Global Connection
To help foster a worldwide community in contemporary worship, SA Worship Magazine felt it was important to highlight leaders in this field that work specifically for The Salvation Army. Each person in this article works to promote, develop, and equip leaders in contemporary worship within their respective territory.
Each of these individuals will contribute resources and articles to SA Worship Magazine. lf you have questions, get in touch with your local representative for help.
Kris Singh - New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa
Creative Resource Developer
At Creative Ministries here in the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory, we’re driven by a deep desire to reveal Jesus to others through the mystery and wonder of the arts. We believe that creativity is deeply essential and deeply imbued into all people. We are passionate about seeing people discover their God-given creative potential. Our goal isn’t simply just to practically resource our people and places, but to inspire them into creative action - spurring them to move beyond the edges of where they are into the uncharted places where new revelation is found. We’re not interested in labels and attitudes that divide our creative expressions into factions at war. Our only aim is to show the God-story to a world desperately in need of a Saviour. And, much like our historical Salvation Army creative radicals, we strive to tell that wonderful story in a way that the times, the culture and the world will acknowledge, understand and respond to.
Doug Berry - USA Eastern
Territorial Contemporary Music Director
I’ve been in this role for about five years now. To witness what the Lord is doing in our territory (and many others in The Salvation Army) through contemporary worship is amazing! I’m humbled to play a small role in the developement of new worship styles and genres as my profession for the Army. My main focus is encouraging and resourcing this style of music, as well as managing our territorial worship band - UNBOUND. UNBOUND is making strides in encourging and leading others in Spirit-filled and true worship, while at the same time supporting the worship styles that the Army has been participating in for years and years. I’m blessed to lead a group of individuals that all have the same passion for true worship. We aim to teach, equip and model worship practices that bring others together in a community of adoration for our Saviour King Jesus!
Nik King - United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland
Assistant Director of Music and Creative Arts (Contemporary Music/Song)
For a comparatively small territory, the presence of Music and Creative Arts is much to the fore of many church’s mission, with a diverse range of sections, groups and initiatives. My job here is both to support our Regional Music and Creative Arts Specialists and local corps, as well as having a big role in our large number of annual events. We had a large restructure two years ago and so we have been finding our feet by supporting, engaging with and equipping local corps. It’s exciting to be part of something new!
I really felt God has laid on my heart the phrase ‘Freedom in worship.’ This is an act of worship that breaks free from the confines that we, as The Salvation Army, sometimes place on it, allowing people to engage fully and to encounter God in an individual expression. This is one of my prayers when helping worship groups or leading worship across the territory. I would love to see more worship groups springing up in churches as an expression of their love and worship to God.
Jude St. Aime - USA Western
Music and Worship Evangelism/Development Specialist
The contemporary worship band/team ministry is becoming increasingly popular in The Salvation Army USA Western Territory. Most of the corps throughout our territory has some form of worship team ministry; whether it is a worship leader with an acoustic guitar, ukulele, or piano, or in some of our larger congregations, a full rhythm section. At times, even the corps brass band joins forces with the worship team in leading the congregation in worship. Our job in the music department is to support the local corps with resources, training, education and modeling of best practices for their worship ministry.
On occasion, we develop curriculum that is custom-made for corps, based on their current need for resources. This can be in the form of video coaching/teaching, printed materials, and corps/divisional visits where we encourage and work with the entire corps/divisional worship team/bands. We encourage worship in all forms and promote bridging the traditional and contemporary form of worship in order to support the mission and serve corps effectively and efficiently. God is doing some amazing things around the USA Western Territory and we give Him all the glory!
Josh Turner - USA Central
Territorial Contemporary Music Specialist
In the USA Central Territory, we have 10 divisions which serve communities in 11 Midwestern States. With a territorial goal of live music in every worship centre by 2020, praise bands are the fastest growing music section in our territory, which makes the outlook of live music by 2020 promising. My role in our territory is to inspire and equip our divisional music directors, corps leaders, and praise bands with resources, instruction and support on contemporary praise and worship music.
Over the past few years, we have developed two major initiatives to aid our praise bands: Operation Piano Player and the Guitar/Ukulele Initiatives. Operation Piano Player allows students of any age to take piano lessons at a partial subsidy rate with DHQ and THQ covering the remaining cost. Funding on a matching basis, the guitar and ukulele initiatives focus on equipping divisions and corps with instruments and curriculum to develop future guitarists and worship leaders.
It is my hope that we all approach leading worship from a servant heart. A heart that is grateful for the gifts and talents that we have and a heart that is centred on service to our King, putting His will before ours. Lastly, it is my prayer that we make it our mission to find someone to mentor us as we pass on the mantle of our leadership.
Simon Gough - Canada and Bermuda
Specialist - New Media, Youth and Worship Arts
In such a large territory, there is a great deal of diversity in worship from corps to corps. From the island rhythms of Bermuda to the celtic influences in the Maritimes, across the metropolis of Toronto to Vancouver and everything in between, you can find contemporary worship teams growing and developing in the Canada and Bermuda Territory. My role is to empower and grow leaders of these sections so that they can better serve their congregations.
The strength of local leadership is essential for times of Spirit-filled worship.Through our music and leadership programs like the Leadership Development Institute and Territorial Music School, to one-on-one training opportunities in person or online, we are trying to equip, resource and inspire leaders.
I feel incredibly blessed to be able to work with various leaders. One of the other privileges I have is to lead our territorial worship team, NEON. This is a group of incredibly committed and talented musicians that want to share God’s love through music, and strive to lead others into an understanding and encounter of that love each time they play.
My prayer for the territory is that no matter how or where we worship, that it would be in Spirit and in Truth, and that the meeting between each individual and God will be significant and bear fruit for His kingdom.
In my role, I’m tasked with encouraging and resourcing dynamic, Spirit-led contemporary worship for the USA Southern Territory. I have tried to focus on three areas of service in my time in this position: resource creation (training resources, transMission recordings, etc.), worship team training (TMI, divisional arts weekends), and worship support (utilizing worship technologies).
I think contemporary worship has played a huge role in some of the biggest movements in our territory. We’ve noticed in the last few years that there seems to be a hunger, particularly in our teen and young adult crowd, for seeking the Lord in Bible study and in our times of worship. We’re also seeing a lot of young musicians stepping up and forming very competent divisional worship teams who are now the duty bands for divisional events.
My mission is to enhance the quality of worship at the corps and divisional levels. I believe the resources we create and the training we provide have enabled Salvationist worship teams around our territory and beyond to provide quality, distraction-free worship support, and hopefully have encouraged seekers to enter into a stronger relationship with Christ.
Josh Powell - USA Southern
Territorial Contemporary Music Specialist
