An outdoor listening room where music, storytelling, and hospitality brought people together.
The Churchyard began with a simple idea: music has a remarkable ability to bring people together. In 2013, I turned an ordinary church courtyard into an outdoor listening room built around great music, genuine hospitality, and community.
I founded and led the venue from the ground up—designing the space and building the stage, booking artists, managing the budget, creating promotional materials, recruiting volunteers, coordinating hospitality, and overseeing production. I also frequently performed there. Over seven years, The Churchyard welcomed an eclectic mix of nationally known and regional artists, including Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines, Wood & Wire, Wendell Kimbrough, Ordinary Elephant, Beautiful Eulogy, Propaganda, Derek Minor, Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay, and many others.
More than a concert venue, The Churchyard became a kind of threshold between the church and the wider community. Someone who might have felt uneasy walking into a sanctuary could come hear an artist they loved, share food, sit under the lights, and simply be welcomed. There was no pressure to turn the evening into something it wasn't. Music opened the door; hospitality created the space; relationships grew naturally.
That same spirit eventually led to songwriter gatherings, workshops, collaborative worship nights, and city-wide Psalm sings. The pandemic brought The Churchyard's seven-year run to an end in 2020, but the experience continues to shape how I think about ministry: music can do much more than fill a Sunday service. It can become a means of hospitality—drawing people out of isolation and into friendship, conversation, and genuine community.
Looking back, The Churchyard became far more than a concert series. It became a living expression of my belief that hospitality is one of the Church's most powerful ministries.
Although every event took place on the grounds of City Church, our goal was never to pressure people into a decision or treat the evening as a disguised evangelistic event. Instead, we wanted to create a place where people of every background could experience genuine hospitality, outstanding artistry, and meaningful conversation. Music was the invitation, but relationships were always the destination. Over time, many guests who first came for a concert eventually felt comfortable enough to visit a Sunday service because they had already experienced the warmth and authenticity of our church community.
The ministry also became deeply personal because of my own years as a professional singer-songwriter. I knew what it felt like to perform original music in noisy restaurants and bars where few people were truly listening. I wanted every artist who came to The Churchyard to experience something different, to perform in a room where people listened attentively, where every detail of their visit was thoughtfully prepared, and where they left feeling genuinely loved, honored, and appreciated. In many ways, The Churchyard became a ministry to artists as much as it was a ministry to our city.
Perhaps my greatest takeaway is that the Church is at its best when it creates spaces that reflect the character of Christ. When we pursue hospitality with excellence, honor people without an agenda, and celebrate truth, goodness, and beauty, we create environments where trust can grow, conversations can flourish, and lives can be quietly transformed. That remains one of the deepest convictions that continues to shape my ministry today.