Evolution of 1980's Worship - A Cappella Medley

A Cappella Arrangement by David Wesley
The 1980's is a decade marked by the rise of many gifted songwriters for the Church - many of whom are still active and celebrated today. This medley of 25 songs is the soundtrack of my childhood - though it did take my own church (and hymnbook publishers) a few years to catch on to these soon-to-be classics. I hope you enjoy remembering what the songwriters of the 1980's had to say to and about our great God and Saviour.
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Song List:
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00:00 Create In Me a Clean Heart
00:29 In Moments Like These
00:53 King of Kings
01:04 I Will Call Upon The Lord
01:18 All Hail King Jesus
01:37 El Shaddai
01:56 There is a Redeemer
02:16 Change My Heart O God
02:34 People Need The Lord
02:53 Holy Ground
03:12 Come Into the Holy of Holies
03:31 As The Deer
03:47 Thy Word
03:57 He is Exalted
04:21 Victory Chant
04:34 My Life is In You
04:46 Blessed Be The Name of The Lord
05:04 Shine Jesus Shine
05:21 I Stand in Awe
05:42 Holy and Anointed One
06:04 Celebrate Jesus
06:14 Awesome God
06:27 God Is The Strength Of My Heart
06:44 Faithful One
07:01 Lord I Lift Your Name on High
07:41 Outro
#acapella #worship #praise #christianmusic

[@qienna6677]

Man, now I'm wishing you could do a Keith Green medley. His music changed so many people.

[@becklyn3]

He is my favorite

[@ryanpasmore3676]

My fave too!!

[@becklyn3]

@@ryanpasmore3676 I was born in 89, so after he had already passed, but my mom played his music a lot due to him being instrumental in her coming to Christ. My mom shared the gospel with me at a young age and we listened to Keith and second chapter of acts which was a great influence on me. I am playing his music to my kids now, He truly was a man on fire for Christ.

[@jaimelleigh]

That would be awesome!

[@KevinHalloran]

Co-sign!

[@karaleone1627]

I was born in ‘85, so these and the 1990s medleys made my childhood!! Love it!!❤

[@sharonsyearofjubilee]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I remember everyone of these songs! I love everyone of these songs! Thank you for sharing your God given talent!

[@bunnybachman]

The ones I remember most and bring tears to my eyes are the ones I learned in my home church in my hometown. It was in the early 90's for me. I Exhalt Thee, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, People Need The Lord, I Will Call Upon The Lord, All Hail King Jesus, El Shaddai, There Is A Redeemer, As The Deer, Awesome God. Thank you so much!

[@yunmary]

Thank you David Wesley for making this medley of beautiful songs. I love these songs and still sing them ❤ They accompanied me in my journey of faith. Thank you.

[@MagdalenaLilla]

This will be on repeat for a very long time! So many favorites!! To God be the Glory!

[@mta1864]

Saved by God's grace in 1989 and all these songs were in full rotation! Praise God! Thank you David for this wonderful collection!

[@SpecialAngelArtDolls]

I was a 90s kid (1990), so there were a very few of these I don't recall ever hearing, but most of these songs brought back floods of memories... listening to the choir sing in the first church I can remember attending as a toddler and thinking that was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard... riding in my dad's truck and later my mom's van with my younger siblings, singing "He Is Exalted" on full volume... Being in a children's choir when I was maybe six years old and learning "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" as our very first round... singing with my parents in church... singing along with so, so many of these songs on the radio... becoming a Christian in 2006 and playing and singing some of these with my beloved Bible study group... visiting some friends' youth group at their church... So many wonderful recollections. Sometimes I heard these songs over and over to the point that they seemed to lose their meaning, were endlessly stuck in my head, and I would groan over whichever one was currently being overplayed. But today I happy cried listening to this beautiful medley. Thank you for the incredibly long and hard work you do. It really does touch lives and hearts. I've loved every medley, just never been brave enough to comment.

[@DavidWesley]

Glad you stepped out of the shadows to provide feedback! I think many people are having similar experiences listening to this.

[@jan_777]

My experience is different. Born in '81 and raised in Germany, it's interesting how many songs have also been sung in Germany, may be because of lack of German Christian musicians/songwriters at that time.

[@tana7256]

Me too!!!

[@Lynnda86]

​@@DavidWesley ❤ how does one join one of your choirs?

[@the_duke_is_luke]

Being born in ‘97, my childhood church was still using these in the early/mid 2000’s. In particular I remembered “I Will Call Upon the Lord,” “Thy Word is a Lamp onto My Feet,” “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” “Our God is an Awesome God” and “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” really brought back those Sunday mornings in church!

[@magicalfruitstudios4162]

I knew most of these songs, because my church mostly played these.

[@FiddleKat]

I didn't grow up hearing these until the 90's for most of these. I'm surprised they were from the 80's.

