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Welcome to the Lead Worship well podcast. My name is Stuart and I'm honored to be your host for this episode. Today we get to hear from Chelsea Blank of SCU worship in Lakeland, Florida. We talk about the heart of SCU worship, discipling and stewarding the gifts of students, their newest album of forgiving God, and the power of the story of the prodigal son. I hope today's conversation encourages you. Chelsea, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today.
B
Yeah, absolutely. So excited to be here.
A
Can you. So you're part of SEU worship?
B
Yes.
A
For those who may not be familiar, can you speak a little bit to the heart of scu, what you all are doing and kind of the context of your ministry?
B
Totally, yeah. So SEU worship is part of SEU Southeastern University. It's in Lakeland, Florida. So we're a group of staff, students and alumni. Make music together, release it. Primary focus is our chapels on campus student ministry. We are student focused and Jesus centered. So anything that we are doing, it's really cool. We get to kind of hear the next generation constantly because we're always having students coming in and out and joining our team and being a part of what that season looks like. But yeah, it's a whole hodgepodge of people, but mainly students, staff, and alumni writing and making music for our campus that then can translate sometimes to everyone else, which is awesome.
A
I love it. I was a part of a touring worship team in college as well, so I was a worship major, so similar stuff. We didn't release any albums though. We just played for local student camps.
B
We did that too. We did that too. Yeah.
A
It was a good time. I loved it. So what's your role? What do you do with seu?
B
Yeah, so I am the worship director. I'm one of people on staff, so I'm in charge of kind of our students and also our albums and recording and songwriting. It is a blast. We have four others people on staff, so it's a five person team. And then we have 100 students, which is awesome. But yeah, I'm the worship director.
A
Can you talk a little bit about how that collaboration plays out, like, practically in your ministry? Because, I mean, obviously you have a constant rotation of people who are on your team as people graduate and show up to the university for the first time. So I'd love to hear a little bit about how you as a team, work on training your musicians and discipling the students and how that kind of plays out practically with them.
B
Totally. Yeah. So something really practical is that we have four to five chapels a week. So we have our chapel teams. Every single student is a part that auditions and makes it onto Scworship is a part of our weekly chapel teams. So there's Monday night, there's Tuesday morning, there's Thursday morning, and there's Friday mornings every once in a while. And so that just practically they are getting a lot of experience with that. We always debrief the services, we always talk through sets, we're always talking through, hey, what does it look like to be a worship leader that not only follows the spirit, but also leads like a shepherd and leads a room and how important both are. Just practical teaching like that happens week in and week out. And then as far as songwriting albums, releasing, things like that, we offer weekly opportunities for students to be songwriting in our on campus studio. We always start off songwriting with scripture, making sure that the word is the light and the lamp and that it is the truth of what we're saying. Always, Always. Always. Yeah, just practically. We have like weekly just opportunities to learn more about how to be a worship leader with clean hands and a pure heart, one that seeks after the Lord. And obviously we don't do that perfectly all the time, but we're, we're always talking about it, we're always evolving, always growing. And then we also have like what you talked about with touring. We do outdates with some of our students and staff play for different events, churches, students, youth, young adults, whatever it is. We also tour. So there's a lot of just practical gearing up and building that spiritual muscle of worship leading, of pastoring and shepherding. That is really cool that we get to do in such practical ways. But yeah, those are some of the ways that just like daily, weekly, monthly that we're doing that.
A
I love that. So those years for me were like super formative for my spiritual walk when I was in college and doing the worship major and doing all this stuff. I remember I had originally gone to college to be an actor for film and television, which is obviously great, but it was like junior year of college, auditioned for the, for the touring team and was just playing keys. Like I wasn't leading worship or anything, was just playing keys. And it was over that year that God like really took hold of my heart and like directed me towards ministry. Obviously, like, you're really involved with the next generation of worship leaders. Like you have a really, like a front row seat to what God is doing.
B
Yes.
A
And I'd really love to hear if anything comes to mind. Like, are there any, like, stories or. Or things that you've seen over your time with with SEU about, like, you know, student or a story that kind of comes up of, like, something that, like, man, I'm so excited for what God's doing in this next generation of worship leaders.
