What makes a man with a secure, well paid job chuck it in to face the have-guitar-will-travel insecurities of full time Christian music ministry? A call from God, that's what. NICK STEPHENS spoke to Andrew Long.

Nick Stephens

Nick Stephens is one of the new breed of up and coming singer/songwriters emerging in Britain with a heart for ministry and an ear willing to listen to God's direction. His latest album 'Nick Stephens Live' will see him entering into a full time music ministry that many will experience for the first time at 1995's Christian festivals.

Nick was born in London and moved to Maidstone as a student at the Art College there. He was already playing music prior to his conversion to Christianity, and is a skilled lead guitarist. Whilst still at the college he became a Christian at the Church Of The Nations in Maidstone and on completion of his studies he remained in Maidstone, where he opened up a graphic design company. Nick is married to Imogen and they have two daughters, one aged three and a half and the other a very recent arrival.

Around three years ago Nick felt it was time to give up his business and began heading towards a full time ministry, taking up missionary work with the church. He has since been used by God in many areas. He was part of a team that planted a church in St Tropez, an area which he describes as being previously very lacking in Christian witness. Indeed this project was on the receiving end of a series of spiritual attacks.

In the spring of 1993 Nick went to Romania where he was involved in a March For Jesus in Timisoira. This proved to be a very successful visit and Nick may well return to Romania in the future.

Nick doesn't consider himself a one-man ministry. "My wife Imogen is very much my partner in ministry, it is a complimentary partnership and we are growing in our experience. Imogen often goes with me on ministry trips and recently she has been leading various church groups in the South West where we have been very encouraged in our ministry together."

Nick describes his musical influences as very broad. His main skill is on the electric guitar but he has adapted his songs to the acoustic guitar with various alternative tunings in the style of artists like John Martin. Nick's voice is both powerful and flexible. His early compositions contain a lot of Scripture and testimony and he was initially reluctant to write outside of this 'safe' territory, but more recently his songs, whilst still very much ministry-orientated, show a more personal side in which Nick is now willing to expose his own feelings and experiences.

Nick has released several cassettes over the last seven years and has been working on his instrumentation and recording techniques. The new album was recorded live before an invited audience at Hollingbourne Hall in Kent. It should be in people's hands by the time you read this.

"The purpose of this album," says Nick, "is to show people exactly what I sound like performing solo with an acoustic guitar. It contains some of my more vigorous, rhythmic, up-tempo stuff and is very much an album honouring God for what he's given me, the vision and the strength to write. I believe the songs are direct and enjoyable with accessible hooks and positive themes, focussing on the solution rather than the problem."

'Nick Stephens Live' is initially a self-distributed release and has been launched with a select series of live dates. Nick doesn't want to run ahead of God before the right time. He summed up his ministry as "working with hurting people, invoking team ministry and church encouragement."