At Mars Hill West Seattle, we are blessed with rockin’, soulful, funky bands and band leaders who love Jesus, and lead us in musical worship each Sunday and during special events. This series will introduce us to the folks who rock the flock for Jesus.

Brian Ward

What’s your current role at Mars Hill West Seattle?

I lead the band Loma and am currently the point person for all things music-related here at MH West Seattle.

Tell us about yourself – job/family?

I’ve been a web developer for over ten years working for a company in Redmond. Teresa and I met in West Seattle while attending Doxa Church (which later merged with MH to form the West Seattle campus). We’ve been married for three years and are expecting a baby boy this December. I’m thrilled as I will finally have someone to play Legos with.

When did you become a Christian?

I was fortunate to meet Jesus at a young age and understood early on that I was a screwed-up sinner that needed his grace to make sense of this broken world. However, during many of my high school and college years I pushed God to the curb believing I could come up with a better plan for my life than what he wanted for me. God continued to pursue me through my pride and sin until I finally reached the end of myself, broken and hurting, asking God to forgive me and repenting for the ways I hurt him and those around me. God has grown me significantly since then as I’ve learned to trust him to make sense of this life and strive to share this hope and joy with all those who also broken and hurting.

Where are you from & how did you end up in West Seattle?

I grew up in Woodinville, attended Western Washington University, moved back to Seattle after graduation and ultimately found myself leading music at a church on the eastside. I then got a call in 2003 from a friend attending Doxa Church in West Seattle asking if I could come lead music for a couple weeks while they searched for a new music pastor. During the first month there God made it clear that he wanted me to continue serving at Doxa, which then lead to me meeting Teresa, getting married, and making the decision to call WS home.

When did you first set foot in Mars Hill?

I visited MH once many years ago when it met down in the U-District. I found it to very strange, yet intriguing, to see how God was using this funky little church to share Jesus with a bunch of crazy punk kids from Seattle. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to then see all that God had been doing in and through this funky little church when Doxa and Mars Hill joined forces in 2006. God has used the two years since to challenge and grow me towards Jesus like never before. I pray that he will continue to use this crazy punk kid to continue to share the hope of Jesus with our community and all of Seattle in the coming years.

How did God lead you into playing music?

My mother would say my music career started with karaoke versions of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” being sung into a turkey baster at age 4, though I tend to dismiss these “early years” as having any great influence on my musical growth (though some might disagree).

For years I dreamed about being a musician and playing in a band. I started to learn the guitar around the same time I discovered a variety of local and underground music. I spent most of my free time going to all-ages concerts to watch other young kids in a garage play their instruments WAY too loud for an audience of twelve. The experience was inspiring and intoxicating, and God started to show me both the power of music and ultimately how he desired for me to worship him. The phrase “joyful noise” in Psalm 66 finally made sense to me.

I then spent about 8 years playing in various bands in college and around Seattle as I wrestled with God for control of my life and for control of my music as a source of meaning and identity. Thankfully God allowed for this idol to be torn down and rebuilt as a tool for me to then use to serve and celebrate the work that Jesus continues to do in my life.

What’s a favorite section of text from the Bible?

Jeremiah 29:11

What was the last movie you really enjoyed?

I just saw The Prestige for the first time two weeks ago and it blew my mind. I’ve always loved Christopher Nolan’s movies, with Memento as an all-time favorite, but I think The Prestige just knocked it off the list. It’s one of those movies that you can’t help but think about for days afterward as you try to make sense of every little detail.

Your current favorite music/artist/albums?

Jason Faulkner – an amazing songwriter/musician from LA in the vein of McCartney/Elvis Costello

Fleet Foxes – a great local band that’s getting a ton of well-deserved national attention right now.

Grizzly Bear – a hypnotic pop/folk/experimental 4-piece from Brooklyn. Their albums might take a couple listens to appreciate, but once they get in your head they never leave.