The last thing a worship leader wants is to make headlines. The very nature of worship ministry — leading others, creating in community, serving in anonymity — is at odds with the media scrutiny that comes with scandal and shame.
The leaders in New Life Worship, the thriving worship ministry of Colorado Springs’ New Life Church, never expected for their congregation to be in the eye of the storm. When calamity struck — and even the church’s future appeared to hang on the balance — they soldiered on and never stopped worshipping.
“Your perspective changes when you go through something like that,” says Brad Parsley, New Life’s worship pastor and younger brother of the recently relocated Ross Parsley. “Once you’ve been in the valley of the shadow of death and then come out on the other side, you have these times of worship that are full of gratitude and declaration for who God is and what He has done.”
Part of that experience was captured live on the thunderous You Hold It All, the church’s fourth recording — not including various Desperation Band or solo albums by other team members — and latest chapter in New Life’s storied run.
From the explosive declarations of “This I Know” and “It Was for Freedom,” one immediately gathers You Hold It All is about God’s faithfulness, and the strength of a local church united. From top to bottom, the disc is rife with potential classics-in-the-making, including the anthemic “Great I Am,” the prayerful “Be Thou Exalted,” and “Dry Bones,” both co-writes with Hillsong songwriter Mia Fieldes. By the time “God Be Praised” and the title track bring the program to a close, it is evident New Life Worship has crafted its strongest, most corporate effort thus far.
You Hold It All also marks Parsley’s debut at the helm of the ministry, following the 2010 relocation of his brother Ross to plant a church in Texas. Parsley — who has served in various capacities at New Life, including stints as the junior high pastor and choir director — says he saw “God’s fingerprints” during the transition process.
“When I knew I was going to be taking over from him, it was a little daunting for me,” says Parsley, whose first day on the job was January 1, 2010. “I had a confidence that it was God putting me in this role as he was moving Ross into this new season of ministry. I felt the mantle to lead here at New Life being passed to me.”
Jared Anderson, a longtime New Life team member, quips: “We were kind of relieved because none of us wanted the job (laughs).”
Brad knew he had big shoes to fill. It was under the leadership of his brother Ross that New Life Worship went from little-known praise ensemble to one of the most recognizable names in church-based congregational worship — responsible for some of the most enduring anthems this generation has known.
That journey began with the church’s unassuming Integrity Music debut, I Am Free, which, besides introducing us to the church’s strong sense of melody and congregational appeal, it spawned the megahit of the same name. It was not long until “I Am Free” took on a life of its own: it was covered in grand style by the Newsboys and even became a concert staple of sorts for Michael W. Smith.
From there, New Life has breathed life to songs such as “Hear Us From Heaven,” “Amazed,” “Rescue,” “My Savior Lives,” “Your Name,” “Here in Your Presence,” and “Counting on God,” to name but a few selections from their prolific canon. Fittingly, Integrity compiled these and other favorites in 2009’s I Am Free: The Essential Collection, end-capping a successful decade of spirit and song.
But New Life Worship extends beyond its memorable repertoire. A large part of the church’s story is grounded in its various arms, which include the popular Desperation Band, the New Life Worship Choir, and the New Life School of Worship, all important parts of a whole whose chief purpose is to lead people to God’s throne.
That purpose has come into sharper focus than ever, following a period of struggle that found the church walking through its darkest hour yet.
“If you stay anywhere long enough, you’re bound to hit hardships and trials — we’ve had a season of that,” says Anderson, who goes back more than 15 years at New Life. “I hope people see that, like the psalmist, we’re at home in the valley and we’re home in the mountain.”
How do they do it? Jon Egan, another New Life veteran, highlights the role openness and sincerity have played in helping them regroup and keep their heads up.
“We have found such amazing strength in our honesty — worshipping in honesty,” Egan says. “I really think the Lord is pleased in our honesty. He calls us to come as we are, not with some sort of perfection. We often tell our congregation to take off the mask of perfection and to come as they are. If you walk through the doors of the church anxious, be anxious and deal with it.”
Egan and the rest of the team, which includes associate pastor and author Glenn Packiam and longtime producer Matthew Fallentine, certainly know about anxiety and fear. The church had barely commemorated one year of the inglorious 2006 removal of its former pastor, when a gunman opened fire upon congregants after service on December 9, 2007. Three people died that day, including the gunman, who took his own life.
How New Life Worship was able to hold it together in the aftermath is the power of worshiping God in community. With God as their eternal refuge, they kept at it — worshipping, creating, serving. Undeterred, they responded to the crises through song, releasing a string of acclaimed projects, including My Savior Lives, Everyone Overcome, and Counting on God. The titles themselves read like manifestos.
“Not only have we gone through trials, but we’ve also been judged and humbled by the Lord,” says Anderson in retrospect. “But the Lord disciplines those he loves. That purging, that pruning — just being destroyed — allowed us to surrender more so that we could serve more. It brought us closer to death so that we could live. I hope people, regardless of whether they know the details of what we went through, they have the courage to surrender to the Lord.”
