Jesus Culture is a Christian worship movement that originated out of the youth group at Bethel Church in Redding, California in 1999. The main goal of Jesus Culture is to spread the gospel and see God’s kingdom established on earth through a new generation of disciples transformed by encounters with God’s love. The name “Jesus Culture” comes from the belief that when people experience the love and presence of Jesus, it brings transformation to society and culture.
The Jesus Culture movement is focused on passionate worship music and experiences designed to draw people into an intimate relationship with God. Their worship gatherings feature extended times of singing and prayer aimed at creating an atmosphere where people can encounter God’s presence. In addition to live events, Jesus Culture has produced over 20 worship albums featuring songs by writers such as Chris Quilala, Bryan and Katie Torwalt, and Kim Walker-Smith.
A key aspect of Jesus Culture is ministry to youth and young adults. Jesus Culture originally started through the youth ministry at Bethel Church. The heart is to raise up a generation of young people who are lovers of Jesus and being equipped to make a difference in their world. Jesus Culture holds conferences for youth and young adults several times a year in locations around the US and internationally.
Jesus Culture is also involved in church planting. They have helped plant churches in places like New York City, Boston, Kiev, and Los Angeles that reflect the values of passionate worship, ministry to youth and young adults, and bringing transformation to communities through the gospel. The goal is to raise up churches that will nurture new believers into followers of Jesus who live out their faith.
In terms of theology, Jesus Culture aligns with mainstream Evangelical beliefs. Their Statement of Faith affirms the core doctrines held by most Evangelical Christians such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, the inspiration of Scripture, and the call to share the gospel.
At the same time, Jesus Culture is associated with the charismatic Christian tradition which emphasizes the ongoing miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit and the experiential dimension of faith. Their worship gatherings reflect this through extended times of singing, visible manifestations of emotion, prophetic words, healings, and an expectation that God will actively speak and move.
Jesus Culture has also been influenced by the teachings of Bill Johnson who is the Senior Pastor of Bethel Church where the ministry originated. Johnson teaches that miracles should be an expected part of the Christian life today. He also teaches that God’s nature is always to heal and restore, leading Jesus Culture to emphasize praying for physical and inner healing.
Overall, Jesus Culture seeks to be a catalyst to help fulfill the Great Commission by raising up a generation of radical lovers of Jesus who are walking intimately with God and bringing transformation to the world. Their multi-pronged ministry through worship music, conferences, leadership development, church planting, and humanitarian work aims to see the glory of God cover the earth through a vibrant Jesus-centered movement of young people.
Leadership and Origins of Jesus Culture
The Jesus Culture movement was founded out of the youth ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California under the leadership of youth pastors Banning Liebscher and Kim Walker-Smith. Liebscher served as the Director of Jesus Culture from its start until he transitioned leadership in 2009. Walker-Smith led worship and helped write many of the early songs that shaped the Jesus Culture sound.
In an interview, Liebscher shared that the name “Jesus Culture” came during a youth retreat when God spoke to him that He desired to build a Jesus-centered culture that would transform society. The name stuck and became the banner for a new worship movement spearheaded through Bethel’s youth ministry.
Bill Johnson, the Senior Pastor of Bethel Church, has also been highly influential in shaping the Jesus Culture ethos. As a fifth-generation pastor with a heart to see God’s kingdom expand, Johnson encouraged the youth ministry to take risks and reach out beyond the four walls of the church. His Kingdom theology and belief in contagious Christianity have filtered into the DNA of Jesus Culture.
Chris Quilala joined Jesus Culture as a worship leader in 2002 and eventually took over as the Director when Liebscher transitioned out. He has led the movement since that time while also stepping into the role of lead singer. His heart for intimacy with God and seeing the gospel go global align with the original vision to raise up a Jesus-centered counter culture.
Other key leaders include Bryan and Katie Torwalt who joined the team as worship pastors in 2009. Bryan contributes as a songwriter and guitarist while Katie leads worship vocals. The musicians and vocalists on the Jesus Culture team have changed over the years while staying true to the original vision.
Kim Walker-Smith took a step back from Jesus Culture in 2009 to focus on family while still occasionally contributing worship songs. Banning Liebscher left Bethel in 2009 to plant Jesus Culture Sacramento but has stayed connected. The leadership team sees themselves as stewards of a movement much larger than any individual.
