I am a child of the sixties and I think back now to the many opportunities we had to stay 'in the world' and help shape what was happening in those heady and exciting times. I ended up like so many others being sucked into a Christian sub culture as the church seemed to step out of engagement in our society.
I feel we are at another of those seasons where things are changing and shifting ( eg. our love for the internet and all the technological advances that are happening daily) and that we have as the church such a golden opportunity to think clearly, prepare ourselves and commission and release God's creatives for active engagement in our society. Power bases like record companies are losing the stronghold they once had and I also believe there are changes taking place where it seems like a new generation of church leaders are emerging and new partnerships forming.
Over the last 27 years in ngm we have sought to train up and release a new generation who will serve the church and make a difference in our society. DJ and producer Andy Hunter who came through ngm and is still connected with us, has played in clubs all over the world. You can hear his music on major Hollywood films and computer games, like The Matrix, Tombraider, The Italian Job. He has also just finished writing a score for a new film due to be released in April. He is signed to a mainstream label and meets with many top DJ's across the world. Andy sees himself as a worship leader!
We also have other DJ's who have been developed through ngm, who are playing in clubs both in the UK and also around the world. Their music is being played on Radio one and their records are available through mainstream shops. One of the bands we have been working with for the last five or six years have just been signed to Gut records and their debut single and album is being released later this year.
We have also released studio engineers, sound and lighting engineers, dancers, musicians, Graphic designers, agents, managers, TV presenters etc., all working in the marketplace. My dream is to see a multiplication of centres of excellence like ngm, working in partnership with the church and releasing thousands of God's artisans.
I see ngm as only a small piece of the jigsaw. There are lots of other people doing a great job in this arena like Artisan, Nexus, artists like David and Carrie Grant, Athlete, the Beddingfields, dancers, actors, producers, directors, just to mention a few! I do believe that we are a part of the bigger picture and that there is a great need to get together with others to pray and debate and see how we can partner and collaborate in seeing a new generation of artists released in our days.
'Church and creatives need to unite once again to transform culture'
Dick Staub
So.. . I'm on a quest...... in the words of one of our greatest Christian leaders and spokesmen of our generation - 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' (Bono).
Ray Goudie is co-director of Christian music ministry NGM and writer and producer of hit Christian pop opera Luv Esther. Printed with permission www.ngm.org.uk
