The Nature of Worship will operate on a "from the church, to the church" model for developing and producing new worship products and events. A core network of 12 churches will be tapped to shape the effort.

"We've been considering this for some time, and have seen an increasing need for such a network based on what worship leaders have been telling us,” said Koblish. “The Worship Network believes the church should be the caretaker of music and the arts, and we believe many of the best resources for worship can come from within the church itself, especially when the right model is put in place and resourced within a collaborative culture. So we've invited worship leaders--from different parts of the country and denominational backgrounds--to begin our Nature of Worship initiative and are so excited about what the future holds and what God might do with this group. We are a catalyst for this to happen, but it is the creative energy and commitment from each of these worship leaders that will make this into a vital network that can serve the church.”

The Nature of Worship was introduced last month at a live hymns concert at Hope Presbyterian Church in Memphis. Featuring Hope’s worship leader Bruce Carroll, the concert was recorded for a DVD and CD package that will be released in early 2008. It is already scheduled for airing nationally on The Worship Network and Family Net.

Joining Carroll at the Hymns of Hope concert was Scott Dyer, pastor of worship and arts at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship near Dallas, Texas; Greg Allen, worship leader at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kent.; and Tim Foote, worship minister of LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colo. (and formerly of Northside Community Church in Sydney, Australia).

"It was an exciting night for us, and the entire evening reflected the strength of four creative worship leaders coming together around one project and one purpose. Our hope that people would experience authentic and meaningful worship and sense God's presence was fulfilled beyond our greatest possible expectations,” said Carroll.

The four worship leaders presented an intimate evening of beloved hymns and gospel songs including Revive Us Again, ‘Tis So Sweet, For the Beauty of the Earth, It is Well with My Soul, At the Cross (Alas and Did My Savior Bleed), Amazing Grace, O Sacred Head Now Wounded, Nothing But the Blood, The Old Rugged Cross and How Great Thou Art.

The fresh arrangements of old favorites were complimented by a string quartet, top musicians from Memphis and Nashville, and the Worship Network’s signature videos. Recorded live and shot in High Definition, the new Nature of Worship product will include not only the full-length concert but a special “making-of” DVD feature. The Worship Network’s website at www.worship.net will offer video clips and song lyrics from the Hymns of Hope concert and will be updated with information about the release date and availability of the CD & DVD project.

Already in planning stages for 2008 is a “4X4 Worship project” which will feature new worship songs written by these gifted worship leaders and then performed live at each church, demonstrating how events and resources can be shared effectively in this new model. Not forcing all churches to worship the same way is a ground rule for Nature of Worship; instead, Worship encourages the uniqueness and individuality of each church and worship leader and hopes churches will benefit from the greater diversity of resources that result.

Other features of the Nature of Worship initiative include The Worship Network’s Nature of Worship website that makes it easy for churches of all sizes to incorporate images of God’s creation into their services. The website is filled with thousands of images and video clips specifically designed to enhance corporate worship.

About The Worship Network:
The Worship Network exists to help people worship God through its programming on broadcast television and Internet platforms. The Worship Network operates a 24-hour digital television network in more than 50 markets and via Sky Angel Network and broadcasts its programming to another 169 affiliates, bringing its household reach to more than 70million homes in the U.S. Additionally, The Worship Network makes a global impact through international affiliates in more than 50 countries around the world and with its live streaming and on-demand programming available on the web (www.worship.net ). As a complement to the broadcast and Internet platforms, The Worship Network also develops worship resources (www.natureofworship.com), product relationships and live events that facilitate personal and corporate worship. The Worship Network has been honored with 29 Telly Awards for excellence in production and programming and has offices in Franklin, Tenn., and Clearwater, Fla.