[@hollycompton6519]

I was a child of the 80's, but I didn't know any of these songs till my teen years in the 90's. I knew almost every song, and that music changed my life in amazing ways. Thank you so much for doing this. I cannot tell you how much it blessed me.

[@SleepingSpinet]

Another 90’s kid here- I had no idea most of the songs at church from that era were actually from the 80’s! So many great church & camp memories- more modern worship songs should be rounds! :) Shine Jesus Shine was my favorite worship song as a child (that and Cares Chorus). Thank you for this amazing medley!!

[@LSax5631]

I remember more of this generation of songs. ❤❤👏👏👏

[@lorelei9393]

I became a Christian in college and graduated in 1990. These songs take me back to that special time as a baby Christian. They shaped my life and love for the LORD. Thank you for all your hard work

[@Ransomed77]

Song of my past…still speaking truth today with a great to take! Thanks!

[@ChickenPermission617]

Wow. So I just discovered that the song Holy and Anointed One was the song my dad would sing to me as a kid when I had trouble sleeping. We’d sit in the rocking chair and he’d sing it. I never knew the name of it and here it was! Thanks for a great medley!

[@Yuquituki]

What a blessing to listen to this medley. Made me realize how blessed we were with these songs that shaped a generation. May God continue anointing songwriters. I was singing along!

[@PVJ1410]

Best worship songs and can be easily learnt and sung. Beautifully done.

[@ivanj.conway9919]

Thank you for reminding me of ones I had pretty much, forgotten. So much great music throughout the 80s even in worship music as well.

[@carolmccurdy6576]

I didn’t realize how many great songs were written in the 80’s! I knew all of these songs and loved singing along. Thank you once again for another great video.

[@DW-bc2gl]

Praise the Lord!!! 👏🙌 I remember these precious songs! Thanks for sharing!

[@jamieredden554]

Most definitely the sound track of my childhood and many of these songs live rent free in my head even still....but also makes me realize the first songbook I remember using in church wasn't as old as I thought it was and how with the times that church was trying to be

[@pamtan9358]

Thank you, this is lovely! Just the afternoon pick-me-up I needed!

[@thecomforterhascome2031]

PLEASE DO A 90’s MEDLEY!!! 😂 Thank you so much for this video

[@Polkadot2]

Took a year, but he did it!

[@marleneamata901]

That’s the soundtrack of my teen years in the Baptist church youth group! Let’s bring some of those songs back in our current worship sets 🎶❤️

[@belmer73]

I loved El Shadai in the ‘89s! Great song!

[@annaroode8594]

Things is great … walking down memory lane. Wish we still sang some of them.

[@WayneKitching]

I'm an Afrikaans guy from South Africa. We sang some of those songs at my high school in 1991 and our church started playing more contemporary music in about 1993, and I only only learnt), so it also took my church a few years to catch on.

[@chuchulainn9275]

That one guy holding up the signs. I hope we hear more of him. His voice is just... so powerful!

[@lindaknight64]

YES! YES! YES! AMEN! God bless you, brother!

[@felixgarcia9960]

Beautiful!!!! Praise The Father, Son and Holy Ghost!!

[@JoelNCurry]

That brings me back to stuff my dad used to play. Praise God!

[@olivajimenez1748]

I didn’t realize most of my fav worship jams were from the 80s

[@ytcarol]

Just beautiful! Thank you, I am blessed today.

[@HigherGroundMT]

I wasn’t even alive in the 80’s, but there are several of these that we still sing in my church 40 years later!

[@TxJanna]

WOW. I'm glad the KZbin machine showed this to me. I loved the memories of retreats and camp, and that little chorus book because it was ok to sign more than hymns in worship. There is so much that I appreciated listening to and seeing this. I didn't realize some of these were 80s songs, for I was doing them in college. I really am glad that we do still do some of them today.

[@miteshashtkar]

Miss my Sunday School days!! Thank you Bro. David

[@johnmckeon4498]

I didn't realize most of these songs were from the 80s. I grew up listening to them on CD in the car in the 2000s because of my parents. I'm glad for the exposure to such beautiful Christian music.

[@SmartySkirt]

I may have been born after this decade but I knew a surprising amount of them. Loved this!

[@dorisartman]

This brought back the memories of working at camp 💜

[@sheilamcphee1737]

The later half of this decade found me pretty well every Sunday either on the piano, organ, or on the 'red mic' in the worship team - the person who would continue leading when the pastor went down to pray for people during the service. I can still play a lot of them, totally by memory. Great job! Loved it. There were only two I didn't know; the rest I have played many, MANY times.

