Higher Vision Talks bout How Worship Can be Re-Defined & Be More Diverse

Week after week, Higher Vision Church is packed with nearly 3,000 adrenalized God followers. The 12-year-old multigenerational congregation just outside of Los Angeles is quite diverse, and that diversity takes center stage on Higher Vision Worship's debut album, "For Your Kingdom."

The 13-track album rebounds from those lighter moments with energetic worship such as the high-energy title track, the electronica-flavored "Trust in You," dance-tinged tunes like "Freedom of Your Love" and "Hands Held High," and then dives back in with heartfelt ballads such as "He Is Here" - which paints a sound picture of God's presence and our response to it. 

Higher Vision not only wants "For Your Kingdom" to be an experience the congregation can carry with them wherever they go, but also they want it to speak to those who may not yet have Christ in their lives. 

Q:  Thank you for doing this interview with us.  Tell us a little about Higher Vision Church and the vision. 

Thank you so much for having us! Higher Vision Church started in 2004 because of a calling on our lead pastor, Jared Ming to make a difference in Santa Clarita Valley, CA. We started with a small group of people who moved their lives and families 5 hours away to plant a church where they knew no one. God provided for every single need throughout the whole process and we have been amazed at each miracle along the way. Santa Clarita is a very family oriented community and our heart is to help families be healthy, whole and to find God's vision for their lives.

Q:  Congratulations on the release of "For Your Kingdom."  In your press release, it has been noted that you seek to redefine worship, how do you go about doing this? 

Churches and/or worship teams that release music define the sound of their community when they release the new, unique music that tells the story of what God is doing in their community and their lives. There is a specific definition and direction for us as to what that sounds like and what people experience, but we are just one piece of the puzzle of all creation that gives glory and praise to God. Our prayer is that by us releasing new music we can be bold in what we believe will impact our community but that we can still play a part of that puzzle. 

Q:  Why did you decide to call the record "For Your Kingdom?" 

The heart of everything we do is to further the Kingdom of God. We believe when we worship that we see the Kingdom of God in a clearer way, that "our eyes are opened" and we are inspired and empowered to live for His call. Our hope is that the songs on this album will encourage, strengthen, and remind the Church of who God is and what He is capable of. 

Q:  One of the hallmarks of Higher Vision Church is its diversity.  How is this diversity reflected in the new album? 

Each song is completely unique in theme and sound. We believe that everyone can find a song on the album with which they can connect, no matter their age or style preference. 

Q:  What were some of your most memorable moments in the making of this record? 

One of our favorite moments was actually the live recording itself. It was amazing seeing all of the different teams coming together to make it happen and seeing the passion of the people in our congregation as they embraced the sound of worship being released by our church. The sound created that night was truly the heart of our people crying thanks to God for all that He has done the past 12 years. 

Q:  Of all the various worship music out there, what makes your music stand out? 

As we were writing these songs, the most important element for us was that they were was congregationally friendly; that they were songs that not only represented the sound of our church, but also were easy to learn and sing. Our pastor always states that worship songs are like a hallmark card and when you find the right one, you sing it to God and sign your name at the bottom. We did our best to write and arrange songs that are easy to identify with, yet hear and sing along with. 

Q:  How do you hope this album will impact the lives of your listeners?

Our prayer is that when people hear this album, they will be drawn into the light of God. There is a lot of darkness, there are many lies and so much negativity that we can fall into and this album points directly to Jesus. We hope that the songs on this album lead people closer to God and that the melodies and lyrics minister directly to their hearts. 

Tags : higher vision worship higher vision interview higher vision for your kingdom higher vision church higher vision worship new album