Delirious—Tim Jupp (left), Stew Smith, Martin Smith, Stu Garrard, and Jon Thatcher—are as serious as ever about inspiring the global Church to become active in the world.

The face of modern worship for over a decade, Delirious released its newest (some would say finest) collection of worshipful rock music last month, The Mission Bell. Together for 13 years, Martin Smith (vocals, guitars), Stu Garrard (guitars), Tim Jupp (keys), Jon Thatcher (bass), and Stew Smith (drums) continue to innovate a band and its music while watching how their own lives and worldviews evolve and expand. Frontman Martin Smith explains how a new season in life invades a career called Delirious, resulting in an urgent message for the global church.

What exactly does the title The Mission Bell refer to?

Martin Smith: In the old days in England, the town crier would ring the bell to call everyone to the town square to hear the news. There is urgency now. There is a call to the church to reevaluate what we believe and what we are going to do about it. Where the theme for our last record World Service was grace, the theme on this record definitely is mission.

Is there something you see in the church today that worries you or excites you to the extent that you would deliver a whole record to the body?

Smith: I've always been a fan of the church. I'm part of it; I grew up in it. It's what Christ is coming back for. What we write and sing about is always coming from where we are locally. But we need a shake-up: What do we stand for? What other things should we stand for? Things like justice and worship. I can't comment on whether the whole church is doing well, but I do know what God is doing in Westhampton [on the UK's west coast]. And there is a big shift that is happening—to get our hands dirty. I know that phrase is used a lot, but there is a move to infiltrate our locality. The song "Now Is the Time" was written for our own people, and when it's sung at our own church, it's really exciting to hear, "Now is the time for us to shine, to shine the face of Christ divine."

As a band, how did Delirious come to this theme, about making The Mission Bell a wake-up call to the church?

Smith: It's both a coming of age and a different season we're in. We're all two years older [since World Service] and a lot can happen in that bit of time. God can do a lot in that time. It's a new time, a new season.

This coming of age, for us guys, we're not 18 or 19 years old anymore. All these issues and topics come with age, with having kids and families. We love playing in a band, but we have concerns outside. Our heart is enlarged for the world. In the beginning you want to sell a lot of records, but priorities become different—to do our bit and fulfill the call of God for our lives.

Delirious is definitely at the stage where, this is it. There won't be another band. Individually, there might be other opportunities, but we've given our life to this and we are a big team. We are absolutely grateful to do this; it's a fantastic job, to go around inspiring a generation of young people. But as you get older, the purpose becomes more than gold discs hanging on the wall. Those become very hollow. We make sure to ask ourselves, "Is the music we're writing touching people?" For those who are selling millions of records, their music doesn't necessarily move anybody or change the atmosphere in the room toward God.

It's been 10 to 13 years, leading worship conventionally and unconventionally. We have had fantastic seasons, but another season always comes and we ask ourselves, "What are we now going to do with it? Where are we going with all this?" If you don't channel all this into a record or help someone next door, if you don't take in the full spectrum and channel that into change, what you learn in the new season is no good to anyone really. So, we thought, "Well, maybe we need to be writing songs about this and challenge the church to be living this."

A few months ago the UK was the target of terror attacks in London. The British are involved alongside the U.S. in the Middle East. Has the political climate within the UK added anything to your message or changed your message in any way?

Smith: These sorts of things have happened in many places throughout Europe; it's almost commonplace. You think of Ireland where they happened all the time. Those terror attacks are probably kept outside of what we do [with our music], but definitely alongside of what we do. We consider a lot of what is concerning our culture and what we're doing here, because when things like that happen, people press major questions like, "What is life about? What is this all about?"

Your lyrics convey your meaning and your mission, but they also tend to sound like normal Delirious-style worship songs. How do you expect listeners globally to get their heads and spirits around the ideas and the challenge, to gain your sense of urgency? Delirious can't speak face-to-face with each listener, so to what point do you work to share and convey this message?

Smith: The best way to convey the message is to play live and try to get around to as many places as possible. I think the message translates into the live experience best. I do think the album itself carries a weight with it and draws people in. A line like "my Chinese takeaway could pay for someone's drugs" stops you. Whether you're at a gig or know the band, a provocative lyric that like causes people to think.

We have been touring the record in the UK so far, and South Africa as well. There have been some fantastic nights of worship and great reactions. People are very excited by it. The record carries on fantastically and takes the band deeper. Some people close to us have been revering this as our best record yet.

Ultimately, when God gives you songs that you feel you need to put out on the next record, you don't have a choice. The strangest of lyrics can come out that we don't understand, where we say, "We'll write this and hope this makes sense on stage." The nature of what we do and what we're going on is that these are God's songs.

Talk about some specific songs that work as a rallying cry to the church.

Smith: A pastor we met, Reinhard Bonnke, inspired "Paint the Town Red." He said, "We're going to paint this world red with the blood of Christ." I adapted it. It's obviously a graphic example [of what we mean] but people have gotten ahold of it.

On "Our God Reigns," I had the chorus for about five months, and I was expecting to write some pretty little ditty for the church—but ended up with a paradox. The verses seem to say, "Our hand has lost the rope. We're defeated." But God still reigns. God can do some fantastic things. It's undisputed. As the church, people are to be stewards and start to get real because there is work to be done.

"All This Time" came as an idea that when people outside the church watch us, it's almost like we are God's TV. They are seeing what it's like to be a Christian and to live a godly life. You can sense the tension of living. We carry so many flaws, but here's something we want from life. Some of its autobiographical, others part are not. It certainly can turn into something that strengthens.

The jewel in the crown is "Miracle Maker." This song was a glorious moment in capturing music on tape. It's a miracle song that people can be healed and delivered by, and blind eyes will be opened. I think that can kick off right when we start playing the song. The song is based on the man at the pool of Bethesda, who was not able to get into the pool when the angel stirred the waters. In the end, Jesus turns up on the scene and says, "Get up and go on your way." We can follow that example—and it is happening today. We just want, at the end of the day, for Jesus to show up on the scene.

You're touring over here this spring. What are some of your thoughts before your U.S. tour?

Smith: We always look forward to going over there. These songs might not be what people want to hear or are ready to hear, but we want to come and stir up something and do our thing, and see what God does.

For more about Delirious, visit our artist page, where you can also read our review of their latest, The Mission Bell. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the music.

© Jackie A. Chapman, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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