Jesus Culture is a Christian worship collective born in 1999 within the youth ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California, under the leadership of Banning Liebscher. Originally fronted by Kim Walker-Smith and Chris Quilala, it left its mark on the American charismatic revival movement with songs such as How He Loves and One Thing Remains.
Jesus Culture was born in 1999 in Redding, California, within the youth ministry of Bethel Church, under the leadership of pastor Banning Liebscher. The first conferences brought together teenagers around a desire for spiritual renewal, and a group of young musicians from the church, including Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala and Melissa How, began writing their own songs rather than only performing the existing repertoire. This core group would give rise to Jesus Culture Music, the label that carries the ministry.
Over the years, Jesus Culture developed into a movement in its own right, with its own conferences, including Awakening, and, since 2014, local churches in Sacramento, San Diego and Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. The album Living With a Fire (2018) was nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards in the best contemporary Christian music album category, confirming the group's place among the major voices of American worship, alongside Bethel Music, with whom it shares roots and a theology of revival.
- Origin
- Redding, California, USA
- Style
- Contemporary worship, revival movement
- Active since
- 1999
- Good to know
- Born out of Bethel Church's youth ministry, Jesus Culture has become an independent movement with its own churches in Sacramento, San Diego and Cambridge.
How did Jesus Culture get started?
It all began in 1999 when Banning Liebscher, then youth pastor at Bethel Church, launched the first Jesus Culture conference in Redding. The goal was to see a whole generation turn to God through worship and prayer. Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala and Melissa How, active in the youth ministry, became the voices carrying this emerging movement, at first within the framework of Bethel Church.
The success of the first live recordings pushed the group to build an actual label, Jesus Culture Music, then to establish itself as an independent organization. In 2013, the ministry left Redding to plant a church in Sacramento, where the first services started in September 2014 in a Folsom high school, before branches opened in San Diego and in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.
What makes Jesus Culture distinctive?
Jesus Culture belongs to what is known as the revival movement, also carried by Bethel Music: a style of worship that favors length, waiting on God's presence and spontaneous singing over formats built for radio. This style has spread well beyond California and has shaped a generation of worship leaders in evangelical churches around the world, including French speaking ones.
Where should you start with Jesus Culture?
Classic songs like How He Loves and One Thing Remains, popularized by Chris Quilala since the band's early days, remain the best entry point for understanding Jesus Culture's mark on contemporary worship. For a more recent look, collaborations like Behold (Glory To God) with Lindsey Arcaro or Presence of The Lord with Marie Welch show the continuity of the style, more than twenty years after the movement's beginnings.
songs
Behold (Glory To God)
Released in late 2025 with singer-songwriter Lindsey Arcaro and written with Emily Lindquist, this worship song shows the continuity of the Jesus Culture style.
I Was Dead, Now I'm Alive
A collaboration with the Awakening MVMT movement and singer Abby Klinge, on the theme of the inner transformation brought about by faith.
Presence of The Lord
Recorded live at a pastors' conference with Marie Welch, this song is part of the live album Worthy Of Hallelujah, released in 2025.
Discography
- 2018Living With a Fire· Nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards
- 2017Love Has a Name
- 2016Let It Echo
- 2015This Is Jesus Culture· Compilation
- 2014Unstoppable Love
- 2011Awakening: Live From Chicago
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jesus Culture?
Jesus Culture is a Christian worship collective born in 1999 within the youth ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Originally fronted by Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala and Melissa How, it has become an independent movement with its own conferences, a label and local churches in the United States and the United Kingdom.
What is Jesus Culture's best known song?
How He Loves and One Thing Remains remain the songs most closely identified with Jesus Culture, popularized by Chris Quilala since the band's early days. These are two of the songs that have done the most to spread the sound of the California revival to churches around the world.
Is Jesus Culture connected to Bethel Music?
Both movements share a common origin at Bethel Church in Redding and a closely related theology centered on revival and God's presence, but they have been two separate organizations since Jesus Culture became independent and moved to Sacramento in 2013.
Where can you listen to Jesus Culture?
Jesus Culture's albums are available on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music, as well as on their official YouTube channel, which gathers music videos, live versions and conference recordings.
Since when has Jesus Culture existed?
The movement has existed since 1999, the year of its first conference in Redding, California. It has since planted local churches in Sacramento, San Diego and Cambridge, while continuing its activity as a music label, Jesus Culture Music.
Has Jesus Culture received any awards?
The album Living With a Fire (2018) was nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards in the best contemporary Christian music album category, a recognition confirming the group's place in the landscape of American worship.