For Bethany Wohrle, worship is more than music — it is a life shaped by God’s presence, faithfulness and hope in the midst of grief. A member of Bethel Music since 2018, the Nashville-based worship leader, wife and mother draws on years of ministry and deeply personal experiences for her debut solo project, “Reason to Sing”. In this conversation, Wohrle reflects on her calling, the family story that helped shape the album and why leading worship begins in the quiet, everyday work of walking with the Lord.

Caleb Louden: You’ve been a member of Bethel Music since 2018 and have appeared on several celebrated albums. You’re also a wife, mother to two boys and a resident of Nashville. When did your passion for leading worship begin, and how did it lead you to where you are today? I’d also love for you to share a little about your life, your family and this season you’re in.

Bethany Wohrle: I grew up in the church, born and raised in Florida, and went to the same church my entire upbringing. My dad was a worship leader and singer, and my family is fairly musical. From the time I could sing onstage in kids’church, singing “waves of mercy”, I was involved in worship in some way. The desire, passion and calling to leadworship really came when my family moved to California. My parents, my two older brothers and I all attended Bethel’s ministry school from 2010 to 2012. All of the worship in the school was student-led, so I became part of the student worship teams.

I think that was where my passion for leading worship really formed. I sang in church growing up, includingoffering specials, and there were moments in youth group when we could sense the Lord doing something. There were moments like that. But leading worship and leading people to the heart of the Father really began during my time at Bethel’s ministry school, probably around 2011 or 2012.

Since then, I’ve served as a worship pastor for young adult groups. My husband and I moved to Texas for a small stent, where I was a worship pastor and he was a music director. We met through ministry school, and we’ve just had our 10-year anniversary back in June.

It’s so fun to do ministry with him. He plays piano and synth, and he is a producer and songwriter. Now we live in Nashville with our two boys, Finley, 4, and Silas, 1. This season is full. Today, the 4-year-old has a fever and my 1-year-old is teething. My day-to-day manager who helps me with social media, text me to ask if I had anything to post on social media. And I was like, “Girl. You have permission to go and do all this stuff.” I was at capacity.

Before this interview, I came up to our attic studio to reset mentally and pray. I found myself saying, “Lord, even onmornings like this, I’m grateful that I know You and can call on the name of Jesus.” I’ve been in church my whole life, and I love the church. My passion for leading worship is not simply that I want to sing and travel. I want people to experience the true presence of the Lord.

On mornings like this, I’m reminded that I need my own history with the Lord — my own well to draw from and pour out — so that when I lead worship at my local church, it comes from what the Lord has been doing in me throughout the week.

Caleb Louden: You mentioned your siblings. How many are there?

Bethany Wohrle: I’m one of seven kids. I have four older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister. I’m the second youngest.

Caleb Louden: Your youngest sister is Lizzie, correct? I ask because she becomes part of the story behind your album. Speaking of that, you’re releasing your first solo project, Reason to Sing. It’s a beautiful album that clearly reflects God’s work in your life and your heart for Him. What is the history behind this album? What was God doing in your life as He gave birth to it through you?

Bethany Wohrle: I’ve been working on this album for several years. “All Authority,” the first song on the project, began with my first co-write, with Brian Johnson, probably 10 or 11 years ago. These songs have a lot of history with them.

“So Close” was a turning point for many of these songs. My sister and brother-in-law went through a traumatic and devastating loss when their 18-month-old little girl died unexpectedly. I had been working up toward an album, but I didn’t yet have the full direction. I was asking, “Lord, what do You want me to say? What do I want to say? This is a partnership with You.” I didn’t want to write songs just to add more noise to the world. I wanted them to have depth and meaning.

When that happened, I had a writing camp planned in Nashville. We were living in Texas at the time, and I was coming here to work more intentionally on the project. Out of that season came “So Close” and “Seen Too Much.” The Lord gripped my attention again with how faithful He has been in my life.

