DeepSummary
Mike Cosper interviews Chad Gardner, a former worship leader at Mars Hill Church, about his experience with the church's music ministry. Gardner shares how he was initially drawn to Mars Hill's counter-cultural approach to worship music, which rejected the polished sound of contemporary Christian music. He discusses the challenges of being a young worship leader at Mars Hill, where talent and charisma were prioritized over spiritual maturity.
After leaving Mars Hill amidst its dissolution, Gardner found himself having to re-record his album because the church refused to sell him the intellectual property rights. Despite the hardships, Gardner credits his love for Jesus as helping him avoid bitterness and maintain his faith. He also reveals that when Mike Cosper used Gardner's song 'Sticks and Stones' as the theme for the podcast series, he initially felt uncomfortable with Mark Driscoll's voice being associated with his work.
Cosper explains that after understanding Gardner's perspective, he removed Driscoll's voice from the podcast's opening credits as a show of respect for Gardner's artistic journey. The conversation also touches on other Mars Hill music bands that have continued making music after the church's closure, carrying on the community spirit that initially drew them together.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Mars Hill's music ministry rejected the polished sound of contemporary Christian music in favor of a grittier, counter-cultural approach.
- Talent and charisma were prioritized over spiritual maturity in selecting worship leaders at Mars Hill, which Gardner found concerning.
- After leaving Mars Hill, Gardner had to re-record his album because the church refused to sell him the intellectual property rights.
- Gardner's love for Jesus sustained him through the difficulties of leaving Mars Hill and prevented him from becoming disillusioned with his faith.
- Gardner initially felt uncomfortable with having his song 'Sticks and Stones' used as the theme for the podcast series due to Mark Driscoll's voice being associated with it.
- Cosper removed Driscoll's voice from the podcast's opening credits out of respect for Gardner's artistic vision and to avoid contributing to Gardner's distress.
- Despite Mars Hill's collapse, some of its music bands, like King's Kaleidoscope, have continued making music, carrying on the community spirit that initially drew them together.
- The continuation of bands like King's Kaleidoscope represents a positive aspect of the Mars Hill story, embodying the shared pursuit of faith that initially brought them together.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Your charisma and your talent is dangerous, you know, like, you can survive and thrive off that, and your soul will kind of just be coasting the whole time.“ by Chad Gardner
- “I hated the feeling that one of our songs was going to just have Mark's fingerprints on it forever, you know, King's kaleidoscope is one of the few public facing things left over from Mars Hill that is still believing and is still hoping, and it's still full of faith and chasing that enchantment with the gospel.“ by Chad Gardner
- “To me, that's kind of been a beautiful element of when you think about the Marshall story and you think about this organic sort of like mindedness, pursuing faith, and then Mark and this infrastructure sort of crushes it and falls apart, that community in pockets just kept going.“ by Chad Gardner
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Episode Information
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Christianity Today
5/6/22
Mars Hill’s music grew out of the same counter-cultural ethos that defined the rest of its ministry. Most of the church’s founding members thought Christian contemporary music was too saccharine and polished for their tastes, and what evolved at Mars Hill reflected the gritty and dark sounds of the city around them. But like many other facets of the Mars Hill story, there was much behind the music. Often selected for their charisma and talent, Mars Hill bands found that few cared about the condition of their souls or the posture of their spirits.
Chad Gardner became a worship leader later in the church’s history, having grown up listening to the church’s music. His eventual decision to leave would mean sacrificing community and intellectual property rights over his band’s contributions to the ministry. Some band members, damaged by various spiritual abuses, would leave the faith altogether.
In this bonus episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, host Mike Cosper sits down with Chad Gardner, worship leader at Mars Hill, to hear the hard and beautiful stories of the music that defined the community. Peek backstage for a glimpse of what worship leadership meant in this alternative church culture, and hear stories behind some of Kings Kaleidoscope’s albums. Finally, find out why Chad told us, “I never wanted to do a duet with Mark.”
“The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Erik Petrik
Producer, Writer, Editor, Host, and Mix Engineer: Mike Cosper
Associate Producers: Joy Beth Smith and Azurae Phelps
Music and Sound Design: Kate Siefker
Graphic Design: Bryan Todd
Social Media: Kate Lucky
Editorial Consultant: Andrea Palpant Dilley
Editor in Chief: Timothy Dalrymple
Theme Song: “Sticks and Stones” Kings Kaleidoscope
Additional Music: Brad Currah, Red Letter, Team Strike Force, The Sing Team, Citizens, and Kings Kaleidoscope
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