Stuart Townend (born 1963) is an English Christian

worship leader Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many w ...

and writer of

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s and

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are fr ...

. His songs include "

In Christ Alone "In Christ Alone" is a popular modern Christian song written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, both songwriters of Christian hymns and contemporary worship music in the United Kingdom. The song, with a strong Irish melody, is the first h ...

", (2001, co-written with

Keith Getty Julian Keith Getty OBE (born 16 December 1974) is a Northern Irish Christian singer and songwriter, best known for writing the modern hymn "In Christ Alone" in 2001 with veteran songwriter and worship leader Stuart Townend. Getty and his wif ...

, Townend's first collaboration with any other songwriter), "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", "Beautiful Saviour" and "The King of Love". As of 2008,

Christian Copyright Licensing International Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) is a privately owned company that was founded in the US in 1988 by Howard Rachinski. CCLI was launched after being developed by Rachinski for 3½ years while he was a music minister at a large ch ...

(CCLI) lists "In Christ Alone" in its Top 25 CCLI Songs list.

Career

Townend, son of a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

vicar in

Sowerby Bridge Sowerby Bridge ( ) is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The Calderdale Council ward population at the 2011 census was 11,703. History The town was originally a fording point over the once muc ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

has three older siblings. His father, Rev. John Townend, was vicar of Christ Church,

from 1974 until his death in a motor accident in 1985. Townend started learning to play the piano at age 7.
"Biography of Stuart Townend"
BBC Religion and Ethics, 2004, accessed 1 May 2005 At the age of 13, he made a Christian commitment, and began songwriting at age 22. He studied literature at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. He is married with three children. Townend has led worship and performed events across the world at conferences and festivals, including the Stoneleigh Bible Week in the early 1990s to the early 2000s,

Keswick Convention The Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of conservative evangelical Christians in Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria. The Christian theological tradition of Keswickianism, also known as the Higher Life movement, became popularise ...

and

Spring Harvest Spring Harvest is an inter-denominational evangelical conference and gathering in the United Kingdom that started in 1979. The festival arose in the late 1970s at a time when evangelicalism was growing in the UK and there was uncertainty as to ...

. He has appeared on ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

'' and worked with other Christian musicians, including

, Lou Fellingham and

Phatfish Phatfish (1994–2014) were a Christian rock, CCM and worship band. They lived in Brighton, England and spent twenty years writing and performing their own brand of worship-oriented rock, as well as leading worship both in the UK and acros ...

. In 2005, ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

'' magazine described Townend as "one of the most significant songwriters in the whole international Christian music field". The Christian website Crosswalk.com commented, "the uniqueness of Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing".

Honours

In June 2017, he was awarded the

Cranmer Award for Worship The Lambeth Awards are awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In addition to the Lambeth degrees, there are a number of non-academic awards. Before 2016, these awards consisted of the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross, and the Cross of St Augu ...

by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

"for his outstanding contribution to contemporary worship music".

Discography

Audio

* ''Classical Praise Piano: Come Holy Spirit'' (1995) * ''Say the Word'' (1997) * ''Personal Worship'' (2001) * ''Lord of Every Heart'' (2002) * ''Monument to Mercy'' (2006) * ''The Best of Stuart Townend Live'' (2007) * ''There is a Hope'' (live) (2008) * ''Creation Sings'' (2009) * ''The Journey'' (2011) * ''Ultimate Collection'' (2012) * ''The Paths of Grace'' (2014) * ''The Best of Stuart Townend Live, Volume 2'' (2015) * ''In Christ Alone: Songs of Stuart Townend & Keith Getty'' (2016) * ''Courage'' (2018)

Audio—featuring Townend

* Stoneleigh Bible Week albums, 1994–2001 * Mandate—''O Church Arise'' * Mandate—''See What A Morning'' *

Newfrontiers Newfrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) is a neo-charismatic church network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 1950s and 1960s co ...

albums, 2004–2006 * Mission:Worship albums, 2006–present *

—''Hope—Unplugged Live'' (2002) *

albums, 2007–present *

albums

Video

* ''There is a Hope'' (live) (DVD 2008) * ''Creation Sings'' (DVD 2009)

Video—featuring Townend

* Mission:Worship—''Just One Touch From The King'' (DVD 2007) * ''Worship From The Abbey'' (DVD 2007) *

—''There Is A Day'' (DVD 2006) *

—''Hope—Unplugged Live'' (VHS 2002)

With Keith Getty

*''The Apostles' Creed'' *''In Christ Alone''

References

External links

* Debra Akins
10 Questions With Stuart Townend
(Crosswalk.com) * Stuart Townend
"Tips for writing a successful hymn"
originally posted in BBC Religion and Ethics, 2004
There is a Hope
album review {{DEFAULTSORT:Townend, Stuart Christian hymnwriters English hymnwriters English evangelicals Evangelical Anglicans Alumni of the University of Sussex Performers of contemporary worship music Living people British performers of Christian music 1963 births Place of birth missing (living people) People from Halifax, West Yorkshire