B
Oh, yeah. I mean, it's so interesting because that's how I was so much of my formation as a worship leader and being raised up was because someone at seu, like, leaders at seu, believed in me and shepherded not only my gifting, but who I was, made sure that I. I valued integrity, that I. I valued purity, that, you know, I valued holiness and things like that. There's nothing that is unteachable. And those kinds of areas, in terms of those things are so evergreen. And so I think of. Of my leaders who I never thought I would be in a. I know I wanted to be in ministry, but I. I just didn't think that even being a leader or I didn't have that kind of belief in the things of God over my life to be like, oh, yeah, I'm going to be a worship leader. I'm going to be a director of a worship team. But slowly and surely, my leaders just pulled these things out of me. And so now, I mean, when I think of the people that I get to develop, that we get to develop, I just get so excited about what is their gifting, what is something that they don't see that somehow God is giving me a heavenly view of, and how can I steward this gift within them? How. How does God want to steward this gift in them? Because that's literally how I was formed. It's how I'm here. It's how I was able to say, you know, I don't know if I could do this, but, God, you called me here. I feel that calling. I feel that mantle and that anointing. And so my favorite thing ever is seeing in students. It's what we love to do is seeing in students the giftings that they don't yet see, see, and being like, no, you have a prophetic voice. You have an incredible ability of songwriting. No, you are a pastor. You are meant to shepherd people. You care about injustice, you care about people, you care about these things. And just showing them, you know, what it's like to submit those things to God. It's just an evergreen message. Even though the generations change and even though I don't know the lingo, you know what I mean? I don't know anything that they're Saying necessarily, especially the freshmen coming in, I'm like, I'm too old for this now. But I know that, you know, like, holiness, things like obedience, things like your giftings, your calling. It never grows old talking about it, bringing it out of people. So, yeah, I can't. I can't think of maybe necessary. There's just so many. There's so many students where I'm like, you are so different from your freshman year to your senior year and praise God, because you grew in the awareness of who God made you to be. So I just think those are always so cool when I. When I can. We can see a senior leave scu or maybe they're still a part of SCU somehow or whatever it looks like and say, wow, you are so much more aware of who you are in Christ. And that always translates to worship leading. That always translates to their songwriting or how they shepherd people or how they worship. It's so awesome. Just an awareness of. Of the Lord and who he made you to be is so, so cool.
A
I love that idea, the. The evergreen stuff that you were talking about because, you know, as. As generations may change, like, God still remains the same, and the truth about him still remains the same and his love for us. I love that idea. Just like, leaning on that as you shepherd and disciple these students through their four years. So amazing.
B
Yeah. Because it can be overwhelming trying to change strategies, which I don't think is a wrong thing. Even Paul says, I am everything to all people. You know, it's not like there's no wisdom in. In learning, being competent in, like, the demographic and who you're, you know, kind of pastoring and leading. But, yeah, something about, no. When God tells you to go, you go. When God says, this is what you're doing, you say, yes. That can't be said any other way. It's like you can't translate it to, you know, gen alpha language more than just being super vocal and upfront about it, you know? So while I do know there's wisdom and compassion that you can grow in when learning about a demographic of people, I'm just like, man, I'm just gonna let the word be the word, though. And the word is free authority. And so I'm just gonna try and speak the word as much as I can, even as a encouragement to those leading different demographics, you know, and people of all different ages and cultures and people, it can feel a little like, okay, what's my strategy here? And the word is just green. The word of God is green. It always, always applies.
A
So that's really cool because, you know, it's especially given the context of our conversation today. Like, y' all recently just released a new album, which is amazing. I've been living with it for the last week. I can't stop listening to it. It's been on total repeat. I love it. It's super unique. I love. And we'll get to that in a second. But I love that perspective because as this album is kind of like a pretty big departure from your typical sound as. As a team, the message is still the same. And you know, the ministry happening behind the scenes with your students is still the same. And I love how that's actually like, you're not just saying that. It's actually played out in the album. And I think that comes across really, really well.
B
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's really interesting, the new sound, but it's just something that's been on our campus developing as well. It wasn't something necessarily. We like went for like, okay, let's try out this new sound. It's just. It's what we've been playing and what we've been doing with our campus for the last year. And it's so cool that it gets to be showcased in a way like this.
A
I mean, I was going to ask, so how did y' all arrive at that? Did you intentionally like, okay, we want to try something new. Were you all influenced by music they were listening to? Or how did you all kind of arrive at the hey, we want to try something a little bit new with this? With this.
