There’s a lot to like about The Belonging Co. You might not have heard of them but they are making an impact both in Nashville and across the world. The Belonging Co or “The Belonging” is a church, started by Henry and Alex Seeley and their story isn’t a traditional church route. Moving from Australia, the Seeley’s felt God calling them to the USA. Their website details ‘… in April 2012, they began opening their home on Tuesday nights for people to worship, encounter God and build genuine community in a city where people’s personal and spiritual lives often succumb to the transient nature of ‘life on the road’. Within a few months, their basement was at capacity and subsequently The Belonging was born.’  

The Belonging demonstrates a key church planting principle; being aware of the nature of the city and reaching it accordingly. Nashville is filled with professional musicians. Many of them are unavailable at the weekends and so a traditional Sunday service was less of an option. By having their main gathering on a Tuesday evening, (they now also do Sunday evenings but still, no 10.30am slot on a Sunday), The Belonging provided a space where many of Nashville’s creative community, Christian and secular, to belong to a community of faith. To hear more about their story, it’s worth watching this interview with Alex Seeley.

With such a musical community, The Belonging’s first album is unsurprisingly strong. Featuring Grammy nominated singer Kari Jobe and husband Coby Carnes (they both are apart of the church), the album also involves senior pastor Henry Seeley, Meredith Andrews and Sarah Reeves. It’s also pretty long: 17 tracks, many of them over 5 minutes!

The songs of All The Earth carry a powerful sense of God’s presence. There are plenty of moments where only the musicians play giving plenty of space for reflection, personal songs and waiting on the Holy Spirit. The lyrics are powerful, many calling for deeper intimacy with God. A particular stand-out track, as the USA experiences terrible storms and weather, is the track “Peace Be Still” themed around the greatness of God over the wind, waves and storms of life.

Fans of Elevation Worship, Hillsong and Bethel will find this album a welcome addition. That said, The Belonging have their own sound and it’s needed and impacting. Go out and get All The Earth!

Visit The Belonging Co’s website here.

You can listen to the album on Spotify, purchase it on iTunes or anywhere good Christian music is sold!