Interview with Ken Reynolds
January 2006, BlackGospel.com (Christopher Heron)

Understanding our divine calling, as Christians, is sometimes difficult to perceive, due to our on-and-off-again relationship with God and our earthly ties to material matters. But sometimes, once the investment is made in a deep and abiding relationship with God, the vision becomes clear and our purpose in life takes on a new and profound meaning that few could deny. 

Ken Reynolds recognized early on that his talents were to be realized in music and ministry.  This understanding led to the formation of one of the early Contemporary Gospel recording male groups – His Image.  But it wasn’t until Ken deposited all of his gifts and full life into the hands of God that he was shown his true calling and destiny was to lead the children of God to the altar through meaningful worship and unrestrained praise. 

Ken’s remarkable testimony of a life given over to God is replete with small victories, great sacrifices and a journey that has brought him closer to his Lord and Savior.  BLACKGOSPEL.COM broke bread with a man who has found his calling at The Resurrection Life Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  His latest album – Great Things – is further evidence of his blessed gift and devotion to Spiritual objectives. His story is certain to provide inspiration to those still wandering in search of a more meaningful relationship with God.

Christopher Heron: Let’s start with your days as a member of the sextet group known as His Image.  What brought you together with Henry Sapp, Kelvin Dukes, Gerald Perry and the rest of the guys to launch this very contemporary male group?  And how influential were groups like The Winans and Commissioned on your ministry, at the time?

Ken Reynolds: Gerald Perry and I are cousins.  We both had friends that we brought to the group.  We tried a few different guys and ended up with that combination.  It just clicked.  Most of the other guys went to the same church.  As far as the sound, male groups were very popular then.  Both Gerald and I loved Commissioned and I especially followed Michael Brooks (keyboardist and writer).  We looked up to them.  Also, Marvin Sapp is a brother to Henry Sapp who was in our group.

CH: The sound, style and ministry of that group are quite a departure from your current signature sound as a Praise & Worship artist.  So, how much of an impact did your days as a member of His Image really play in preparing you for what you do today?  And do you feel more suited for ushering in praise and worship among the saints as a worship leader, as opposed to singing as a member of a Contemporary Gospel group?

KR: Musically and stylistically, my days in His Image didn’t really shape my sound today.  But I did gain experience in leading a group.  Producing and working with 6 to 7 guys from different backgrounds with different ideas on how things should be done was at times difficult.  But we were together for 7 years.  It was a good experience and I wouldn’t change a thing.  Plus I gained quite a bit of studio experience, having recorded 4 or 5 records before my current project.  I definitely feel though that my calling at this point in time is to lead people into the presence of God as a worship leader.  It took a few years for me to yield to God’s call, but when I finally did, I realized that it’s much better to be in God‘s perfect will than any other place in the world.  He can open doors that no man can even imagine!

CH: During this same period, you were also serving as a worship leader for the Madison Square Church.  You were still developing and fine-tuning your skills as a writer, musician and worship leader.  At what point did you feel that God was calling you out from His Image and to completely serve the body of believers in worship?  And did your total commitment to being a psalmist and minstrel for God require you to make any hard personal or professional sacrifices?

KR: My time at Madison Square Church was used by God to prune and develop.  I left the church I grew up in, New Hope Baptist Church, to serve in a church where I knew practically no one.  It was a definite busy and growing time, but very prosperous.  While there, I was working a full-time corporate job.  After a couple of years being at Madison, I started to feel tugged by God to devote more time to Praise & Worship and less time to His Image.  It was a tough transition; especially since we signed a record deal shortly after that.  There were pressures from the group and the label; especially since I was the leader and main writer for the group.  But I knew that God was pulling me in another direction.  God started to open a lot of doors on the Praise & Worship side of things and I had to eventually yield to His call.  When I did, things took off.  The biggest and boldest step I took was to accept a full-time position in ministry.  Since it was at another church, Resurrection Life Church, it required me to leave my full-time corporate job and also leave my church home where I served as part-time minister of music.  It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.  Fortunately, my wife and I sought God’s wisdom together and we took the plunge of faith.  Notice I didn’t say leap of faith.  That was a plunge.  I left my job and church home in the same weekend!  But God is faithful and He does all things well.  We’ve been abundantly blessed ever since.

CH: As I see it, the life of Praise & Worship leaders and artists is far more spiritually demanding and requires far more devotion than other artists, if their ministry is to have any impact and resonance with the public.  Apart from exuding a level of integrity before the public, a Praise & Worship leader must inspire hearts and minds towards the Creator.  I believe this is only possible when the artist is succinctly in tune with the Holy Spirit.  Having said that, what are some of the spiritual exercises you undergo to keep yourself in divine shape for this grueling responsibility and task, as a Praise & Worship artist?

KR: There are a few things that help keep my focus in tact.  One, I stay in the word as much as possible.  I even have the Bible on CD.  I listen to it at least 6 days a week.  I drive a lot to pick up and drop off our kids, etc.  My six disc CD changer always has 5 music CD’s in it, and the last slot always has the Bible CD in it.  I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years now.  I switch off between music and word.  Nothing stops that routine.  Second:  Being the Worship Pastor at my church keeps me quite challenged on the other side of the ministry.  We can say that singing and leading people into God’s presence is the fun part.  Working with the people side of things is the challenging part.  That’s where the rubber meets the road.  If you can’t apply what you sing about to your life and the people you minister to, you’re not being completely used by God.  I have to stay prayed up and encouraged which can be tough at times. 

