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by Mark Smeby for the Music Channel at crosswalk.com
There's something unique about {{Charles Billingsley}}. He's an artist that is driven by his passion for the Church. At a time when many Christian artists are getting criticized for being too "pop," or too "secular," Charles is standing in the far corner of the ring raising the banner for a music ministry that belongs solely in the church. There's something different about his music. You wouldn't necessarily call it praise and worship - even though there are elements of praise throughout. There's no question that Charles' music is unabashedly Christ-focused. Songs that talk about The Blood, or The Lamb, or The Cross are hard to find on the radio these days, yet Charles still manages to have his songs climb the charts. His brand new project, ==Marks of the Mission== released September 5th, and is positioned to reach an audience of church-goers who have been waiting for an artist who combines a passion for theology and doctrine, with the talent and charisma to deliver it with style and insight.
We've put together a collection of info on Charles to help you get to known him better. Dive in!
Click to hear a clip from "I Will See You" 
feature story by
Mike & Paula Parker
for the Music Channel
at crosswalk.com
It doesn't take a leap of faith to equate the rowdy, exuberant, over-the-top lead singer of youth group favorite, {{NewSong}}, with the laid-back, coiffed-up, and buttoned-down soloist that {{Charles Billingsley}} has become. But it might require you to stretch your imagination just a bit. Billingley laughes heartily at the comparison.
"I love those guys," he says with unabashed enthusiasm. He has even entertained an offer to return to the group for six months out of the year. Still, he believes his true calling to be that of a solo artist, and even six months with the band would severely cut into his phenomenal schedule of 230-240 solo dates per year. And while NewSong has great youth appeal, Billingsley believes his ministry is directed toward the whole body of the church, at believers from six-years-old to eighty.
Click to hear a clip from "Marks of the Mission" "I am trying to do what I am called to do," he says simply. "And that is to minister to people through song, to lead people to Jesus through song. 95% of what I do is inside the church, and if (the song) has a beat you're already pushing it. After 1610 concerts in the past seven years, I feel like I know my audience pretty well. And I certainly want to push them, musically. I want to stretch the envelope, but I don't want to rip it."
Billingsley's 2nd project with Pamplin Records, ==Marks of the Mission==, caters to the conservative values, both theologically and musically, of its target audience - churchgoers. And he is the first to admit that the album is not a ground-breaker, either musically or lyrically. Click to hear a clip from "Holy One" "There is nothing on it that will make you go, 'Wow! That was amazing!,' he confesses unapologetically. "I hope this doesn't sound shallow, but I tend to make the message as simple to understand as possible. I figure if I've got three minutes to get this one message across, I can't afford to be real vague. I can't afford to be real artsy. If they only have one chance to hear it, I don't want there to be any question about what it means."
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