“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Matthew 5:13
How We Serve
The Church Van operates on a simple but integrated approach: we curate excellent sacred concerts around themes the Church needs to engage—lament, justice, advent, God's heart for the vulnerable. These concerts minister to congregations through beauty, ensure artists are paid what they're worth, and whenever possible, raise funds for justice organizations doing kingdom work.
Why this work matters…
Our most important command as Christians is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds and strength, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.
But we have a problem.
Between a polarizing political atmosphere, anxiety over our future, and personal tragedies and trials, many of us have been overcome with fear. We've been tempted to resort to anger, hatred, and sometimes violence. Corruption and scandal have plagued our churches, making them ineffective at bringing the beauty of Christ to our broken world. We are losing credibility in society, and there has been a mass exodus of church attendees among millennials and Gen Z.
Yet the world is hungry for the transcendent. It needs a church body that is healthy and can effectively bring the hope of Christ to those who are hurting.
How can we heal our churches? How can we break through the anger and fear that has hijacked the witness of the Church? How can we bring people back to a quiet trust in God's ultimate sovereignty when the world feels like it is falling apart?
Science has shown that reason does not work against these powerful emotions, but one thing does: awe.
A Call to Recover the Arts in Our Churches
Aesthetics have long been abandoned in many church spaces, most apparently in evangelical churches, and we are impoverished because of this. Hans Urs von Balthasar, author of The Glory of the Lord, stated:
"Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and goodness, and she will not allow herself to be separated and banned from her two sisters without taking them along with herself in an act of mysterious vengeance."
The consequences of abandoning aesthetics and failing to recognize beauty's ability to contribute to spiritual formation are evident today. The arts have a beautiful and disarming way of telling the whole redemptive story of the cross. They can engage with our hearts and temper our mood. They can speak to the ineffable in a way that both confronts us and activates empathy. They can inspire imagination and deepen our faith, moving us to a place of awe.
It's time to recover the arts.
Our Process
-
![]()
Our Approach
Every concert we create follows an integrated approach that serves churches, artists, and communities simultaneously.
-
![]()
We identify a sacred theme.
We choose themes that churches need to engage more deeply: lament, justice, advent, creation care, God's heart for the vulnerable. Often these are themes that contemporary worship avoids or oversimplifies.
-
![]()
We curate excellent musicians and repertoire.
We select artists who understand their craft as sacred calling, not entertainment. The music must meet the highest artistic standards while serving the theological depth of the theme. Excellence matters because we're reflecting the character of God.
-
![]()
We partner with justice organizations when fitting.
When the concert theme aligns with tangible justice work, we structure it as a benefit concert. Proceeds go directly to organizations serving vulnerable communities—refugees, immigrants, the marginalized, those Scripture calls us to care for.
-
![]()
We work with host churches ready for formation.
We partner with churches hungry for something deeper than what contemporary worship offers. Churches that are ready to let beauty minister to their congregation, not just entertain. Churches willing to engage lament, complexity, and the full redemptive story.
-
![]()
The concert becomes a space for prayer, healing and action.
Congregations encounter God through beauty. They engage with difficult parts of the faith story they've been avoiding. Artists are compensated fairly for sacred work. And when it's a benefit concert, the community directly supports those in need.