B
Totally. Yeah. That's a great question. I remember when I came in my freshman year, 2017, they had just released a pop album and it was like these beats and these.
A
There were some bangers on that one.
B
I love that. Yes. Like pop melodies. And so I think we've always intentionally are not strayed a bit at times from maybe classic ccm, which we do love so much as well. And. And we do. And we fit in as well. But this to me is. Is an album of songs that we actually listen to. It's music we actually listen to. And as a. Which I'm sure a lot of. I'm sure you relate to. I'm sure a lot of like worship leaders relate to kind of balancing being a creative and being congregational. It can be hard because you don't want to be self seeking in anything that you're doing and you don't want to be, okay, let me make this sound just because it's cool, but it doesn't relate to anyone or it doesn't speak to anyone. And it's just for me, you know, that's not what we want to do. We don't want to isolate with the gift. We want to unify. And so for us, we're, you know, a bunch of creatives. And we just know that this is what we listen to, you know, some of the influences that we have in music. And it's what our students are listening to. And so we sort of just. We like to get bit out of the box always like, okay, no, but it doesn't have to be done this way. Yes, like a bass, keys, electric drums. Yes, that's normal. But does it have to be that way? Why can't we throw in strings? Why can't we have three guitars and one of them be a rubber bridge and one of them be a lap steel? And we were just really trying to test out different sounds. That was like our creative juice. And also for our students, like, what does it look like for our person who got on team playing electric to, you know, test out what a rubber bridge guitar might feel like and what they could do with it in a chapel? And so we started incorporating a lot of those instruments into our chapels. And we have a Tuesday morning prayer chapel. We'll sing songs, but a lot of it is instrumental and soundscapes just so that people can tune into prayer and praying congregationally and individually. And I think that is where so much of, you know, let's just try new things. And in a way that is always saying, no, the gift unifies the things that we do. It's not self seeking. It's not just so that we can make a new sound. We don't want any pride to seep into this. But we also just think, this sounds good. You know, we think this sounds cool. This is what we're listening to. This is what our students are listening to. People like McGee, Noah Khan, you know, those kinds of influences that we had that we knew our students were listening to that when we would go into a right with the student that they would be referencing these kinds of songs we listened to. And we were just so inspired by it. And so, yeah, it is a really new sound, but it still encompasses our campus and our campus ministry still, which is so cool. That's what we would always love because our campus is our first ministry. Yeah, if it works on campus, sometimes it works outside, sometimes it doesn't. But yeah, this is where that kind of came from. It was like, our students often drive the pulse of what our sound is and what we're listening to and what we're consuming and what we love.
A
Yeah, I love that you said something. You dropped a real nugget of wisdom in there that I kind of want to go back to. You said with our gift, we don't want to isolate with it, we want to unify. Man, that's so good. That really resonated with me. Especially as worship leaders where we're on this. Sometimes we're like on the stage and there's lights on us and there's all this other stuff happening. It can be so easy to get consumed with our own gifting. How has that at least in your life with you? Like when you worship lead? Like how does that play out for you when you're, when you're getting creative, when you're doing these things? How do you balance that? The like, I want this gift, I want this creativity to unify the church and not just amplify my own gifting.