[@Eelynntravelchannel]

Wow.. growing up as a 80s kid, this certainly brought back memories

[@GrandmasGoneGamingLW]

Fabulous! I think there were only two songs in there that I didn't know. It was so much fun singing along and enjoying the transitions! Again...FABULOUS! Thank you, David! 😀

[@VavaNerva]

Thank you! I loved hearing you sing these songs! They were the ones I learned after I became a born again Christian and they are really special to me.

[@williamwoods8765]

Hello Minerva

[@MomAJ4]

Fantabulous as I knew it would be.....Well done!!! Bonus for me, I knew them all! Makes me wanna put together an 80's Praise & Worship music night. 😍

[@fancy8763]

I loved it!! The 80s was the best

[@michaelpaulsministry]

Yeah!!!!! Awesome thems my jams Hallelujah!!!!! 😊💖🙌

[@chrisdunn7641]

Wow, what a true gift from God you are. This music takes me back to my Nazarene church I went to in elementary and junior high. I would love to hear an evolution of 1990's worship and or Vineyard worship

[@andrewworrall4302]

those were such powerful songs. I miss singing them on a Sunday

[@evelynnkechibigazzi8592]

Thank you for your labour of love

[@karenswartz8280]

This made my ❤️ happy today. A lovely reminder of the time in my life when I was a “baby” Christian. These contemporary songs were a huge part of that walk. I have many, many cd’s ( yes, I still listen to them), and love to play them. Another stellar job, David! And how cool that an actual artist/ writer reached out to you! Maybe there will be some sort of collaboration in the future. Thank you for being a blessing to so many!

[@callielinn9115]

I wish there was a button to keep the songs going that I like! This was so enjoyable. Thank you

[@jonbock4853]

I felt like I was back at Youth Camp! Thank you.

[@dawnmichelle4403]

Wow! Brought back sooo many memories! My church was a little behind the times, too, but we eventually caught up, lol. It was great hearing Keith Green followed shortly by Steve Green. And the two Amy Grant songs I just loved in junior high. 🥰

[@stixng]

Blast from the past! I enjoyed this!

[@jdbuss]

We had some great music in 80s.

[@NANA-ne1fl]

Hosanna in the highest! Praise Jesus ❤

[@trinitytabernacle2167]

Oh my goodness every song was a favorite of mine! The 1980s were the best time for praise of worship in my opinion. Thank you for doing this project. It was a blessing. God bless you 😇

[@julienorfolk3880]

Thank you so much for sharing. I found it and it reminded me of all the songs that I was able to sing as a missionary kid in Africa. It is also helping me through a difficult time with my dad in the dying process. Again I can’t put into words what this is meaning for me at this moment.

[@DavidWesley]

Glad to be of service.🤗

[@aarontranes5053]

Soundtrack to my childhood! Thanks!

[@leebrubacher3141]

What a trip down memory lane! So well done David!

[@claytonsmith6148]

As an 80's teenager these songs definately resonate with me, and awsome memories worshiping God! My favorite Christian band of all time is Petra, with the powerful lyrics written by Bob Hartman, and dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ. They always had a worship song on their albums, too include a couple of albums dedicated to worship. Most of the songs you did here, they also did in their style of course. It was alway's awsome to see when they did their live concerts, with powerful songs to challenge, and encourage you. Plus a whole set of just worship, it was always an excellent balance. Petra celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2022, and have been doing a mini-tour the lasr year and a half. It would awsome for you to do a colage of Petra songs in the way you've done these others? God bless you, and your family.

[@judithgratitude7098]

Beautiful ❤️❤️ I’m glad I know a good number of them 😃 🙏🏾 Can’t wait for the 90’s.

[@nehemiahsart9680]

Outstanding, I loved this so much. I grew up during the Jesus movement down at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. Then I moved up to rural Humboldt County to a smaller church and this is where I remember all of these songs. You did a masterful job. Please continue!

[@rridersofrohan]

it made me so happy to hear “as the deer”! i’ve had that on repeat for a while and it’s really spoken to me

[@taaron5595]

I’m going to keep commenting because I can’t even state enough how much I love this!!!❤

[@dessiplaer]

Always a treat to listen to your arrangements!

[@dekev7503]

I was born in 92 but recognised some of these songs.

[@cindyquattrocelli8863]

Thank you. This was so appreciated! I had forgotten many of these wnderful songs. I was born again in 1983, so these songs are very precious to me. Good memeories!

[@cg0825]

I did not realize some of these were so old. I didn't grow up Christian but when I became a believer I remember learning many of these

[@martinnystrom1685]

Wow David! That was amazing! Such a sweet reminder of a powerful decade in the flow of contemporary worship. Thank you for including a snippet from As the Deer. You certainly were aptly named. May you always be a "David" and enjoy rich communion with Jesus.

[@DavidWesley]

Wait a minute - are you THE Martin Nystrom? I had toyed with the idea of contacting the songwriters to see if they wanted to be in the video to hold up year cards. I thought I could swing at least one (Brian Doerksen), but I guess this medley is reaching farther than I thought!

