Awaken,' reflects such bridge-building at work.

In a phone interview from Nashville, Michael W. Smith shares what happened that night—and how Christian music has changed over decades. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Diverse Voices Joined As One

Are there certain moments from the worship night last summer that stand out to you?

Michael W. Smith: The whole night was amazing! What's not on the record are all the prayer moments: there were 13 prayer sections where we prayed for specific things. We had 14,000 people just going all out with these prayers against injustice, for youth, for evangelism, the list goes on.

To me, the biggest highlight of the night was the color in the arena. To have Asian, white, black, Hispanic, Native American people—it was beautiful. That's really what I remember about the night and what I believe has affected this city.

I've never seen pastors and spiritual leaders more unified in Nashville than now. Personally, I believe it had a lot to do with what happened at Bridgestone Arena.

As a prolific songwriter yourself, it's notable that 'Awaken' features anthems by many others. Why do your worship albums elevate a diversity of songs?

Smith: While I love showcasing other writers, to me it's all about the songs. It doesn't really matter who wrote them. I'm not going to write twelve mediocre worship songs just so I can say I wrote the entire record! To take people on a journey, I'm going to assemble a group of songs that can really hold together.

The diversity focus was a significant part of that night. Worship can't just be a "white" thing—you've got to be inclusive. We had "Set A Fire" from United Pursuit, then "Reckless Love"—then CeCe Winans walked out on stage to lead "King of Glory." Then we had an Italian girl named Vanessa Campagna co-lead "Way Maker" alongside Madelyn Berry, who is part of the biggest urban church in Nashville.

That's what made the record feel a lot different. It's not just the same-sounding white worship, which is not what I'm called to do. Co-leading that night was about the masses joining together in worship: every race, tribe and color that was represented that night... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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