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Jan 30 2015

#74: Brian Johnson On Bethel Music Culture, The Creative Process, & Empowering Others [Podcast]

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My guest this week is no stranger to the worship community: Brian Johnson from Bethel Music.

I’ve looked forward to this interview for a long time. Brian is an incredible songwriter & worship leader. But what I love most about he and his wife Jen is how they empower people.

Brian & Jen are such a testimony of what it means to create a culture people want to be a part of – a culture that attracts great people and a place where those people thrive. It’s not about a single personality. It’s about the community.

This interview was one of my favorites and is just full of tons of actionable advice for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did recording it!

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/beyondsunday/BSWLP_074.mp3

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Tweetable Quotes:

  • “If you want to be great, find something small and be great at it for a long time” (Tweet it).
  • “God gives you small ideas to be stewarded into complete ideas” (Tweet it).
  • “Insecurity & pride will make you a small person for the rest of your life” (Tweet it).
  • “Don’t live by people’s accolade or by people’s critique” (Tweet it).
  • “Establish a vision and cast it weekly to your team” (Tweet it).

In this Episode, You’ll Hear More About:

  • Why Brian is excited about this particular Bethel Music project.
  • What Brian does when he’s not writing songs and leading worship.
  • What Team Nights are like at Bethel Music.
  • How to create a healthy team environment.
  • What it means to empower people over controlling them.
  • The importance of doing ministry at a relational level.
  • How to find your voice as a worship leader.
  • The importance of pulling influences from a lot of different camps.
  • How Brian approaches songwriting & co-songwriting.
  • A behind the scenes look at the creative vision and ideas behind We Will Not Be Shaken.
  • How Brian would build a worship team from scratch.
  • The never ending tension of balancing family & ministry.

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

  • Website: Bethel Music
  • Music: We Will Not Be Shaken by Bethel Music
  • Music: The Undoing by Steffany Gretzinger
  • Book: God Songs by Paul Baloche
  • Book: Delirious by Martin Smith
  • Book: The Heart of Worship Files by Matt Redman
  • Gear: K&K Trinity pickup system
  • Gear: Veritas Guitars
  • Gear: Jack Williams Guitars
  • Gear: High Strings for acoustic guitar (Westwood music 310.478.4251, ask for Mark Bookin)
  • Show Sponsor: Planning Center Online

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Thanks For Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. So helpful!

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see, a special guest you’d like to hear from, or a question for an upcoming episode, please email me. If you enjoyed the show, I would be so appreciative if you would rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That helps me so much! Thanks.

A huge thank you to Brian Johnson for sharing with us!

Question: What was your biggest takeaway from the interview with Brian? Always love to hear from you! You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Written by David Santistevan · Categorized: Podcast

Comments

  1. Bridget says

    February 5, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Helpful stuff! Especially the rapid fire at the end. Thank you David and Brian!

    • David Santistevan says

      March 4, 2015 at 12:45 pm

      Awesome. Thanks Bridget!

  2. John says

    February 11, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    MorningStar is the name of Lucifer in the bible…isn’t that a bad name for a church?

    Isa 14:12-15 (NIV) How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

    • David Santistevan says

      March 4, 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Hey John, that’s a great point. In Revelation Jesus is also called the Bright and Morning Star. I suppose Jesus is the truest, fullest description of what that really means. Check out Revelation 22:16!

  3. Jason says

    March 4, 2015 at 11:19 am

    This was perfect timing for our team. Thank you to you both.

    • David Santistevan says

      March 4, 2015 at 12:48 pm

      Our pleasure! Thanks Jason.

Trackbacks

  1. #75: Meredith Andrews On Vertical Church Band, Songwriting, & Balancing Family & Ministry [Podcast] | David Santistevan says:
    February 5, 2015 at 1:00 am

    […] Podcast: Brian Johnson on Bethel Music Culture, The Creative Process, & Empowering Others […]

  2. #86: Daniel Bashta On Timeless Truth, Dreaming Through Disappointment, & Becoming More Fascinated By God [Podcast] | David Santistevan says:
    April 23, 2015 at 8:23 am

    […] Podcast: Brian Johnson on Bethel Music Culture, the Creative Process, & Empowering Others […]

  3. The Honest Truth About Songwriting Success, Fame, And Influence | David Santistevan says:
    May 19, 2015 at 6:39 am

    […] all look to Hillsong and Bethel and say, “Wow, God is doing amazing things there.” And He truly is. It’s […]

  4. #146: Brian Johnson on Building A Team, Culture, & Writing for Church [Podcast] says:
    March 24, 2017 at 9:18 am

    […] Podcast: Brian Johnson on Bethel Music Culture, The Creative Process, & Empowering Others […]

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