WILL JOHNSON: PASTORING PEOPLE THROUGH CHOIR MUSIC, COMEDY, & COMMUNITY @ChoirRehearsalWithFriends #Homecoming #ATL

Right before leading a room full of choir-music-loving fans in a rendition of his hit song, “Manifest,” Pastor Jonathan Nelson invited everyone to appreciate @ChoirRehearalWithFriends Visionary, Will Johnson, with applause for the incredible work he has done with this innovative corporate worship movement. As the room continued to applaud, Pastor Nelson stated, “This is how he pastors people all over the world.” That statement accurately describes the impact of Will Johnson’s ministry in various social media spaces, the gospel music industry, the Black church, and Black choir music culture.

Last night, here in Atlanta, GA, Will Johnson hosted @ChoirRehearsalWithFriends: #Homecoming to culminate the end of a phenomenal year his touring music ministry.  Johnson stated that in 2024, he and his team hosted 30 events around the United States. The #Homecoming show was created not only to celebrate a fantastic year of ministry on the road, but to parallel the homecoming revered by black culture during football season, especially for those who graduated from one of the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Choir music lovers from far and near descended upon the Westin Buckhead in large numbers forming a line that snaked and coiled for what seemed to be 5 miles long leading to the entrance of the room where the event was hosted.  Imagine being present with hundreds of church babies who are passionate about Black gospel choir music. Totally unrehearsed but sharing a common canon of choir music in our hearts, we spent the evening “rehearsing” songs we learned from being active in our church choirs, community choirs, high school, and college gospel choirs. Many of these songs were the soundtrack of the formative years of us trying to figure out who God is; who we are in light of that; and what our place is in the church. Being able to reconnect with these songs in community becomes deeply spiritual as well as musical.  Having lived and come through some of life’s ups and downs, you hear in the sound a renewed sense of appreciation and understanding for what may have been unclear back then. It’s the kind of thing where folks instantly recognize the song simply by the introduction played by the musicians, who skillfully and creatively blazed the entire set list! I love that we sang sacred and secular songs that were meaningful to the community. This was a testament to the reality that all music is sacred music.  The same God made present in the gospel set was just as evident in the singing of the secular. We need more intentional and excellent examples of this kind of convergence.

Choir Rehearsal with Friends is an extension of Will Johnson’s hilarious, virtual choir videos where he sings and impersonates choir personalities we all have encountered in church.  Will’s funny, short videos allowed us to sing and laugh through the pandemic.  His ability to show us ourselves, through comedy, while recapturing the sound and caricatures of the Black Church are what made him a huge success.  Many of us could attach a real name to almost every personality he portrays in his ridiculously popular choir videos. 

This was my second @ChoirReharsalWithFriends and it did not disappoint. There is an undeniable magic that happens when Black folks come together around (church) music. We carry an indescribable bond that is uniquely ours that becomes manifest in community.  We feed off each other. We read each other’s minds (spirits) without prompting. We find a place for our voice and our neighbor’s voice to fit into the kaleidoscope of sound that emerges from us being together.  Will has masterfully designed a traveling sanctuary for choir music lovers.  @ChoirRehearsaWithFriends is a musical brush harbor for those of us who have grown weary of today’s choices for music offered in black faith spaces. @ChoirRehearsalWithFriends is a bold, life-giving movement that affirms that the choir is not dead. Through this movement, Will is teaching worship leaders and choir directors the importance of reclaiming the voice of the congregation as well as the choir.  

When @ChoirRehearsalWithFriends comes to your city (or close to it), gather your choir-head buddies; get your tickets; show up with your best singing voice and tambourines ready to be reconnected to the rich choir music of the past and present. 

Be sure to follow Will Johnson at @choirrehearsalwithfriends and @iamwill.johnson.