Former frontman of Delirious? Martin Smith says he is on a mission to get the Church dancing.

 

Martin Smith became a household name when he was fronting Delirious?, but since the band called it a day, he’s begun a one-man mission to put dance floors at the top of every worship leader’s shopping list!

Sitting behind a keyboard and ever so softly spoken, Martin Smith doesn’t quite carry any kind of whirling dervish aura. That’s right up until you realise that this is the man who has recently produced a set of records about ‘God’s Great Dance Floor’ and toured the country helping people out of their pews and into their dancing shoes!

It’s not that Martin’s doing a brand new thing, though. “I think the vision was and always is to create an environment where God comes and meets people and people can meet God,” he explains.

“I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that. Obviously the songs change, and what you write about, but in general, it’s really as simple as that. I just want the Church to be blessed.”

The God’s Great Dance Floor project was eagerly anticipated, and just as eagerly received by fans around the world, who were hungry for a hit of Martin’s vocal stylings. But for the man himself, it’s all about the impact the music could have.

“Obviously it’s exciting for me to get some new songs out there, but I think the vision is to get the Church dancing again. That’s the title and that’s the vision. It’s that sense of joy and celebration that maybe we’ve missed a little bit and I just wanted to help people find the joy of being a Christian again.

“I think it’s important because worship, in its basic element, is thanksgiving. We should be the most thankful people on the planet. We’ve got a God that’s saved us, and that in itself should make us incredibly grateful people. And when you’re excited and happy about something, it always spills out into this physical motion!

“When your team scores a goal, everyone stands up! I think that’s the same in worship. In some cultures, they do that more naturally, and maybe in the West we’re a bit more reserved, but that joy and celebration is a great witness.

“The world looks at a celebrating Church and says, ‘Wow! They’re really having an amazing time! I’d like to have a bit of that!’ I think that Church needs to be a place of joy and celebration, because it’s the sound that draws people in.”

Even if you’re not up for leaping around the sanctuary this Sunday, Martin certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to worship.

“I think worship is your heart response to God isn’t it? Whatever style of music you’re playing, I think it’s important to make sure that your heart is always beating towards God – and that’s what worship is about.”

More than offering advice, though, these are words that the singer tries to make sure he lives by. “That’s what I try to do,” he says, “to keep my heart in a good place, keep my hands clean and make sure that everything I do is for the glory of God. Whether it’s ten people or a lot of people, the ability to do that just comes with time.”

You might not think much when Martin mentions ‘a lot of people’, but we’re not talking about hundreds any more. Delirious? played to crowds of up to 20,000 on occasions, and that’s definitely more than your local worship leader has to cope with. For Martin, it’s something that you have to take in your stride. “I don’t really think about that sort of thing, to be honest. You know, you’re getting on with your life and you hope that God uses you to be a voice to people. I suppose he’s, at times, given me that privilege, but I think that when you’re involved in a local church, that sort of stuff dissolves because you’re involved in everyday life.”

Staying grounded and true to himself may have helped Martin down the years, but it’s also helped anyone that’s ever sung one of the many songs that he wrote that draw on his own personal walk with God, some of which came out of the more intimate moments of his life. “That’s what artists and writers do,” he says, straightforwardly.

“They share a little bit of their heart so that people can be touched by that. Not all that we write about is autobiographical, but I think that you can definitely see from the new stuff that it’s been a journey and it’s important to make sure that you take people on that journey and let people know that life isn’t always perfect and there are struggles along the way.”

Neither is life all struggle, though. The joy of Christianity isn’t restricted to singing in church, and Martin loves knowing that God’s got everything under control.

“I think the assurance of waking up every day and knowing that God’s got a plan is my favourite thing about being a Christian. You know, it’s great to know that we don’t have to worry. That’s an amazing thing.”

“That and also community. You’re part of a global community of people who are like-minded and that’s an amazing thing.” To have such a joyful attitude having closed the Delirious? chapter of his life shows just what Martin is all about, and he’s actually learned a great deal from the end of the band. “I think the biggest thing I’ve realised through finishing Delirious? is that people are the most important. We had an amazing team and it’s important to honour people in the right way. I think that’s the most important thing. The fact that we were able to end it in a good place with the people was a great thing.

“Sometimes you can’t go forward until you’ve gone back, you know? But I think that season was ended well.”

With all the excited energy flying around Martin’s music and the grand size of his mission to get the Church moving in time to it, you might expect him to be chomping at the bit to make things different. But with a new group of people to get to know as part of his band, things take time.

“I think that what I’ve learnt is that you can’t rush anything. You can’t get the idea and then be, ‘Right, this is what we’re going to do tomorrow!’ There’s a God-timing thing that is a bit like a tea bag in a tea pot. It takes time to brew and it takes time for it to be ready. After all, we only see in part. But slowly and silently, while we’re all making a right royal racket and getting excited about what God has done, maybe he’ll de doing something else in our midst.”

 

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