Bethel Music CEO Joel Taylor detailed his resignation from the popular worship ministry on social media.
Taylor, together with co-founders Brian and Jenn Johnson, helped establish Bethel Music in 2009. The music ministry, which was founded to promote songs from the charismatic Bethel Church in Redding, California, today has a global audience of over two million monthly listeners and a social media following of over four million.
When Taylor announced his intention to leave Bethel Music on Instagram, he reflected on the ministry's humble beginnings. In founding the label, his team entrusted God with their big dreams despite the hardship they faced at that time. He shared that they had no investment capital and little support, so with the small profit, he managed to hire a part-time bookkeeper and an intern. The music industry was in steep decline, and record firms were laying off thousands of people.
Apart from financial distress and low support, the group also received tremendous discouragement from people. No radio would play worship music back then, he said, they were told that they wouldn't be on the radio. He also shared that people rejected them as much as they want to bring worship on world tours. However, despite the struggle, they hold onto God's words and believed that impossible things could happen.
Also Read: Bethel Worship Leader Says Pandemic Helped Him Realize His Identity Wasn't Founded In Christ
Trusting God In Trouble
"I am excited to do it again," he wrote, continuing to trust God the way he trusted Him back then. He said that he's grateful for his time with Bethel in Redding and would leave with a grateful heart.
For people asking what his next steps are, the record label founder just said that he's still in deep pursuit of God, seeking his truth, presence, and direction. He shared that he's being careful not to get lost as a lot of noise and distractions were there. He said that he has a lot of plans and opportunities ahead yet Jesus led him to his greatest call which is to love God, himself, and other people. He said that he'll be focusing more on that with his next step.
As he thanked people for their love and support, he also announced that his family would be moving to Franklin, Tennessee where the next chapter of his and his family's life would begin.
Trusting God In Victory
While Taylor has been an integral part of Bethel Music's success behind the scenes, he is likely best known in the public eye for his son Jaxon's amazing recovery from an E.Coli illness.
When Jaxon, then two years old, developed the virus in December 2017, doctors expected him to die. His kidney illness had spread, and doctors hurried him into surgery, fearing he wouldn't make it through the night.
Joel and his wife Janie took to social media to seek prayers for their baby, as well as their four-year-old daughter Addie, who was also hospitalized with the infection, but it was not as severe.
In response to Jaxon's midst of suffering in the weeks following his operation, Jonathan David and Melissa Hesler of Bethel wrote, "Raise a Hallelujah."
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