#EN2010: Notes from Darlene Zschech’s Message

Darlene Zschech, the Australian worship leader who brought us the ever famous Shout to the Lord, spoke at the Every Nation World Conference in Manila on Friday night. I must admit I attended the conference partly because she was going to be there. I really wanted to hear her speak. Not sing, mind you, but preach and teach from the word of God. I wanted to hear some snippets of her worship philosophy and somehow get a glimpse of how Hillsong became what it is today.

Darlene’s teaching was simple but powerful. The first thing she said that made me grab my notes was her definition of worship as a distinct response to a revelation of who Jesus is. I love the way she emphasized that worship is primarily about your relationship with Jesus, not the quality of the music nor the loudness of the singing. When you strip away the guitar, the keyboards, the screaming crowds, or even the entire band, worship could still go on because it has always been your heart responding to God.

Darlene also mentioned that the sounds will change but the intention and agenda remains the same. I’ve seen this happen in the Hillsong albums since the release of The Power of You Love (1992) and The Stone’s Been Rolled Away (1993). Hillsong music has changed down through the years. From the calm, soothing sounds of the 90s to Marty Sampson’s screaming in their newer albums, I’ve heard a definite change of sound that I didn’t like. The United Live series featured loud music that really turned me off for a few years. But when I think of the heart behind the music and how the music helped people around the world express their love for God in a new, fresh way, I quit complaining and joined in the noise.

Something about speaking the language of God was also mentioned in Darlene’s teaching. I think that was the highlight of her entire message that night. She recounted how the European settlement in Australia almost phased out the native speech of the Aboriginal Australians when the new foreign settlers forced the natives to speak English. There’s complicated history behind all these but the point Darlene made was if the enemy can silence your language, he can definitely silence your tribe. Christians ought to speak out the language of God or run the risk of getting silenced by the enemy.

Lastly, Darlene mentioned that in church, we seek to raise disciples, not celebrities. I love this part of her teaching simply because I’ve seen how the music team of some churches that I’ve been to are acting like celebrities in the local congregations. They don’t get into discipleship because they’re busy with their music. Some of them don’t even listen to the preaching of the word of God because they feel too important to be bothered with all that talks. In one particular church, the musicians were not even Christians. They’re rock stars who didn’t get signed up with a record label.

Hearing all these talks about the importance of our relationship with Jesus are a breath of fresh air for most and a gentle rebuke for some. God looks at the conditions of our hearts when we come to Him. Our inner lives matter. Let the music change. I no longer care if it’s Mexican chacha or RnB or Korean pop. If the sound points a person to a deeper understanding of God’s love and a stronger faith in Jesus, then let’s go ahead and rock!