I’d Rather Have No Band Than a Corrupted One

Pastor Philip Mitchell once fired his entire worship team. They were leading on Sundays and living a different life during the week, and he chose a year of one singer and a backing track over a compromised stage. In this episode of Worship Is My Weapon, Rita Springer sits down with the lead pastor of 2819 Church in Atlanta and author of Contend. Philip shares how a former street kid from Queens met Jesus on a bathroom floor, and what he believes is the greatest threat to the American church. He also explains why his worship leaders face each other instead of the crowd, and why some Sundays he never gets to preach. It’s a sobering and hopeful conversation about holiness, the fear of the Lord, and a worship culture that eats the fruit and stays away from the glory. Get Content here: https://www.amazon.co.za/Contend-Standing-Boldly-Biblical-Winning/dp/140036132X 00:00 Intro 00:51 Welcome & Introducing Pastor Phillip Mitchell 02:15 Contend: A Call to Surrender 03:35 Phillip’s Testimony: From Despair to Faith 06:48 Called vs. Chosen 09:14 What Has the Church Lost? 12:38 Sponsor: Amazing Kids 13:35 Intimacy with Jesus & a Compromised Gospel 18:10 Spiritual Warfare in Worship & the Arts 21:57 When Worship Becomes a Performance 25:54 Samson, Solomon & the Slow Drift of Compromise 31:11 Pastoring Worship Leaders & Building Accountability 35:42 Worship Is More Than Singing 39:46 Choosing Songs & Following the Holy Spirit 43:02 Writing Songs That Serve the Church 46:16 Worship Songs, Branding & Chasing Success 49:39 Full Surrender & the Cost of Discipleship 52:26 Pursuing Holiness Instead of Recognition 56:15 Why Phillip Removed an Entire Worship Team 57:39 Protecting Purity as the Church Grows 58:42 Falling Away from God & Learning Holy Reverence 01:01:36 Enjoying the Fruit Without Taking the Glory 01:04:08 Closing Reflections & Thanks If you're enjoying the show, please rate and review! Follow Rita on ALL Social Media: https://linktr.ee/ritaspringer If you would like to support the Worship Is My Weapon podcast you can donate to Wearing Justice at https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=0f0e22b... 🙏🏻🕊️🤍 💌 Stay connected with Rita by signing up for her exclusive mailing list: https://2f1ja.share.hsforms.com/2ioKtH_9GRNiXq3hp6ykFmw