Originally published in Premier Christian News
Joel Taylor, the CEO of Bethel Music, has announced he is stepping down as leader of the label and worship movement.
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Bethel Music originated out of Bethel Church in Redding, California in 2009 but it has only grown in popularity in recent years with songs such King of my heart and No longer slaves being sung in churches across the world.
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Taylor brought the group together with Bethel Church founders Brian and Jenn Johnson.
He took to social media to share his decision: “After 13 wonderful and challenging years, I’ve resigned as CEO of Bethel Music.”
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“When we founded the label, we knew God was going to use us to build something special, but God’s plan was even bigger than our dreams… and we had big dreams,” he continued.
Popular worship artists such as Cory Asbury and Sean Feucht have been part of Bethel Music.
The father of two went on to describe the group’s humble beginnings and how they defeated the odds against them.
“We had no investment capital and minimal support, so with the little revenue we had, I hired a part-time bookkeeper and got an intern. At that time, the music industry was in a downward spiral and labels were doing massive layoffs,” he said.
Taylor continued: “As we tried to create our own label, we were told we could never do it on our own. They didn’t play worship on the radio back then and they told us we wouldn’t ever be on the radio. When we wanted to bring worship to the world on tour, we were told people wouldn’t host us. We had to listen to God and believe in our hearts the ‘impossible’ could happen, and it did.
“I’m grateful for my time with Bethel in Redding, and leave with a heart full of love and gratitude.”
Taylor played a vital role in the three-time Billboard nominated group but is perhaps best known publicly for his son’s miraculous recovery from an infection in late 2017.
His son Jaxon, who at the time was 2-year-old, spent almost a month in hospital diagnosed with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (H.U.S), a condition that could end up in kidney failure.
Both Taylor and his wife Janie took to social media to ask for prayer for their son. A month later, Jaxon was released with Taylor calling it a “miracle”.
The popular song Raise a Hallelujah was written by Bethel artists Jonathan David and Melissa Hesler in response to Jaxon’s story.
Taylor made the announcement alongside a picture of his family. He concluded his post by saying he will continue on a “deep pursuit of God, His truth, His presence, and His direction” as he enters the second half of his life.
“I have a lot of plans and opportunities in front of me, but Jesus showed us that the greatest call is to love God, to love yourself, and to love people, and this is what I’m going to do next. We move to our new home in Franklin TN in four weeks, and then the next chapter begins. Thank you all for your love and support.”
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Thanks Joel for stepping out in faith.