Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech Headline 25-Artist “House of Worship” Project Reimagining Classic Worship Songs

On February 6, 2024, twenty-five leading voices in Contemporary Christian, Gospel, and country music convened at World Wide Stages in Spring Hill, Tennessee, just south of Nashville.

Under the stewardship of forty-five-time GMA Dove Award recipient Michael W. Smith and Dove Award winner Darlene Zschech, the collective assembled to craft House of Worship, a collaborative album that breathes new life into beloved worship anthems through intergenerational duet arrangements.

The project features an all-star roster, including Brenton Brown; Brian and Jenn Johnson; Brian Doerksen; CeCe Winans; Charity Gayle; Chris Brown of Elevation Worship; Christy Nockels; Chris McClarney; Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes; Darlene Zschech; Ed Cash of We The Kingdom; Hillary Scott of Lady A; Israel Houghton; Josh Baldwin; Leeland Mooring; Martin Smith; Matt Redman; Mitch Wong; Naomi Raine; Pat Barrett; Paul Baloche; and Tim Hughes.

House of Worship is slated for release in January 2026 via The Fuel Music.

The first single reunites Zschech with seventeen-time Grammy Award winner CeCe Winans on a fresh interpretation of Zschech’s 1994 classic “Shout to the Lord,” originally recorded with Hillsong Music.

“Every song is a prayer rising—not from artists, but from sons and daughters crying out to God together,” Zschech shares.

Captured in-the-round at World Wide Stages with all twenty-five participants present, the album was executive produced by Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech, with Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury) and John Hartley (Twila Paris, Leigh Nash) producing. The session lineup includes Smith on piano, Mabury on drums, Dwan Hill on keyboards, and Stu Garrard on guitar.

“While planning the recording of House of Worship, our goal was to gather friends from the worship community to sing some of the most cherished congregational songs,” Smith explains. “We were humbled by the outpouring of support from worship leaders worldwide, who not only committed to the session but joined the worship circle for each track. The unity of purpose, spontaneous moments, and palpable presence of the Spirit made the experience unforgettable.”

Discussions are also underway to premiere House of Worship on the big screen nationwide alongside the album release.

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