B
Totally. Oh my gosh. Well, every worship leader is going to struggle with it because God did make you creatively. So you're going to. I, at least I often wrestle with, okay, are we supposed to go here? God, where are we going? And that goes back to what we teach our students. What is the Holy Spirit speaking and what does the room need? That's what we teach our students. What's the Holy Spirit speaking and what does the room need? Because that teaches you to be more than just a worshiper, maybe alone in your room, which can, which is so powerful. And at times it's like when a worship leader sometimes doesn't engage the room, it's like, oh no, I'm meant to worship. You know, there's a, there's time. There's a time and a place. I'm not saying it's never, it's never that. But you're not only a worship leader and ministering to first and foremost to the Lord, but you are shepherding people into his presence. You are ushering in the presence of God. And so to take both of those very seriously and open handedly. So it's kind of like I'll give a, maybe a silly example, but if we're wanting to introduce our new songs at camp that we're going to a youth camp, but we find after the first set they didn't know any of the new songs and they know oldies, is it actually beneficial for us then to continue with a bunch of new songs that they don't know that they're not entering into with Us, rather than to lay aside our pride and say, okay, I am going to do how great is our God? You know, and we're going to make it in a creative way that fits the sound of what God has for us. We can still practice our creative giftings, but this way we are focused on his people and not focused on how we sound or the gift or making sure that our voice gets heard, our new. This new sound gets heard, you know, not making that the focus and just noticing when something's distracting, when something's hindering a room, when something's not hitting. You know what I mean? And not saying that people raising their hands or not raising their hands is a sign of people entering in or not. But there's a discernment that you have to ask the Lord always, like, are your people with us? Are your people with you right now? It's in the same way that a really good guitar player, a really good bassist, they can hit a bass lick any moment and it would be so good. But if it distracts a room, then you are now worshiping the gifting and you're idolizing the gifting rather than being a shepherd. It's like, are you playing together? Is the room following? That's specific to worship leading. We're always teaching, what's the Holy Spirit saying? And what does the room need? And that gets your eyes focused. Totally vertical, but then totally outward, outside of yourself as well. This isn't just a moment for me. This isn't just time for me to have creative freedom and liberty. It is for me to shepherd this room of people and to lead them into the presence of God. It's what we're called to do. So, yeah, it's a very fine line because sometimes you're doing things where you're like, this is so cool. But everyone's just like, you know, kind of checked out. So you really gotta know those times, those spaces, when to be hyper creative and just let that energy flow from without, like within, out of you. And there's a time for that. But then when to be a pastor of people, it's the give and take. It's the tension of what we feel. And. And it's also how we begin to discern the Holy Spirit. It's a muscle you have to grow to hear the Lord and to hear the Holy Spirit. It's not for me, at least it's not like an audible voice from God being like, do not go into this chorus. You know, it's. It's. It's always soft voice That I need to lean in to hear what's the Holy Spirit speaking and what are the. What do the people need?
A
I love that perspective. Because worship music is inherently so different from regular music because it. We have a different goal entirely. Like our. Our goal isn't to release the coolest record or. Or have the best minor 2 you've ever heard in your life. It's to serve the Lord and to minister to the heart of God. One of the things that I remember doing when I was on staff at my church, because it's hard, because sometimes when you go that direction, you can unintentionally stifle creativity from your team by saying, hey, we wanna do this, the record. And so one of the things that I would tell my team members is I always want you to be creative. I always want you to bring whatever God's gifted you with. Like, absolutely, always bring it. And practically, I would tell them, like, please, like, write your own parts to these songs that we've done a million times. Please bring your own stuff. Have the original ready to go. Always have the original ready to go in case it doesn't serve the greater whole. But please, like, come with ideas. Come with, like. And it just helped kind of foster this idea of, like, we're leading worship together. It's not just the person who's singing the words. It's the electric guitarist, it's the drummer. It's like, let's all collectively lead worship together and be creative together on the album. In your opinion, do you have a favorite song on the album that you think demonstrates that really, really well? Either, like, musically and production wise or even just, like, theologically, or a song that spoke specifically to you when you were recording?
B
Yeah, I think the title track of Forgiving God has just got to be my favorite. I literally love every single song, so it is hard to say this is a favorite, but I think just from a lyrical perspective, I love the story of the prodigal son. It feels like. I mean, I don't know if everyone feels like this, but I'm like, that is my testimony. Like, this is. It's the testimony of my family. I just think of generations before me. I think of my unsaved family members, my unsaved friends, for my saved friends who are stuck in shame and just think this is a message for every single person. And I love it because I know we talk on forgiveness a lot in. In church as well. I think that's awesome. But I had never heard a story just from the prodigal son in in a worship song. So it's. It's one of my favorites. Just. Just lyrically, what we're talking about, really digging into the story of the prodigal son, digging into what that means for God's love for us, for his unwavering commitment to us, how the door is always open, and he's always waiting for us to come back. And I think, you know, when we backslide or when we're falling or when we make a mistake or when we sin or whatever it looks like, it always feels like the chasm is too great, that surely I have to be justified through something else before I can be justified in Christ. And it's where shame becomes our Achilles heel as a generation, as a church, as a people. And it's where we isolate, and it's where darkness comes in and lies and deceives. And I just think the story of. No, there is no other word that you need to say. He has the final word. You don't have to add any words to it. You know, that grace actually is sufficient, that he actually is waiting, fully untethered to a condition for you. When we grasp mercy and then when we accept grace, it transforms our lives in a way that nothing else can. And it's not a cushy thing. It's not a. It's not an unaccountable thing. It is the grace being made sufficient for us. And so, I mean, it's the message of the gospel. It's just my life song right now. It's my life track, and I'm, like, sending it to all my friends. Like, hey, just listen to the lyrics. You know, that would probably be my number one right now, funnily enough.