Beliefs and Theology of Jesus Culture
Doctrinally speaking, Jesus Culture aligns with mainstream Evangelical orthodox theology. Their statement of faith outlines core beliefs shared by most Evangelicals such as:
- The Bible as God’s inspired and authoritative Word
- The Trinity – God existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- The deity and sinless life of Jesus Christ
- The virgin birth of Christ
- Christ’s death providing atonement for sin
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus
- Salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ
- The second coming of Jesus
- The existence of heaven and hell
- The call to share the gospel and make disciples
At the same time, Jesus Culture emerges from the Charismatic tradition and reflects many of its theological distinctives. There is an emphasis on the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit being active today such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and divine healing. Gatherings feature extended times of singing in the Spirit and exuberant, expressive worship.
There are also aspects of Kingdom theology throughout Jesus Culture which emphasizes God’s desire to invade earth with heaven’s realities. The influence of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church shapes much of this Kingdom focus. Their services regularly include ministry times focused on inner and physical healing.
Critics have occasionally questioned if some of these emphases cross the line into unorthodox theology. There are concerns by some over “Dominion” theology, teaching that Christians will take over societal structures before Christ’s return. However, Jesus Culture does not officially endorse Dominionism or related Kingdom Now theology.
There has also been caution expressed over some charismatic practices like being “drunk in the Spirit” which can be seen at Jesus Culture events. Additionally, the leadership’s belief that miracles should be normal today rather than exceptional rubs some theologians the wrong way.
While Jesus Culture is not without controversy, their Statement of Faith identifies with mainstream historic Christian beliefs. Much debate exists within Evangelicalism over spiritual gifts, healing, and the exact nature of God’s end-time Kingdom. Jesus Culture lands on the charismatic side of these issues while sharing core doctrines.
Worship Style and Music
One of the hallmarks of Jesus Culture is the style of worship music emerging from the ministry. Jesus Culture worship sets itself apart by generally featuring louder volumes, repetitive lyrics focused on God’s attributes, extended musical interludes, and a greater sense of spontaneity compared to many church worship teams.
The style of Jesus Culture music developed in their early days doing outreach concerts where they needed to capture the attention of youth who did not know much about church. It tended to feature catchy melodies, electric guitars, big drum sounds, and an overall anthemic battlefield sound.
Over 20 Jesus Culture studio albums have been produced featuring songs like “Break Every Chain”, “Clean Hands”, “Wake Up Sleeper”, and “Alive in You.” Popular vocalists include Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, Bryan and Katie Torwalt, and Melissa Helser whose voices have come to define the Jesus Culture sound.
In addition to studio albums, the team puts out live albums recorded at their 9,000-seat Civic Auditorium events in Redding each year. These album showcase the extended times of singing and spontaneous worship that occur as the team responds to what they sense God wants to do in each moment.
This results in a much rawer sound than the studio recordings. At points the instrumental music will drop to a faint background hum allowing voices to sing acapella or erupt into praise. This variety and spontaneity during live shows energizes crowds.
Jesus Culture music also features a diversity of styles. While many songs have a rock or pop/rock sound, others incorporate folk, gospel, urban styles, and more ambient atmospheric sounds. Even hard driving EDM songs like “Alive in You” have made it into the repertoire.
Overall, Jesus Culture music aims to create an experience where people encounter God’s presence. There is a depth and passion to the lyrics focusing on adoration of God and declaring powerful kingdom truths. At the same time, critics argue it lacks some of the rich theology of traditional hymns.
Conferences
A vital part of the Jesus Culture ministry is their youth and young adult focused conferences. Jesus Culture events aim to be more than just concerts, but life-changing divine encounters. Their conferences include extended worship sets along with preaching and ministry times.
The largest Jesus Culture conference is held annually at Civic Auditorium in Redding, CA and draws crowds approaching 10,000. In addition, Jesus Culture Revolutions are held periodically in different regions across the U.S. and globally. These events aim to ignite revival and launch young people into their divine purpose.
Jesus Culture also hosts specialized conferences. The Jesus Culture Encounter Conference lasts for 5 days and gives young adults 18-25 a chance to join the Jesus Culture team on mission. Jesus Culture Awakening provides ministry and equipping for children.
Jesus Culture focuses especially on raising up youth and young adults into leadership. Their Student Leadership Conference gives high school students a chance to grow in their gifts and calling. The Immerse Internship gives young leaders hands on development through joining the staff for a set season.
These conferences build community among young, passionate believers and help them gain vision for how God wants to use them. Worship, teaching, prayer, ministry, and relationship building facilitate what Jesus Culture believes will be a “Jesus Revolution.”
Church Plants
In addition to their music and events, Jesus Culture has also been instrumental in planting new churches that reflect their DNA. The goal is to bring their model of ministry to different cities and nations.
