MATT REDMAN talks to Clem Jackson about the returning to the UK, his latest projects and a fresh wave of songs

Matt Redman

Matt Redman is one of those rare people, a UK Christian artist with a strong following on both sides of the Atlantic. A couple of years ago Matt and his family moved from Sussex to Atlanta to help establish Passion City Church. Now they have returned to the UK and Matt also has a new album '10,000 Reasons' and a book Mirror Ball released this month. I caught up with Matt recently to find out more and I began by asking him about the moves back and forth across the Atlantic.

Matt: We've worked for about a decade with a college movement in the USA called Passion, alongside our friends Louie and Shelley Giglio and Chris Tomlin. A couple of years back we were feeling ready for a new church-planting challenge, and when they told us they were starting Passion City Church in Atlanta we were so excited about it that we decided to go and be a part of it! It was a great adventure, and I think we sensed we perhaps wouldn't be there forever. After a couple of years it was time to return to the UK, and we're now part of HTB's St Peter's church plant in the city of Brighton. We're still working with the Passion guys in Atlanta, but just from across the ocean now!

Clem: A new album and a new book out recently means you must have been very busy lately. With all your commitments and your family, how do you fit everything in?

Matt: It's been a very busy year, yes. Moving country can be quite a mission - especially if you have five kids! As well as that we've had a mixture of some travel, the recording, finishing a book and starting to get involved in the life of St Peter's. I'm not going to pretend it's all been easy, but it's certainly a really fulfilling and exciting adventure, and we're really glad to be on it.

Clem: What do you say no to and how do you decide?

Matt: I say 'no' to most extra things. With all that we're already committed to (family, St Peter's, Passion, a few other partnerships) there's not too much space in the diary to go and be a part of much else. A lot of the extra stuff we say 'yes' to flows from relationship. So, for example, Beth and I have just committed to being mentors on the next Genetik course at The Message ministry in Manchester. We love their vision, but a big part of taking on a new role like this is that we have a strong friendship with Andy Hawthorne and his wife Michelle; they've sowed so much into our lives over the years. Similarly, I've been doing some events with Luis Palau in the USA as I became a Christian through his ministry when I was 10 years old.

Clem: Your new album is called 10,000 Reasons. Why that title?

Matt: The title comes from a lyric in one of the songs. It says: "For all your goodness I will keep on singing. 10,000 reasons for my heart to find." It's a song which was inspired by Psalm 103 and all the many, many reasons there are that we worship God. I really liked the sound of those words "10,000 reasons" for the title, but also loved the fact it had some meaning. The point is, every single place we look we find a reason for God's praise. Whether it's looking up at creation, looking down into our Bibles, looking back to his track record in our lives, or looking around us to all the blessing and provisions he's given, we'll always find a reason for worshipping Jesus.

Clem: There's a whole bunch of new songs on the album but which are you most pleased about, as a composition and/or a finished track?

Matt: I think the song "Holy" is the one which has seemed to connect the most so far. I love the arrangement and what the song is saying, and leading it we've had some really special and profound moments. At the recording itself in Atlanta, it was definitely the highlight for me. It's hard to pick an absolute favourite song from the album, but I'm really fond of the title track too. I haven't written or recorded something like this for a while. I co-wrote this with my Swedish friend Jonas Myrin and it was the last song we completed for the album. It's so stripped back and uncomplicated in the writing and arrangement, and I hope people will find it helpful and refreshing because of that.

Clem: There often seem to be seasons in the themes of worship songs, whoever the writers are, but as a songwriter what do you think that God is saying to the Church through new songs at the moment?

Matt: There definitely seems to be a fresh wave of songs coming through that focus on dependence on the Holy Spirit. "Spirit Fall" from the latest Passion record and "Spirit Break Out" from the forthcoming Worship Central album are good examples of that. Another theme I've been thinking about a lot is rising up confidently in who we are called to be as the Church - so songs like "Fires" and "We Could Change The World" from my new album I hope reflect that. If we look at a passage like Psalm 18 we see such fiery optimism burning in the heart of the worshipper: "You O Lord keep my lamp burning" and "He enables me to go on to the heights". I think we need to be bright-thinking, bold and confident as the Church.

Clem: One of the tensions in church/worship etc is that of keeping the Church together across the age ranges. Your songs seem to have a wider appeal than many. What's the key?

Matt: No idea! But I love it when I see two or three generations from a family throwing themselves wholeheartedly into worship through the same songs. That is a beautiful thing.

Clem: How easy is it to make the transition between the stadium crowds that you led with Passion and the smaller congregation in your local church?

Matt: Honestly, I don't think too much about it. The key is just being 100% present wherever you are leading - showing up with a heart to sing out passionately to God, and a heart to care about the people you're leading. That might be 20 people, or it might be 20 thousand.

Clem: What's exciting you in your ministry and faith journey at the moment?

Matt: I'm working on a book with Louie Giglio all about "encountering the glory of God in the beauty of the universe". There's so much talk of stars and the cosmos in the Bible - as being signposts to God's power and glory. That also leads us to grace - for how could it be that One so high and holy would include us in his thoughts and lavish his love upon us. We're excited by this theme, and can't wait to finally finish this book.

This article originally appeared in the August 2011 issue of Christian Marketplace and is used with permission.