A
I was gonna say the same thing. I was like, not to be a cliche, but I'm gonna choose the title track. Yeah. One of the things I love so much about worship music is I grew up very, like, traditional Baptist. My family went to church every single week. Heard the story of the prodigal son. You remember those old felt boards in Sunday school, they put the little things. I grew up in Sunday school, church and heard these stories over and over and over again. And I think about the bridge where, um, I think the lyrics are. He's been sitting on the porch awaiting.
B
Sitting on the porch, yeah.
A
Like, you know, you. I grew up on hymns, so you would think that's, like. That's a weird lyric to have in a worship song. But what I so loved about it was, for me, it caused me to think about that story in a new way and can recontextualize. Like, not saying, like, it's changing the story. It's just causing me to think about it in a different way and recognize a new facet of like the story of the prodigal son and what that means.
B
Right.
A
Of just like, you know, God's okay, always been there. And like, he's been waiting for, you know, your arrival. He's been waiting for you to just turn and seek Him. You know, I think of. I remember growing up, I used to think that the part of scripture where it talks about, you know, ask and the door will be open, seek and you will find, knock on the door will be open to you. I used to think that just meant like, I can just ask for whatever I want and God will give it to me. And over the years I've recognized, I'm like, that that's a, that's a promise that if I ever will go, God, where are you? He will answer that every single time and he will be there. And that's like a huge comfort to me now. And so like, I love how that song kind of recontextualizes a little bit in almost like modern day language and relates it to, you know, relates it to this generation, relates it to what we're all going through now.
B
Totally. Yeah, I love it.
A
A couple of weeks ago, I heard a message from my pastor and something like stuck out. He said, God has chosen to make himself the responsible one for your sanctification. And your, like, God has taken on that responsibility. And I used to grow up thinking that it was my own responsibility. And I think, I don't know, for some reason that resonated with me so deeply about the idea that like, God's the one running to you, he's the one that's chosen to be responsible and it's really not any of your own doing. I love that concept.
B
Yeah.
A
Can you talk a little bit about either that or where the heart behind this song came from? Was there a story behind the song?
B
Yeah, I mean, just speaking to what you said, it's so powerful that God is the responsible one for salvation because I think it does relate so much to this song of how we approach God when we are far from him. My pastor, from the church I grew up at, he preached a message that he said, we are constantly trying to complete a finished work. Like we have to complete something before we come to God. Or we're trying to put letters to his final word and it says that he has the final word and that it is a Finished work, the cross and the resurrection of Christ. It is a finished work of the Father. And so often we think justification is through our acts first, and then it proves to God that we are sincere, and it proves to God that we are sorry. But it's actually his grace that compels us to works. Works are the product of a life filled with grace. It's not something you try for, it's not something you strive for. And I think that definitely relates to salvation. And, man, I've gone too far. I've wandered too far. I'm even just in my mind. Like, it doesn't have to be an insane story. But, man, I just struggle with shame. I struggle with condemnation that when I do things that I know that I am kind of what I was talking about before, that chasm is too great. That chasm is too great. And so give me a couple days, God, and I'll be back. But first I have to kind of make justice for myself within my own spirit, war within myself, beat myself up, you know, crucify myself, and then I can come to you. And Jesus says, no, I am the ones who has salvation. How you're talking about. The Father is responsible for salvation. I am the one who has grace. And I think when we. We do a warp thing as humans that we call beating ourselves up justification. And it's actually. You are actually saying that grace is not sufficient. And you're saying that the cross does not have the final word and that his holiness is not enough, that you have to be made holy in your own works. And then you could go to him and say, okay, forgive me, because I feel like I'm good now. And that's just not the work of the Lord. And thank God it's not, you know, yeah.
A
Oh, man.
