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Matt Redman is an Englishman through and through; he even admits being swept up by all the pomp and pageantry of his nation's recent royal wedding. But while he could cite many things he loves about his home country, he could list many more reasons he's madly in love with God.

Matt Redman

Thus the title of his new album, 10,000 Reasons (EMI CMG), which releases today. The live album was recorded last fall at Passion City Church, a relatively new plant in Atlanta by Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, and other leaders in the Passion worship movement—including Redman. The UK singer/songwriter picked up his family and moved to Atlanta in 2008 to help Giglio and his team launch the new church. Redman returned to England in August 2010, where they are now part of a growing church in Brighton.

We talked to Redman—composer of such worship staples as "Blessed Be Your Name" and "The Heart of Worship"—about his new album, his time in Atlanta, his return to the UK, his upcoming book, Mirror Ball: Living Boldly and Shining Brightly for the Glory of God (David C. Cook), and more.

Why did you want to spend two years in Atlanta to help start a church?

We've loved being around the Passion movement for the last decade, and have shared much life with those guys—leading and traveling together, dreaming up songs together, so many good stories along the way. When we heard Louie and Shelley [Giglio] and Chris were planting a church, there was no way we weren't going to hop across the ocean and join in the fun! It was a great adventure for those first couple of years, but we felt the pull back to our homeland and life and ministry here. We ended up moving to Brighton, the most unchurched city in England—a very different kind of challenge!

What attracts you to church plants, and what was your role in Atlanta?

We've been around for the planting of a few new church communities, and it's always such a faith-filled adventure. They've involved different sizes, styles, expressions, and cultures, but with all of them it's been amazing to see Jesus building his church, and to realize that the gospel of Christ really works. If you put his hope, love, and glory on display in a relevant way, you'll see it change, save, and transform lives. Who wouldn't want to be part of something like that?

You had two kids born in the U.S., and both needed critical care. Tell me about that.

Jackson and Levi both had some breathing difficulties when they were born, and ended up in the ICU for a little while. Those moments are never easy to navigate; you're expecting sheer joy in that season and then you get some struggle thrown in with it. But isn't that so much of what life is like on this journey of faith? So often it's battle and blessing all mixed up into one. But the longer you walk with Jesus, the more you realize just how utterly faithful he is, and I hope that conviction comes through in some of the songs we've been writing. It's no coincidence that some of the most fruitful songs we've written have flowed from some of the hardest moments of our lives—like "Blessed Be Your Name," "You Never Let Go," and now "Never Once," they all came from seasons of intense struggle and confusion.

How would you describe Passion City Church?

Louie is the last person to claim that PCC was some brand new innovative expression of church. But having said that, I think that Louie, Shelley, Chris, and the team are all creative people with a big worldview, so that's going to add some spice. I think perhaps the unique thing about PCC is that it was a local community being planted from an already existing global movement. Usually it's the other way around.

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