Stuart Townend, Andy Bromley, Paul Oakley, Mark Tedder - Mission:Worship

Reviewed by Chris Tozer

This DVD album comes in two distinct parts. On Disc One we are presented with a quartet of British worship songwriters each in turn performing four of their more recent songs in front of a large audience in Colorado Springs in the United States. Although this is very much a showcase of new material a number of the songs will be familiar in many churches - notably two classic hymns from Stuart Townend - "In Christ Alone" and "How Deep The Father's Love For Us". Paul Oakley's "A Love So Amazing" and "There Is A Place" are also already well established in many congregations. As the subtitle 'Songs that feed the church, a message that feeds the world' infers, many of the other songs are also likely to find acceptance in English speaking churches across the world. The musicianship and sound quality are excellent throughout but because the four songwriters share a common band on the same stage they run the risk of making many of their songs sound pretty much the same. As if to compensate some of the songs have odd arrangements that are out of keeping with the actual melodies. Although recorded within a worship setting the focus is almost completely on the songs. Indeed, the disc is identical to the CD release of the same name. On Disk Two we find Townend speaking about the crafting of a modern worship song as well as the development of the heart and mind of a worshipper. He is followed by Gerrit Gustafson, composer of "Only By Grace", speaking about prophetic worship and three Biblical Essentials of worship. As if to end with our feet firmly on the ground Simon Ward, a freelance sound engineer, advises on the use of Shure products at your church. In essence it's a true Heaven and earth show.