Josh Baldwin – Moving Forward

Then in 2014, I came out for a week to bring my wife and visit some friends at Bethel and that’s when I started talking with Brian. I felt like I would be a great fit with Bethel, and so I signed with them in 2014 with the intentions of staying in Charlotte. They actually didn’t want me to move. They loved me being a part of my church, and it was a perfect blend of the best of both worlds. We get to stay home with our church we helped to start and yet also be involved with this awesome thing.

Well, we did that for a year but we kept getting all kinds of signs pointing to the idea that we were supposed to move. It took us a year to be obedient and move. It was basically a year of her convincing me this is what we’re supposed to do. [Laughs] The transition was about as smooth and great as you could hope for. Our church in Charlotte was so supportive. I remember Robin saying, “We’re not just saying goodbye to Josh. We’re sowing him into his next season so that we can actually reap some benefits.” They’ve got a new worship leader, Andy Squires, who took my place who is amazing and we’re good friends. So everything turned out great.

CCM: Has the transition been what you thought it would be, good or bad?
JB: It’s been all of that, good and bad. It’s been a series of dreams coming true. I’ve made other albums, but this is the one I’ve always wanted to make. So on that part, things are blooming into what we’ve always prayed and asked the Lord for. The community has also been amazing. We just love Bethel Church. However, there has also been some troubling times that just come when you make any big move like that. It’s been stuff that pushes you but you come out of it having an amazing testimony and you feel closer to the Lord and my wife. It brings up stuff in marriage or in your relationship with the Lord, but if you go at it head-on and communicate, you come out much stronger.

CCM: You said The War Is Over is the album you’ve always wanted to make. Is that about production level, the musical vein that you’re in, or…?
JB: The other albums in the past were spaces where it’s been four or five years and I’ve written a bunch of songs and then I look back and think, “I’ve got these songs. I should record them.” Then I’d raise as much money as I could through a Kickstarter and record nine or ten songs, whether they fit together or not. Maybe I just didn’t have a complete vision for an album in the past. Maybe it was lack of resources where I didn’t have six to nine months to write toward that.

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