[@martinnystrom1685]

@@DavidWesley Yes, I am he. I was song development manager at Integrity Music in the late 80s/early 90s, so most of these songs I have history with. If they were your childhood, they were my 30 somethings. I was blessed to know/meet many of the writers of this collection. Thank you for honoring them with this medley. It is done with such excellence. I have enjoyed many of your videos in the past year. You may know my friend Tom Brooks if you are associated with Saddleback. God's choice blessings on you and your ministry. - Marty

[@DavidWesley]

I’m honoured to “meet” you! My connection with Saddleback was just for the one project two years ago, but it was great to meet some fantastic people there. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in partnering up for a virtual choir version of As The Deer.

[@blindvision4703]

@@DavidWesley now there’s an idea! Bet this is unique. Not every project you meet one of your songwriting heroes, no?

[@DavidWesley]

@@blindvision4703 Are you forgetting Brian Doerksen?🤣

[@heidigeib2660]

Thank you so much for sharing. I remember almost all of those. I was singing along with the video.

[@TheBibleWithTina]

You never fail to impress. God bless you.

[@claudiacastenir9605]

I so look forward to your videos. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Kingdom.

[@joseadangarcia60]

Impressive! Thank you, David Wesley. The Lord bless you.

[@klaas9305]

Well done! God bless you for your labours David!

[@lisawells6051]

These songs were so powerful, simple, but so worshipful!

[@barbaracarter8384]

Thank you , thank you. Listening from California. God bless you David.

[@rubyfierrorf]

i could listen for worship, CHRISTMAS or anytime i will keep this on SAVE!!!!

[@sharonb.7867]

That's my music 🎶! Thank you for all your hard work 💜!

[@GraphicJ]

So beautiful, we’re in a road trip and I and my family love this. Just wish I had a playlist of all these songs.

[@hannekedeurwaarder]

Yessss! I was thinking the same, would listen and sing along to this non stop! Thak you for another beautiful video!

[@lisamiller9216]

Oh gosh, talk about worship. Thank you so much.

[@edwardfarnsworth5915]

I remember so many of these! We have a special name for these in our village church in Appalachia. We call them "90's Worship."

[@janiceandreyka4902]

Praise God !! thank you for this medley !!

[@kathrynnewhall5687]

The pleasant look on the face holding the dates is hysterical! I can just see the thought process: Again, O Lord?

[@jaybeliever1479]

Talk about bringing back memories! I was the director at a Christian camp during those years and almost all of those songs were regular occurrences there. Thanks!

[@lizacabrera2511]

Wow, I was smiling throughout the video. My Christian childhood just flashed before my eyes! I remembered having this playlist on our CD player and my Dad's mp3. How nostalgic. Feels great to be hearing these songs again.

[@billragan8949]

How Marvelous!!

[@mattman467]

“…to be honest it did take my church a couple of extra years for these songs to catch on.” Yes!!! These would have been songs from my childhood, too, but I don’t remember hearing them in church until well into the 90’s!! 😂

[@marcasmacleoid8041]

Wow, outstanding work, David, what a gift! I grew up in a sect where we only sang Psalms, so, believe it or not, I didn't hear or learn these songs until the early 2000s.

[@JimmyCoates18926]

Between private Christian school and church, these were definitely the soundtrack to my childhood!

[@christianbrydges3620]

Growing up in a main-line church here in Canada I never heard these songs until I started attending the Wesleyan church in the mid 1990's. Didn't know them all - 14 of 25 I could sing though tonight. Thank you David for your ministry in music. Peace. Christian

[@DavidWesley]

Perhaps the songs that survived the culling will be more familiar.

[@christianbrydges3620]

@@DavidWesley my wife grew up on the evangelical church knew them all. I’m in for some education 🤭

[@debbienorman1308]

David you help me draw neat to God!!! God bless you!!!!!

[@Kblog777]

I was born again in a Vineyard church in 2003. Several of the lates 80s songs were in regular rotation back then.

[@SantaFe19484]

I remember almost all of these songs, but they were sung in the 90s for me. I was too young to remember the 80s. You forgot an important one from the 80s, What A Mighty God We Serve.

[@DavidWesley]

No way I could get all of them! Actually, that song wasn’t written in the 80’s…

[@iaai6195]

Best.music.ever!!!! Now i only have to put together the actual playlist for a perfectly happy time!

[@marilynleslie472]

Some of these songs I didn’t recognize, but many others were old favorites.

[@amyahogen1]

Born in 1980 :) I rarely comment on videos, but this totally madey day and brought back sooo many memories! Thank you!!!!

[@kevinsemenjuk]

Fabulous job piecing this together David! Brings back some good memories!