B
The truth is that he is waiting for us to recognize him as the most important and the only one to our salvation first and foremost, and then to our sanctification. And yeah, faith without works is dead. And so it's not that. It's not that our works don't prove a loving and living God, but it's that it is an overflow of the grace that we have received and the faith to believe that it is sufficient in our lives. Like faith. So long, roundabout answer. But that's what I love to talk to our students about. It's what I love to talk to people about. The sufficient work of grace. It does not say you're not accountable and, you know, just do whatever you want and. And then grace, no mercy saves us from Something that we were guilty of pardons us, and then grace empowers us and emboldens us to change if we truly have the faith to accept it in all that it is. So I think that's what a lot of this song is. It's like, you don't have to clean yourself up to run to Jesus. He's waiting in the middle of your muck, in the middle of your sin, in the middle of your shame, in the middle of your patterns. He is waiting for you. And I think, yeah, that's so brilliant of the. You know, he is responsible for salvation. He is the only holder of it.
A
So, yeah, I think it reflects really well. I'm gonna call it the second bridge. I don't know if that's what you just wrote it as, but the. You know, I love the way, sonically, in the moment it sounded and the lyrics, you know, you've been out on your own. Now it's time to come home, run to Jesus. Like, that moment when, like, it all comes down and it's just the acoustic guitar and then, like, very lightly, like, singing those words to me, it echoed a lot of how I feel God feels about salvation. Of, like, it's an invitation.
B
Yes.
A
Like, you've been doing this on your own. God's not mad with you. He's not. Like, he is. Open arms. It is an invitation. You've been out on your own. Come home to me and I. I can carry it. Let me, Let me help you. Let me. Let me carry this for you. And that moment, to me, when I first heard it, like, it sent a little bit of, like, shivers down my spine. Like, man, this is just such a beautiful moment of. I think it's just. It was such, like, a. The way it was written, I think really communicates the heart of God, of, like, the sweetness and the invitation and the love that communicated in that moment, I think really comes through.
B
Oh, thank you so much. Yeah. He's so full of compassion. Yeah.
A
Well, we're getting close to being at the end of our time here, but I. I usually ask this question at the end, especially with new releases, with the album now out in the world and reaching, you know, thousands of people. Do you have a prayer or a desire of what you hope people hear when they listen to the album, when they experience it for the first time?
B
Yeah. I mean, similar to. To what we've been talking about. I just hope that everyone listening knows that the gospel, the story of Jesus, the invitation of Jesus, the invitation for a new life in him, that that he is holy and other than. And so invitational to us. To be invited into a life like that, it is for every single person. It is not exempt to any single one of us. If there was an exemption, I would have been out long ago. I would not be qualified to do what I'm doing. I would not be qualified to run the race that he has so graciously set before. And so some of these songs, it starts off with an interlude that says, lead me to the fount. My soul thirsts for you. If you are just desperate to see him, to see change in your life, to see something real, to experience him, to want the Lord, to want salvation, the goodness of God, a compassionate father, it is for you. And there is no one exempt from this gospel. There's no one exempt from this good news. And thank God. And so from start to finish, I just hope you feel so invited into the presence of God, so invited into his kinship, so invited into him being a father to you and being a savior and a king. It's for you. It's for all of us. There's not one person exempt. And so I just hope anyone listening hears that and knows it when, you know, taking a lesson through the album.
A
Man, that's awesome. I love that. Well, Chelsea, thank you so much for taking some of your time and sitting down and talking with us a little bit. The heart behind the album. Congratulations on the release. I'm sure there's a lot of work that went into arriving to today, but thank you so much for taking the time.
B
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much, Stuart.
Lead Worship Well Podcast | Episode Summary
Episode: Worship & Discipleship on Campus with SEU Worship
Host: Stuart, MultiTracks.com
Guest: Chelsea Blank, Worship Director, SEU Worship
Release Date: October 27, 2025
This episode explores the intertwining of worship, discipleship, and creative expression within the campus ministry of SEU Worship (Southeastern University, Lakeland, Florida). Host Stuart sits down with Chelsea Blank, SEU Worship Director, to discuss the heart and mission of SEU Worship, the formation of student worship leaders, the process behind their newest album “Forgiving God,” and the significance of the prodigal son story as it relates to worship, grace, and spiritual growth.
