Samford University’s Center for Worship and the Arts has received a $250,000 grant from Belmont University’s Creative Arts Collective to support The Sound of the Saints: Re-Enchanting Faith Through Songwriting, a new initiative inviting congregations into songwriting as a form of worship, discipleship and communal witness.
The project addresses a challenge many local churches face as worship music becomes increasingly professionalized: congregations can drift toward being listeners rather than active participants. The Sound of the Saints aims to help churches reclaim congregational song as a shared practice rooted in Scripture, local stories and shared prayer.
“Congregational song is one of the most powerful ways a community learns the faith together—what we sing shapes what we believe and how we love our neighbors,” said Emily Snider Andrews, executive director of Samford’s Center for Worship and the Arts. “This initiative helps churches recover the joy of creating songs, not to chase a professional sound, but to cultivate a voice that sounds like their people, their prayers, and their place.”
“Our goal is both practical and generative,” said Nelson Cowan, director of the Center for Worship and the Arts. “We want to model sustainable processes that church leaders can carry back to their congregations. Through studio-style workshops led by industry professionals, participants will craft songs emerging from the life of local churches. We’ll then share those resources more broadly so other churches can replicate the process. Ultimately, this is about empowering participation.”
The initiative will combine hands-on training experiences with resource development designed to extend beyond a single cohort of churches.
Workshops, summits, and resources designed for local churches
A cohort of local church leaders will participate in a structured workshop process that guides communities from story-sharing and theological reflection to lyric writing and melodic development. The workshops are designed to be repeatable and adaptable so churches can continue the process long after the project concludes.
The project will also include public gatherings, including Samford’s summer Animate Camp and a closing song festival, to broaden access and share learning.
To extend the project’s impact, leaders will develop resources for church leaders, including a video-based curriculum, a digital songbook and an online resource hub to support replication across diverse congregational contexts.
In a time when many feel reduced to spectators, The Sound of the Saints envisions congregations reclaiming their own voice by crafting songs that form disciples, strengthen witness and remind communities that worship belongs to the whole people of God.
About Belmont University’s Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life & Faith
Launched in the spring of 2024 with the support of Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Creative Arts Collective is a nationwide initiative that provides grants, education, and networking opportunities that explore and nurture the integral relationship between Christianity & the Arts. The CAC is housed on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, establishing a hub focused on a nationwide level of reach and impact.
About the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University
The Center for Worship and the Arts equips leaders of all ages for faithful and artistic worship through research, resources, and transformative gatherings—for the glory of God and the good of the Church.
