Worship Leader Urges Churches to Look Beyond Bans on Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation Songs

Churches across denominational lines are increasingly declining to sing songs written by Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation, according to a worship leader who has served as a contract leader for multiple congregations in Texas for the past 10 years and has led worship for 15. In his account, many of these churches state that they “care about good theology” and view the three ministries as not meeting that standard.

The critiques of the three ministries are specific but contested. Bethel’s Bill Johnson has been criticized for teaching a kenotic view of Christ that, according to critics, compromises Jesus’ deity. Brian Houston of Hillsong has been accused of embracing prosperity-gospel theology and minimizing doctrines such as hell and divine wrath. Steven Furtick of Elevation has faced accusations of modalism, based on statements critics interpret as blurring the distinction between the Father and the Son.

In place of these songs, the author says, many churches turn to the music of CityAlight, the Gettys, and older hymns. Church staff members told him this repertoire is more doctrinally robust, focused on the character of God and the finished work of Christ, in contrast to what they see as experiential, self-centered music from the three ministries. The author, who agrees that congregations should care about the theology taught through music, notes that Tony Merida has described worship music as “portable theology.” He also observes that singing a song sends royalties to the group that produced it.

The author argues that some decisions to avoid these songs reflect concern about being seen to endorse a ministry rather than careful evaluation of particular songs. He recounts that churches often told him that the lyrics of Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation songs were acceptable, but that they did not want to endorse the ministries behind them. He notes that some songs from these groups, including Hillsong’s “King of Kings” and Bethel’s “Goodness of God,” are theologically substantial by his assessment.

The author describes his time as a worship resident at Austin Stone Community Church from 2015 to 2017. The church wrote its own songs, which many congregations that avoided the three ministries considered approved. He writes that he also observed concerns at the church, including that worship interns were responsible for raising their own financial support and were asked to do manual labor unrelated to their development, including work on a worship pastor’s home that was described as church recording studio work. He says that questioning authority was discouraged.

He also describes the hiring of Aaron Ivey, who was brought in after Chris Tomlin left to lead worship elsewhere. Ivey, who had not come from a local church context, was a member of the band Spur58. In 2024, Ivey was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct involving multiple men in the congregation, including a minor he had mentored in the worship ministry. These are allegations described in the essay, and the article does not report any further findings. Protecting vulnerable people, especially minors, is central to any response to such allegations (Proverbs 31:8-9).

After Ivey’s firing, the author writes, Austin Stone Worship songs disappeared from the approved song lists of other churches he served. He notes that the songs themselves had not changed, but the reputation of the ministry had.

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