Hillsong Church Doesn't Sing "Shout to the Lord" and "Oceans" Anymore

"Shout to the Lord" and "Oceans" are songs that come to mind when Hillsong Church is mentioned.  Many have even traveled for thousands of miles to visit Sydney, Australia to visit the mega church's worship services, hoping to hear these songs. However, fans shouldn't expect to hear the Australian church's signature tunes from yesteryears anymore. 

Brian Houston, the founding and senior pastor says, "Over the years we've dared to do things differently. We've dared to take some risks. There are certain things like the Word of God that's unchangeable." He said. "You may be shocked to hear we don't sing 'Shout to the Lord' anymore at Hillsong Church. It's not 1993. If you come all the way to Australia and you hope to hear 'Shout to the Lord,' your chances are slight. We don't even sing 'Oceans' much anymore." 

Houston made this revelation during his speech at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia last Friday, according to The Christian Post. Houston explained that it's not because they are sick of hearing these songs over and over again, but because they need to look into the future and get creative for God.

"When it comes to influence, predictability is our enemy. Because you never get influence from doing things the way they've always been done," he said. "You get influence from creating new ways. Stepping out, taking risks. Hoping people will see that there's another way of doing this."

Meanwhile, Hillsong's new album "let there be light" debuted at #2 on the Australian ARIA chart this week. The album also turned in a top-40 performance in the UK, landing at #36 in this week's charts. 

 

Tags : hillsong worship hillsong church Brian Houston Hillsong United Darlene Zschech shout to the lord oceans hillsong worship let there be light album review