Elevation Rhythm’s members opened up about the pressure of ministry, the nearness of God and the hope they want young listeners to find in the Gospel.
“Because when you do ministry everybody has something to say but only one person died on a cross,” a member of Elevation Rhythm said.
The 35-minute episode, released on Sept. 18, is the debut of LACY’S LUNCH TABLE, an Air1 series hosted by Air1 DJ Lacy Abercrombie. According to Air1’s official show page, the program invites worship artists, Christian authors, speakers, pastors and ministry leaders to sit down for conversations about faith, music and everyday life.
That lighthearted format quickly gave way to questions about feeling distant from God, surrendering preferences, absorbing public criticism and discerning what a younger generation needs from worship music. The result was a candid conversation about how ministry looks when the cameras are on and the heart is still being formed.
When Abercrombie asked what they do when they feel far from God, one member answered with a reminder that sounds simple but carries weight: “Distance is a lie.” The speaker continued, “There’s no way Jesus did all that just so that I could believe a lie,” urging listeners to return to the cross and ask God for faith when their feelings do not match what they believe.
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That same honesty shaped the group’s answer about the harder parts of following Jesus. “I think following Jesus means you lay down your preferences,” one member said, adding that believers eventually face moments when they have to surrender their own desires.
The conversation also turned to “WASHED,” the bright, Gospel-centered song that Air1 said celebrates freedom from shame and the things that keep people bound. One member recalled initially feeling unsure about the song, but said, “I found myself just like crying every time I sang it and so now it’s like the Lord just convicted me because it’s beautiful and I love it.”
Elevation Rhythm is an offshoot of Elevation Worship, the worship group formed at Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the younger collective creates Gospel-centered music to encourage young people to encounter the love of Jesus. Billboard reported that “WASHED “gave Elevation Rhythm its first No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart in July.
For Elevation Rhythm, though, the goal reaches beyond a chart position: “The gospel is more than a prayer. The gospel is more than a song. The gospel is alive,” they said.
The group said it wants young people to experience that reality as freedom from fear, anxiety and the pressure to perform for God.
As the episode closed, one member shared what God is teaching him right now: “I think for me God is teaching me just a new level of this sense of urgency to spread the gospel in this day and age.” It is a fitting word for a group that keeps pointing beyond the stage, the song and the noise of social media to the One it says is worth following.
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