HOUSE OF WORSHIP, a theatrical tribute bringing together 25 of modern worship music’s most influential artists and songwriters, opens in more than 400 theaters nationwide starting Aug. 23.
Fandango is distributing the special cinematic event, which Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech executive produced alongside a companion 13-song album.
“I know that this will be a great blessing to your community of faith as together we gather around the name of Jesus,” Zschech said. “Every song is a prayer rising from sons and daughters crying out to God together.”
For Movieguide® readers, that sentiment isn’t new coming from this camp. Smith said before that a worship song’s power has nothing to do with performance. “It’s amazing how a three-and-a-half-minute song can completely change somebody’s life,” he said. HOUSE OF WORSHIP takes that idea and builds an entire movie around it, pairing testimony with performance to explain why these anthems still matter to congregations decades later.
Presented by The Fuel Music and Ori Music in association with K-LOVE and Air1, the movie explores the origins of songs that have shaped churches across generations and nations through cinematic storytelling and intimate interviews. The trailer previews the scale of the project, cutting between arena-sized performances and quieter moments of reflection from the artists involved.
World Vision signed on to sponsor the release, extending a partnership between the relief organization and Christian musicians that stretches back three decades.
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“World Vision is thrilled to sponsor this once-in-a-lifetime project that will both unite and bless churchgoers around the world,” said Edgar Sandoval Sr., President and CEO of World Vision. “We have partnered with Christian music artists for over 30 years to bring more help to vulnerable children in Jesus’ name.”
The lineup reads like a worship music hall of fame: CeCe Winans, Kari Jobe, Hillary Scott of Lady A, Israel Houghton, Matt Redman, Cody Carnes, Naomi Raine, Charity Gayle, Paul Baloche, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Christy Nockels and more join Smith and Zschech. Together, the 25 artists have collected 48 GRAMMY® Awards across 142 nominations and 183 Dove Awards, with 29 more Dove nominations pending at this year’s 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards.
Reimagined anthems featured in the movie and on the album include “How Great Is Our God,” “Shout to the Lord,” “Here I Am to Worship,” “Mighty to Save” and “The Heart of Worship,” each performed by pairings of veteran and rising worship leaders. Every track was recorded live and in-the-round at World Wide Stages in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with Smith on piano, twice-GRAMMY-winning Paul Mabury on drums, Dwan Hill on organ, Stu Garrard on guitar and David Curran on bass.
Mabury and John Hartley produced HOUSE OF WORSHIP, working from a concept developed with co-executive producers Danny McGuffey and Steve Nicolle. According to The Music Universe, the movie pairs those studio performances with behind-the-scenes storytelling meant to show how the songs took shape in the first place, not just how they sound live.
Smith said the recording sessions themselves became something closer to a reunion than a shoot.
“These songs have truly been anthems of worship for believers around the world, decade after decade,” Smith said. “And to sing them with so many leaders in different seasons of ministry, all joined in worship, was something I will never forget.”
For families looking to plan a night out before the school year kicks into gear, HOUSE OF WORSHIP offers something rare in theaters: a two-hour reminder that the songs sung every Sunday carry their own stories, and that the people who wrote them are still, by their own account, just trying to point somewhere else. More information on the project is available at houseofworshipmusic.com.
Tickets, showtimes and an exclusive gift card are available now at Fandango.
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