Some church plants directly affiliated with Jesus Culture include:
- Jesus Culture Sacramento – Planted in 2010 by Banning Liebscher
- Jesus Culture Boston – Launched out of Harvard University in 2018
- Jesus Culture NYC – Started in New York City in 2017
- Jesus Culture Kiev – Planted in the capital of Ukraine in 2019
These churches maintain connection to Jesus Culture while operating as independent local congregations. They seek to model Kingdom theology, active worship, and creating family like communities of believers.
In addition, many independent churches that align with the Jesus Culture ethos have launched across America. These churches may feature Jesus Culture worship music and partner with their conferences while having no official tie.
The Association of Related Churches is one network that includes churches planted out of the Jesus Culture model. Their values include starting churches that unchurched people love to attend, Holy Spirit empowerment, revival, and raising up influenced people.
Jesus Culture views church planting as a key way their vision spreads. Their album Reconstructing features songs intended to support church planters relying on God’s power to reshape broken lives and cities.
Controversy and Criticism
While many have been impacted by Jesus Culture, they are not without their critics. Some of the main controversies surrounding Jesus Culture include:
- Overemphasis on experience: Critics argue their highly experiential worship gatherings lack depth and neglect the Word of God.
- Excess charismatic behavior: Some accuse Jesus Culture of allowing too much unbiblical “Charismania” at times like being drunk in the Spirit.
- False glory cloud: Videos showing a glory cloud at Jesus Culture events are believed by some to be staged or manipulated.
- Questions on Kingdom theology: Aspects of Bill Johnson’s teaching on the Kingdom have been viewed as veering into Dominion theology by a few.
- Lack of discernment: Partnering with any preacher who claims to move in the Spirit’s power even if they hold aberrant doctrine.
- Music lacking depth: Critics say some Jesus Culture songs sound great in a moment but lack rich biblical truth.
The ministry of Jesus Culture does push hard into spiritual experience and the miraculous. They also elevate passionate pursuit of Jesus above theological precision at times. This leads some to feel their approach risks dangerous excess and lack of depth.
On the other side, supporters argue that for too long the church has settled for dry, powerless religion. They see Jesus Culture restoring an encounter with Jesus that sparks hunger for His Word and sharing the gospel. They also point to their Statement of Faith upholding orthodoxy as evidence critics misjudge them.
As with many movements focused on renewing passion for Christ, there is often a mix of wise zeal and unwise excess. Disagreements over where correct balance lies continue both inside and outside charismatic streams of the Church. Jesus Culture sits comfortably on the more experiential, Kingdom-focused end of that spectrum.
Influence and Legacy
Over 20 years after bursting onto the scene, Jesus Culture has left a substantial impact, especially among charismatic Christian youth. Their annual conference fills arenas with young people hungering for revival and transformation.
Jesus Culture worship songs have also influenced praise and worship music across the global church. Their songs focusing on God’s love and power are sung each week in a diversity of congregations. “Break Every Chain”, “Clean Hands”, and “Great Are You Lord” are among popular titles.
In addition, the Jesus Culture model has inspired a network of churches seeking to reach people through vibrant worship and experience of the Holy Spirit. Their Kingdom focus has filtered into both young church plants and older congregations seeking renewal.
Critics argue much of their legacy is merely an emotional intoxication that lacks true gospel depth. But few can deny the influence their music and movement has had in shaping thousands of young believers.
The core evangelistic vision to spark a Jesus movement that transforms culture continues guiding their work. Each conference sees young people baptized and choose to follow Jesus. Their leadership development has also raised up ministers and missionaries now serving worldwide.
Only time will tell whether Jesus Culture produces lasting fruit or is a passing fad. Their bigger than life expression of worship and pursuit of the Spirit’s power has tapped into the hunger of a generation. The ripples flowing from their Redding beginnings continue to shape pockets of Christianity globally.
Conclusion
Jesus Culture has emerged as a recognizable brand name among charismatic Christian youth over the past two decades. Their desire is to ignite spiritual passion that fuels a movement carrying the reality of God’s Kingdom. Time will test the wisdom and longevity of their impact.
Most evangelical Christians can find points of agreement like their clear gospel focus and desire to make loyal disciples. There is more debate over their experiential worship and ministry style which taps into deep hunger but which some believe lacks appropriate caution.
Within charismatic Christianity they represent a more radical side of passion for Jesus and confidence in the Spirit’s miraculous work today. This draws many sensing a fresh wave of revival while worrying others of excess.
Regardless of one’s position, Jesus Culture continues influencing their generation. The ripples flowing from their brand of worship and Kingdom theology remain a notable force in charismatic Christianity and beyond.
