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Jon Reddick

6:45 p.m.

Worship pastor and songwriter, Jon Reddick, has a heart for the church and the songs that pour out from congregations into world. Throughout his writing career he’s intentionally composed lyrics that speak about redemption and hope in a way that impacts cross cultural narratives of a generation hungry for healing.

On August 13th, 2017, he found himself at a crossroads. It was Sunday morning and he was on deck to lead worship. But that Sunday was different. He’d spent the previous two days hearing about the shocking events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists surrounded a small group of black protesters on the University of Virginia campus. The protest, which quickly turned violent, garnered national attention and resulted in three deaths.

“There was so much discord surrounding that event,” Reddick shares. “It was really difficult being a minority in a moment like that. It was a really lonely feeling. All I could think about was my 12-year-old son and how someone could hate him before ever getting to know him. It was the first time I’d allowed myself feel the pain of racism in a deep way. In that moment, I wished I had the right song, something that could talk about hope.”

Finding hope through music had long been part of Reddick’s makeup. Growing up the son of a pastor and the church pianist in Memphis, TN, and brother to six siblings including Janice, who went on to become a Stellar Award and GMA Dove Award nominated recording artist for Motown Gospel, music was woven into Reddick’s DNA from the start. During college, he cut his songwriting teeth writing songs for and leading a contemporary gospel group. After his college years, Reddick got into church work, leading worship for a church in Memphis and eventually making his way to Texas.

Eventually, Reddick and his family made their way to Nashville, where God kept putting unlikely people in his path. He had the opportunity to work on songwriting with artists like Matt Redman, Tommy Sims, Josh Kerr, Nicole C. Mullen and Sheryl Crow. He accepted a position on staff at a church just outside Nashville in Franklin, TN, the same church where he was leading worship that Sunday in August.

Reeling from the hurt of racism and searching for a way to communicate it to the congregation, Reddick asked God to give him the words to express what he was feeling. A few days later, Reddick went to a songwriting session with some friends where the song “You Keep Hope Alive” was birthed.

“It felt like God had answered my prayer from that Sunday morning,” Reddick says. The song was incorporated into the church’s worship service where it instantly connected. What started as a personal prayer to deal with his own hurt became an anthem for the congregation.

After years of leading worship, writing songs for the church and even touring and playing keys with Nashville artists Nicole C. Mullen and Mandisa, Reddick is now ready to pour all of his experience and passion into his songs.

“I just want to be a conduit to help people reconcile themselves with God and each other,” Reddick says. “I want to bring people together. I consider it an honor and a privilege to get to lead people in the transparency of worship.”