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Dan Dean pastors The
Heartland Church in Irving, Texas, while Randy
Phillips is the pastor at Austin, Texas-based
Promiseland Church. Shawn Craig is the music pastor
at South
County Christian Center in St. Louis, Mo., a position
he's held for 18 years.
Shawn Craig is finishing up his Masters of Divinity
Degree at Oral
Roberts University in Tulsa, OK.
Randy Phillips hosts a weekly local TV show titled
“Awakening” which airs on five stations
in the Austin, Texas area, as well as nationwide.
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NEW MUSIC
Phillips, Craig & Dean: 'Let
the Worshippers Arise'
Compiled by Jennifer E. Jones
CBN.com Associate Producer
CBN.com –
Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig, and Dan Dean have worked hard
for more than 13 years, turning up regularly to prove themselves
faithful through a musical ministry that won them scores of faithful
fans - - not to mention 18 No. 1 singles, several Dove Award nominations,
and sales near the two million mark.
Known for their hit songs “Mercy Came Running” and
“Crucified With Christ”, this trio brings an experience
and maturity to today’s modern worship movement, enhanced
by their “day jobs” as pastors.
The past two releases from the group were worship focused, and
this album marks the third installment of the trilogy, making
this their 10th project. Let
the Worshippers Arise finds Phillips, Craig & Dean
continuing to deliver vertical worship that, above all else, seeks
to connect Christians with their Creator.
While Phillips, Craig & Dean proved themselves consistent
through the years, there is also much that’s new in the
life of this timeless group. Most exciting is their move to INO
Records, where they again find themselves teamed with label Founder
and President Jeff Moseley. “We began with Jeff 14 years
ago at StarSong Records,” Phillips explains. “He was
instrumental in signing us when we were unknown. Jeff is the one
who saw a future, and we”ve never forgotten it.”
There’s also a freshness these days to their sound, something
they credit in part to producer Nathan Nockels, producer and one
half of Christian pop duo Watermark. “We come from a real
traditional ‘get your part and belt it out’ kind of
mindset,” Craig explains. “Nathan was able to get
us to think outside the box.” As a result, the new sound
is decidedly more upbeat, while at the same time inviting those
who hear it to enter into worship along with them.
On Let the Worshippers Arise, that updated sound is
applied to a mixture of original and familiar songs like “Awake
My Soul,” which Phillips wrote after being inspired by a
revival at his church, and the Matt Redman classic “Making
Melody.” Another inclusion is a medley that mirrors the
1994 Dove Song of the Year, “In Christ Alone,” which
was originally penned by member Shawn Craig. In addition, the
trio tackles “The Power of the Cross,” which Craig
wrote with Chris Tomlin. Their first single, "You Are God
Alone," has become a fixture in the top ten since its release.
“These songs are selected because people can join in with
their whole hearts and sing,” Phillips says. Adds Dean,
“With this type of project, we go in asking, ‘How
can we draw the audience closer to the presence of God?’
We don’t want it to be about ‘these are great songs,’
but ‘this is a great God.’”
While the challenge of balancing local ministry with a music
career can make life hectic at times, Phillips, Craig & Dean
still have plenty left to say and a calling they still hear loud
and clear. “Everybody has a calling they must be faithful
to. Ours is to call the church into a closer intimacy with Jesus,
and we do that through our music,” Phillips says. “The
topics of how we should love Jesus and what He means to us are
inexhaustible, and singing of His attributes is an honor that
will never be exhausted.”
Purchase Let
the Worshippers Arise.
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