Philip Renner – Carrying The Fire

Preaching in youth ministry continued to be his main work, but over time he found another tug back toward music—when he’d sing in church and people would take notice. He has to laugh when he remembers how it felt to hear compliments on songs he sang after preaching: “I didn’t study six hours to sing this song!” Yet once again, it was clear that God was leading him into a different plan.

The Voice of a Movement
When Renner Worship set out on the touring life, they didn’t know what to expect. “We started traveling eight months a year and became the first Christian band to not just do worship, but write their own songs and travel like we did. People thought it wouldn’t work out because nobody had done it before.”

Touring a country the size of Russia meant journeying across eleven time zones, taking time not just to play songs, but to talk with worship leaders about the value of writing original songs. Sure, there are hundreds of English songs that have resonated around the world, but Renner believes in the importance of giving a movement its own voice.

“Russian [language] is kind of harsh, but it’s very strong…[and] I believe when a church writes their own songs, they’re walking through their own experience with God.” Today they aren’t alone in giving this powerful language its own words for God. Over time, after he visited churches and shared his vision, they would follow with music of their own, a “chain reaction” he’s grateful to play a role in.

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