At the heart of the NRB Convention each year is worship, grounding Christian communicators in the why behind their calling. This year’s musical moments are led by a range of distinct voices, each bringing a deeply personal and theologically grounded approach to worship.
We sat down with a few of them to talk about their journeys, how they understand worship, and what they hope to offer this gathering of Christian communicators.
Clark Beckham: The theology of un-hiddenness
NRB: You have a unique background, moving from a very religious upbringing to the mainstream stage on American Idol. How did your journey into authentic faith begin?
Clark Beckham: “I pretty much grew up getting a relationship with the religion of Christianity…lifting your hands…remembering Bible verses. But I didn’t really have a relationship with God. It was just the actions.”
“Someone asked me, ‘Why are you a Christian?’ And I really thought about it honestly, and I realized that the true answer was because I was born in Tennessee. So, I was like a closeted atheist for a year or two when I was 16.”
“It all came to a head [at a youth camp]. …I finally was like, ‘God, You’re real. And if You’re real, …that means I have to give You everything.’ Because no one in their right mind would believe God is real…and continue to live the way that they think is best.”
NRB: How would you define worship?
Beckham: “The main [Scripture] for worship that I think is the most impactful is the woman at the well in John chapter 4. She was at the well at noon, when no one’s there, so she could be alone. …Jesus says, ‘True worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth.’ That word ‘truth’ is alethea. It’s a compound word, …so ‘unhiddenness’ is the literal translation.
“Jesus is full of grace and truth. Same word, alethea. He’s the great unhider. He said, ‘I can give you this living water, but first I need to unhide you a little bit. And we have to come out of hiding from the barricade of shame and fear and not believing that He is for us.’
“Because what’s the first thing that Adam and Eve did when they sinned? They hid, and He’s been trying to unhide us ever since. Worship is that invitation to come out of hiding, to come into the full contact of God’s glory. The lyrics lead us to come out of hiding, into coming out of agreement with lies, which is what hides us from God.”
NRB: How do you prepare to lead others into worship without it becoming a performance?
Beckham: “The best advice I got on this in worship leading…is a quote from Eddie James, who said: ‘The best way to make people hungry is to eat in front of them.’”
NRB: What can attendees expect from your sessions, particularly the Closing Gala?
Beckham: “I’m so excited to show people the depths of God’s beauty in harmony. He’s the God of complex harmony. …Let’s experience His image in this way.”
“I’m doing soul jazz arrangements of worship songs. … Me on a grand piano with a saxophone player or a cellist. I think sometimes we have forgotten how God is the God of these beautiful harmonies, and we can feel His presence and Spirit in enjoying that gift that comes from Him.”
Anne Elise Sherrod: Worshiping with the communicators
NRB: The convention gathers Christian communicators and leaders from across media and ministry. How does that context shape the way you’re thinking about worship for this service?
Anne Elise Sherrod: “Being in a room worshiping with people who are equipped to reach so many people is just so powerful. As worship leaders, we need the worship just as much as people in the congregation. In our day and age, with media being such a strong point of connection with so many people, I think it’s such a powerful tool. …I’m really looking forward to it.”
NRB: How do you define worship?
Sherrod: “Worship is ultimately the way that we praise God, and worship can be in so many different areas of life. …I view all of it as worship when your heart’s in the right place. Worship through music is so powerful because it can communicate in ways that words fail to.”
NRB: What characteristics of God ground you personally when you step on stage?
Sherrod: “Just reading the Gospels, seeing how Jesus interacted with people… was just so unique. … God being so perfect, but coming down to reach the most broken. And not only that, He sought out the most broken of the broken … the people that were seen as outcasts.”
Brett Perkins with Journey Worship Co.: “The Gospel out front”
NRB: Can you share a bit of your personal journey, how God first drew you into musical worship, and how that calling has taken shape over time?