Our pastor always teaches that we can’t have a bad day, and that’s tough.  People feed off of our expressions.  If we’re up, they’re up.  If we’re down, they’re going to be led down by us, even if they came in up.  We stay encouraged by staying in the word and living a victorious life.  Third:  I try to keep my priorities straight.  God, then family, then everything else.  My wife and kids have to remain first after God.  This can be very tough; especially being in ministry.  Ministry never stops.  It doesn’t have a 9 to 5 schedule.  But WE have to or we will burn out, and our family life will suffer.    Time with family and one on one time with God is a must.  God’s got to know that He’s first.  And the thing is, we can’t fake it; not with God.  He can see the heart.  He knows what we really desire, and that’s the key to everything.  If He knows that we hold Him to be first from the bottom of our heart, He’ll burst the doors open for us.  He’s holding our blessings in the palm of His hand.  He’s just waiting for the right moment to release them. 

The sad thing is that some folks will never get the blessing that God has for them because their motives are wrong.  Don’t we know that God can see through all of that?  It just makes Him hold on to those blessings tighter and tighter and longer and longer.  Matthew 6:33 says:  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  This is a primary truth to God’s favor & anointing on our gifts.  If He can trust us with prioritizing our time, He’ll trust us with greater gifts as we grow and can handle them. 

CH: Let’s focus on your current album – Great Things: Live At Resurrection Life Church. It is one the best surprises I’ve been come across in a long time.  It is further evidence that any Gospel music produced anywhere along I-94, stretching from Detroit, through Grand Rapids and on to Chicago, will be among the best in the country.  What are some of the musical and evangelical influences that have played its part in your ministry both in Michigan and around the country?  And how would you characterize your album – Great Things – and finally, where was your spirit leading you in the creation of this album?

KR: I really feel that God has called me to the unique task of bridging the denominations and the races.  Even back when I was writing for His Image, our music was crossing denominational and racial lines.  I guess it comes from the music I grew up listening to; everything from classical to Gospel to rock to jazz and even movie soundtracks.  The churches I’ve served in, Madison Square and currently Resurrection Life, are very diverse.  I’ve been influenced by artists and worship leaders such as Israel Houghton, Martha Munizzi, Ron Kenoly, Morris Chapman, Clint Brown and Gary Oliver.  I’ve been blessed to know some of these people personally and have a mentoring relationship with them.  It’s important to have accountability, not only in your home church but with other artists.  This is especially true to keep each other encouraged.  What we do is not easy. 

When you’re actually trying to lead people into God’s presence, you’re transparent.  Everything is exposed because you need to be real with God and the people you’re leading.  Learning from other artists and worship leaders that have been doing it for a while is a wise thing to do.  Now that many of the songs God has given me are being sung around the world, it’s even more important to keep the focus where it needs to be…on God.  It’s easy for artist to get caught up in all the hype, but again, God sees all of that.  It’s He that promotes.  And He can also demote.  I am incredibly grateful for the “Great Things” project.  Out of all of the albums I’ve done, I’ve never felt more in tune with what God wanted from me than on this project.  From the very beginning of writing to the rehearsals through the mix, God breathed on it.  There were times, even an hour before a vocal rehearsal, I wouldn’t have all of the lyrics done and God would breathe the words on the page as I'm walking in to teach the song. 

A long time ago, I heard that everything starts with a great song.  I understand that now.  What keeps people going back to a particular record are the words, not the beat.  A beat will get old, but the words will go on.  I'm grateful for the songs that God has given me for this project.  Some of them were re-writes of songs I’ve written a while ago and some were completely new.  Most of the musicians on the project knew each other but had never played together in one setting.  The rehearsals were just as anointed as the recording itself.  Each person brought exactly what I was looking for.  I was praying for something fresh and timeless.  That’s a tall order, but nothing’s impossible for God.  For the most part, I wanted the musicians to bring their particular vibe to the project.  But I also left a little room for them to create in the process.  I believe that’s where a lot of the flavor came from. 

I’ve heard incredible testimonies about every song from different people from different parts of the world; from Africa to Korea to Australia.  I'm extremely humbled at the way it has turned out.  From the beginning, my prayer to God was that people would be encouraged and led closer to Him by listening to the project.  I wanted it to be something different than anything else out there.  I’ve heard countless testimonies to that fact.  Praise God!

CH: In conclusion, where do you believe God is leading you and your ministry or what do you believe God is preparing you for in 2006?

KR: My prayer is that God would continue to breathe songs into me that will lead people into His presence - songs of restoration and healing as well as edification.  I love to sing to God; (inner court, Holy of Holies stuff).  That’s where people need to be.  When we realize that we “Need To Worship”, God can do His work in us; and that’s what we want.  I believe that 2006 is going to be a year of people coming back to their first love; back to the basics.  It’s not that we’ve strayed, but sometimes, we need to slow down and let God talk to us.  In order to do that, we need to get in His presence.  I’m prepared to be used by God to assist in that, and to do whatever else God wants me to do.  “I'm yours, Lord.”

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