When I sat down to write these songs, I had notes on my phone from the days after my niece passed. Around that same season, Bill Johnson lost his wife, Beni, and he talked about being in the room when she was worshiping as she took her last breath. That picture came to mind when my niece died. I remember thinking, if I can position my heart to know that the Lord is good and faithful, that He is near to the brokenhearted, then I can worship even with questions, grief and pain.

I started writing things down as I felt them coming out — not songs yet, just honest notes as they came out. Some of them were angry. I asked the Lord, “Why did this happen? Was there anything I could have done? Did I not pray hard enough?” My mind was fumbling through questions.

Then my heart shifted. I remembered, “I’ve seen too much of God’s goodness.” I’ve seen Him do miracles. I’ve seen Him move in my life. I knew God was good, even though my whole family had experienced something deeply painful.

I knew I wanted to write an album that was hope-filled. “So Close” was written a little more than three years ago, but it still speaks to me. It came out of one specific place in my life, but it has helped me walk through other things too. I wanted the album to carry history and depth with the Lord in every song.

I’ve seen God do so much in my life. Thank God I prayed for the things that have actually come to pass. Hisfaithfulness has been so good that I can expect Him to continue to be faithful.

Caleb Louden: There is a powerful sense that these songs came from both personal wrestling and community. What was it like to walk through that season with your sister and family? Did it change those relationships?

Bethany Wohrle: One of the main reasons we had that conversation is that I was prepared to keep “So Close” and “Seen Too Much” in a box. I was willing for those songs to remain just for my family. But my sister told me several times, “Junie’s story needs to be told. The amount of people who walk through loss and do not feel like they come out on the other side is real.” You never get over the loss of someone deeply personal to you, but you can walk through it with the Lord. You can keep living and ministering to people. My sister and brother-in-law understood that quickly.

I didn’t want their loss or tragedy to benefit me as an artist. Obviously, in my life, I’ve walked through my own, you know. I was the first person there after the paramedics. I watched the paramedics do CPR on her, and I’m holding my sister. I told the Lord that if those songs were supposed to stay in a box forever, then that was what they were meant to do. But watching my sister and brother-in-law walk through grief stirred my faith. I remember thinking, “Lord, I don’t know if I could do this if this were my own child.”

I know people who have gone through loss and have not made it to the other side with the Lord. For some, it has damaged marriages or shaken their faith. So hearing my sister say, “I want people to know that God is still good,” stirred something in me. I believe there are lives that will be changed because of what they have walked through and how the Lord has given them courage and faith.

When I reach places where I need strength, I can draw on the history of watching my sister walk with the Lord through suffering. My sister was in the hospital. The day she got home from the hospital was the day that Junie passed. Six weeks later, they got in a car accident. She broke all kinds of stuff in her body, was in a body cast, just crazy stuff. And so to see that, I think that if they can keep walking with Him, then so can I.

Caleb Louden: That brings me to the role of a worship leader. How would you describe that calling — whether in relation to this album or more generally?

Bethany Wohrle: The main role of a worship leader is to bring people straight to the Father. We are not coming to church to make worship about ourselves or to process everything publicly onstage. That work happens in the secret place with the Lord. When we gather, our job is to point people to Jesus and lead from the overflow of what He has been doing in us.

Preparation is part of that calling. If we come prepared — in mind, spirit and practice — it gives room for the Lord to do what He wants to do. I can practice the song I’m leading on Sunday morning and be ready, not because I want to control the service, but because I want to be available as a vessel. If the Lord wants to move differently, then so be it. Preparation makes room for the prophetic and the spontaneous.

I think young worship leaders sometimes see spontaneous moments and wonder how they happen. A lot of it comes from preparation, repetition and meditation. When a song has become part of you, you can lead it with freedom. Ultimately, the goal is simple: point people to Jesus, come prepared and be ready for whatever the Lord wants to do.

Photo: @BethanyWohrle/Instagram