Chris and Laura Christensen
Allow me to introduce us and give you a little background on our ministry. and Laura and I are “musicianaries” to the nations. We moved to Brussels in 1987, helped plant a church and then started a worship ministry called “Exo” which has reached out mostly to the French-speaking world. Our focus has been to bring the church together in unity through worship. That means all denominations, all generations, and all nations. We have recorded many worship CDs over the years, both in French and in English. For many years I was a songwriter for Integrity’s Hosanna! Music. I don’t believe in “name-dropping” but I do believe in “song dropping” as it helps people to connect to my heart through the songs. May we be a shining light to the nations…I was made to praise you…You are high and lifted up…Maybe these ring a bell, maybe they don’t. (see download options below)
When we began this worship ministry, there were very few models to follow. It was mostly trial and error. There were very few “fathers” or “mentors” to help give the kind of perspective that would guide us into things that would bear lasting fruit and not be just another popular fad. Most of us are not ready for fatherhood and yet there comes a time when we need to pass the baton to another generation. We find ourselves in that stage of life, still growing, still learning, but sensing the urgency to pass on what we have learned to the next generation. We believe in family worship. I’m happy to say that our children have been active participants in the ministry, singing, dancing, playing drums. They are all worshippers and three of them are worship leaders. They have caught this passion partly through our teaching, but mostly through impartation. I don’t believe in formulas! I do believe in some basic principles that can help our worship to be something that is pleasing to God which is after all the most important thing. This is what we are all about, imparting a heart for God and a heart for worship. Equipping the next generation of worshippers, worship leaders and anointed musicians.
Generally speaking, where is the western Church today in terms of worship? There are a lot of exciting things happening. There are also a lot of questions being asked. Here are some of things I hear:
I feel like we are worshipping worship. It’s taken on a life of it’s own.
Where do we go from here?
What does God think and feel about our worship?
The young people seem bored.
The older people feel left behind. The songs are not “singable.”
Our worship seems shallow.
The songs we sing have very little content, they’re mostly “touchy, feely” all about me songs.
I’m concerned about the kind of theology we are teaching through our worship songs. There may be a strong emotional experience and a lot of enthusiasm, but what kind of disciples are we making through our corporate worship experience?
What is the presence of God? Where is the presence of God?
How do we choose the songs we sing, the order and flow?
Our church sings mostly songs that come from somewhere else. How can we inspire our own songwriters?
How do we build a worship team? How do we keep them together, deal with ego problems?
How can a worship team really be integrated with church leadership and the larger ministry team?
How can worship be a tool for evangelism? Worship outside the four walls of the Church?
We have been wrestling with these questions for over twenty years now. We don’t have all the answers but we’re excited that God is using us to model, teach and impart the insights we have gained over the years.
If you would be interested, we’d love to be an encouragement to you by sharing our gifts with your church. The format can vary depending on your particular needs and desires. Some of the things we do regulary are:
- Lead the Sunday morning worship.
- Teach on the subject of worship.
- Do a special evening of “just worship”, soaking in the presence of God. You can invite other churches in your community to join us, building bridges.
- Meet with worship leaders, worship teams to exchange ideas and sharpen our understanding of worship.
If you have French-speakers in your community, plan a special worship evening for them. Most of them will already be familiar with Exo’s ministry.
To preview/download/purchase our songs/cds go here or look for Chris Christensen on itunes.
To contact us:
c.christensen@skynet.be
0032.476.328518
www.christensensministry.org (English)
www.exogroupe.com (Our Exo ministry site for the French-speaking world.)
We look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Chris and Laura Christensen