For more than twenty years, Bethel Music has led the way in contemporary worship, delivering songs that connect profoundly with the worldwide Church, including hits like “Goodness of God” and the Grammy-nominated “Holy Forever.”
Their newest album, We Must Respond, dropped this month, carrying forward this tradition with a powerful message: gratitude and worship are vital, not optional, responses to God’s goodness.
Recorded live at the Cascade Theatre in Redding, California, the 18-track album is a call to action for believers, inspired by Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
In an interview with The Christian Post, Bethel Music co-founder Jenn Johnson said the album’s vision was born out of a question posed by her father-in-law, Bethel Church Pastor Bill Johnson: “How can we not respond?”
“God has been so good,” she said. “From creating the world for us to coming to earth as a baby in humility, walking through life with us, and offering His forgiveness, grace, and strength. How could we not respond in gratitude and praise daily to Him?”
The album is designed to take listeners on a journey of surrender and worship, with each song inviting them into what Johnson calls “a holy exchange.” The experience, she emphasized, is meant to be immersive.
“We really encourage listeners to start from the beginning and take an hour to listen all the way through to really absorb the full message of the album, of what we felt the Lord is saying,” she said.
The album features guest vocalists Brooke Ligertwood, Abbie Gamboa and Aodhán King, whose contributions Johnson said reflect the collective spirit of Bethel Music.
Songs like “Even Though I Walk,” led by Hannah McClure, which emerged from a spontaneous worship moment, serve as a “declaration of victory over fear and death,” Johnson said, a recurring theme throughout the project.
“I think that in any great worship set and in Psalms, it’s a really beautiful gift to be able to identify where people are at in their pain because we all experience just really tough stuff,” Johnson said.
The worship leader said the music aims to help listeners go beyond their current struggles and emotions, helping them focus on magnifying God, recognizing His character and trusting His work, even in challenging times.
“Lyrically, to be able to reach into people’s hearts and give them words that maybe they didn’t even have to say out loud, to connect with God in the middle of their joy and pain, where humanity connects with the divine, I think that’s one of our big goals,” she said.
One standout track, “Church,” brings together worship leaders from Bethel Music, Passion City Church and Upper Room to celebrate the global body of Christ. Johnson told CP the song is intended to serve as both a call to unity and a prophetic message for the Church in 2025.
“It’s a call to the Church globally, to kind of get over themselves, with the division and the criticism, and really to unify, to see the beauty of each other as the global body of Christ, and come together and love and learn from each other instead of thinking that one of us has a corner on the market of this thing,” she said. “We don’t. We all need each other. I think it’s a really important message in 2025, a prophetic message, if you will, to the global Church.”
Johnson, a mother of five, said she’s passionate about creating worship music that resonates across generations. She revealed plans to release more music specifically for children, building on Bethel Music’s previous Bethel Music Kids projects.
“I grew up in Sunday school, and I still carry the songs I learned as a little girl,” she said. “We want there to be something for everybody — kids, young people, and the elderly — to attach their faith to in this project.”
Founded in 2001 by Brian and Jenn Johnson, Bethel Music began as a local worship movement and has since grown into one of the world’s most influential worship collectives. With over 18 albums to date, their music continues to dominate the CCLI charts and inspire millions. Songs like “This Is Amazing Grace” and “Reckless Love” have become anthems for believers worldwide.
This year, Bethel Music celebrated a Grammy nomination for their song “Holy Forever,” featuring lead vocals by Johnson and gospel legend CeCe Winans. The song has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of “Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.”
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