Brett Perkins: “I grew up in a Christian and very musical home. My dad was always my worship leader. My dad’s dad was a pastor who also traveled around singing in a family quartet. My mom’s mom was our organ player. And my dad’s cousin played the piano. Anytime the doors of the church were opened, we were there! It was just a part of life. Anytime a service was happening, someone from my family was leading the music in some capacity. It’s all I knew.
“When I was 11 years old, my dad was getting into learning guitar. I would go into his room to listen to him practice. One day he surprised me with my own $50 guitar and he said, ‘I think you’ll enjoy learning with me.’ That gift changed my life. It became the way I would eventually start serving in my small student ministry. And it would eventually become what God called me to do the rest of my life.”
NRB: The convention gathers Christian communicators and leaders from across media and ministry. How does that context shape the way you’re thinking about worship for this service?
Perkins: “We are all in the communication business, and it’s the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ coming into the world to save sinners—that we’re ultimately communicating. For me as a worship leader preparing to lead the people of God in any context, the Gospel has to be out front.
“I believe our congregational worship is a response to truth. Truth is in the Word of God. So, we will open the Word, we’ll interact with the realities that are ours in Christ, and then we will respond with songs that help us think rightly about God. The hope is that we will leave this gathering with a better understanding of the One who we all have given our lives to communicate about.”
NRB: What do you hope attendees experience or carry with them after worshiping together at NRB 2026?
Perkins: “Anytime believers get together to worship, their view of God is at stake. I pray that we will leave with [a] better understanding of who God is, a greater awareness of His presence, a deeper gratitude for what He has done for us, and higher dependence of His Spirit as our help.”
Learn more about these and other opportunities to enjoy musical worship at NRB 2026:
- World by Media Forum with Sean Rodriguez | 3–4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17
- Opening Session with Michael W. Smith, Nicole C. Mullen, and Lipscomb University Gospel Choir with Aaron Howard | 7–9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17
- Morning Devotion & Worship with Clark Beckham | 8:15–8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18
- Morning Devotion & Worship with Justin Barnett | 8:15–8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19
- Worship Service with Journey Worship Co. | 8–9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18
- Breakfast to Honor Israel* with Omer Netzer | 7–8:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19
- NRB Freedom 250 Celebration with Shine, a cappella group for Liberty University’s School of Music | 7–9:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 19
- Morning Devotion & Worship with Anne Elise Sherrod | 8:15–8:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20
- Closing Gala* with Clark Beckham | 6–8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20
The NRB 2026 International Christian Media Convention will take place in Nashville, Tenn., February 17–20, 2026. For more details and to register, visit nrbconvention.org.
*Ticketed meal event with limited seating.
Check out Sean Rodriguez on his website SeanRodriguezMusic.com and on social media.
IG: @seanrodriguezmusic | FB: Sean Rodriguez | X: @SeanBERodriguez
Check out Michael W. Smith on his website MichaelWSmith.com and on social media.
IG: @mwsmithofficial | FB: Michael W. Smith | YT: @MichaelWSmithVEVO
Check out Nicole C. Mullen on her website NicoleCMullen.com and on social media.
IG: @nicolecmullenofficial | FB: OFFICIAL Nicole C. Mullen | X: @nicoleCmullen | YT: @nicolecmullenmusic
Check out Lipscomb University Gospel Choir and Aaron Howard on social media.
IG: @aaronhowardphd | @lipscombgospelchoir
Check out Omer Netzer on social media.
IG: @omer_netzer_official | FB: Omer Netzer | YT: @OmerNetzer
Check out Justin Barnett on social media.
IG: @justintbarnett
Check out Journey Worship Co. on their website JourneyWorshipCo.com and on social media.
IG: @journeyworshipco | FB: Journey Worship Co. | X: @JourneyWorshipC | YT: @JourneyWorshipCo
Check out Liberty University Shine on social media.
IG: @shineacappella
Check out Anne Elise Sherrod on social media.
IG: @ anneelisesmusic
Check out Clark Beckham on his website ClarkBeckham.com and on social media.
IG: @clarkbeckham | FB: Clark Beckham | X: @ClarkBeckham | YT: @clarkbeckham
