Chris McClarney offers up soulful worship

|PIC1|Get ready for soulful-voiced, modern worship songs of Chris McClarney, the unassuming lead worshiper whose music is travelling to the far reaches of Christian church worldwide.

A worshipper dedicated to drawing the eyes, heart and minds of the church toward its heavenly Father, McClarney’s songs, with absolutely no marketing dollars behind them, have climbed onto the iTunes sales charts and caught the attention of the Redding, California-based Jesus Culture youth movement. An “army” of believers in the movement has adopted McClarney’s “Your Love Never Fails” as its theme song. His album, Introducing Chris McClarney, is out on January 26 from Kingsway with EMI CMG Distribution.

“Chris McClarney is one of the most refreshing voices in this present move of God. I love all that he does,” says Bill Johnson, senior leader at Bethel Chapel in Reading, which is the birthplace of the Jesus Culture movement. “His worship music is some of the most genuine, profound, and passionate music I know of anywhere.”

The journey that led to Introducing Chris McClarney was one that McClarney started alone in his study one day, praying. From his knees he told God how desperate he was to be able to share the songs of heaven. In a voice that was almost audible, McClarney sensed God’s reply: “But what I want are the songs of Chris.” Stunned, McClarney gathered together the songs he had written, and now these songs are finding listeners across the nation and world.

“I was in Australia three weeks ago and everyone I met knew the Chris McClarney song, ‘Your Love Never Fails,’ as music from Jesus Culture was a top selling product in that market,” notes Jonathan Brown, Kingsway business development. “McClarney is an authentic, and compelling voice whose songs worshipers from across the globe are singing, joining together in the chorus.”

Other notable worship leaders are hearing that authenticity and responding with their own voice.

“Finding CDs to worship the Lord with is no easy task and, as a result, my favorites list is very limited. Having known Chris for years, it's no surprise that his CD has become a huge personal blessing to me as I seek to connect intimately with God on a daily basis. His talent and sincerity flow powerfully through the songs and usher me almost effortlessly into deeper friendship with Jesus," said Jeff Deyo, worship leader and former Sonicflood lead vocalist.

An “overnight” sensation after having led worship for 15 years, McClarney has spent the last six years at Grace Center church (www.gracecenter.us) in Franklin, Tennessee. He resides in nearby Nashville with his wife Jasmine, and two small daughters.