Origins & Focus of SEU Worship
“Anything that we are doing... we get to kind of hear the next generation constantly because we're always having students coming in and out... But yeah, it's a whole hodgepodge of people, but mainly students, staff, and alumni writing and making music for our campus that then can translate sometimes to everyone else, which is awesome.” [Chelsea, 00:47]
Chelsea’s Role as Worship Director
Practical Discipleship on Campus
“We're always talking through, hey, what does it look like to be a worship leader that not only follows the spirit, but also leads like a shepherd and leads a room and how important both are.” [Chelsea, 02:46]
“Weekly just opportunities to learn more about how to be a worship leader with clean hands and a pure heart, one that seeks after the Lord. And obviously we don't do that perfectly all the time, but we're...always growing.” [Chelsea, 03:51]
Evergreen Principles of Discipleship
“My favorite thing ever is seeing in students…giftings that they don't yet see and being like, no, you have a prophetic voice. You have an incredible ability of songwriting…What is something that they don't see that somehow God is giving me a heavenly view of, and how can I steward this gift within them?” [Chelsea, 07:03]
Adapting to Generational Change Without Compromising Truth
“No. When God tells you to go, you go. When God says, this is what you're doing, you say, yes. That can't be said any other way…The word of God is green. It always, always applies.” [Chelsea, 09:52]
New Sound, Same Message
The album showcases a creative sound reflecting what’s been brewing in campus worship—not a forced departure, but an organic evolution (11:55).
Influences range from McGee to Noah Kahan, with students’ tastes driving much of the musical direction (12:36):
“For us, we're, you know, a bunch of creatives. And we just know that this is what we listen to, you know, some of the influences that we have in music. And it's what our students are listening to. So we sort of just. We like to get bit out of the box always...” [Chelsea, 12:48]
Importance is placed on not isolating with the creative gift, but unifying the church:
“With our gift, we don't want to isolate with it, we want to unify.” [Chelsea, 16:13]
Balancing Creativity With Congregational Leadership
“What is the Holy Spirit speaking and what does the room need?…You're not only a worship leader ministering first and foremost to the Lord, but you are shepherding people into his presence. You are ushering in the presence of God. And so to take both of those very seriously and open handedly.” [Chelsea, 16:56]
Title Track and The Prodigal Son
“Forgiving God” draws inspiration from the prodigal son—a universally relatable narrative (22:36):
“It feels like...that is my testimony. Like, this is. It's the testimony of my family. I just think of generations before me. I think of my unsaved family members, my unsaved friends, for my saved friends who are stuck in shame and just think this is a message for every single person.” [Chelsea, 22:36]
The song’s invitation: experiencing grace, ending shame, and returning home:
“No, there is no other word that you need to say. He has the final word. You don't have to add any words to it. You know, that grace actually is sufficient, that he actually is waiting, fully untethered to a condition for you.” [Chelsea, 24:01]
Modern Language, Timeless Truth
“God's okay, always been there. And like, he's been waiting for...your arrival. He's been waiting for you to just turn and seek Him.” [Stuart, 26:29]
Sanctification & God’s Initiative
“We are constantly trying to complete a finished work. Like we have to complete something before we come to God. Or we're trying to put letters to his final word and it says that he has the final word and that it is a finished work, the cross and the resurrection of Christ.” [Chelsea, 28:06]
Invitation, Not Exclusion
“From start to finish, I just hope you feel so invited into the presence of God...It's for all of us. There's not one person exempt.” [Chelsea, 35:11]
“We're always talking through, hey, what does it look like to be a worship leader that not only follows the spirit, but also leads like a shepherd and leads a room and how important both are.”
—Chelsea, 02:54
“My favorite thing ever is seeing in students the giftings that they don't yet see, and being like, no, you have a prophetic voice. You have an incredible ability of songwriting.”
—Chelsea, 07:09
“With our gift, we don't want to isolate with it, we want to unify.”
—Chelsea, 16:13
“What is the Holy Spirit speaking and what does the room need?...This isn't just a moment for me. It is for me to shepherd this room of people and to lead them into the presence of God.”
—Chelsea, 16:56
“No, there is no other word that you need to say. He has the final word. You don't have to add any words to it. You know, that grace actually is sufficient.”
—Chelsea, 24:01
“We are constantly trying to complete a finished work...the cross and the resurrection of Christ...is a finished work of the Father.”
—Chelsea, 28:06
Chelsea Blank’s insight offers a blend of practical wisdom, theological depth, and genuine love for student development. The episode is a testament to how worship and discipleship on campus can shape leaders who not only innovate musically but remain anchored in the gospel. The new album “Forgiving God” underscores these commitments, offering fresh sounds with a timeless, grace-filled invitation.
Recommended for:
Worship leaders, church musicians, campus ministry teams, and anyone interested in the intersection of worship, generational discipleship, and creative spiritual leadership.