Empowering Christian Songwriters Worldwide

About NCS

Nashville Christian Songwriters (NCS) empowers Christian songwriters worldwide and seeks to train 1,000 new songwriters by the end of 2025 . NCS was founded in 2015 by veteran songwriter, publisher, and Christian music industry professional, John Chisum (Integrity Music/Star Song Media).

Our Mission

Founded upon the biblical mandate to “go into all the world to make disciples” (Matthew 28:16 – 20), NCS seeks to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ “one great song at a time” by equipping its members and anyone interested to write at their best and to freely and effectively communicate the love of Jesus in their own language and context.

Equipping all skill levels

NCS equips and supports songwriters of all levels of experience, from those just beginning their songwriting journey to those seasoned in their profession. 

Every songwriter wants to be heard. NCS was created to help you hone your craft and help you strengthen your unique message. Join the song revolution to spread the Gospel by becoming the writer God created you to be.

Inspire | Equip | Connect

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ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

John Chisum

John Chisum is one of Christian music’s veteran songwriters and industry executives. He and his young wife, Donna, moved to Nashville in late 1983 to take a church job that ultimately fell through and they experienced a brief season of homelessness. Within a few months, however, a mutual acquaintance introduced him to industry legend Gary McSpadden (The Bill Gaither Trio) who signed the unproven songwriter to a new Gaither company, Ariose Music.

In his first year under the mentorship of McSpadden and Gaither, Chisum had almost twenty of his own songs recorded by national artists and was hired as a “song plugger” for the company to represent the growing catalog of songs and its songwriters to recording artists, music industry personnel, and producers.  Ariose Music became a powerhouse publishing group in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s until the company merged with Star Song Media and later merged with industry giant, Capitol/EMI.

John Chisum

Chisum was promoted to Vice-President of Publishing at Star Song Media, a position he held until 1992 when he became Director of Song Development and Copyright for Integrity Media. At Integrity Media, John managed a roster of eighteen full-time writers and functioned as A&R oversight for over 200 products distributed in over 200 countries.

After holding these positions and with over 400 of his own songs appearing on records and in print, as well as scoring numerous Top Ten and #1 songs, Chisum took a hiatus from the industry to become an internationally-loved worship leader and teacher, traveling over one-million miles to date encouraging believers and teaching on songwriting and worship leading. His songs appear in hymnals and are woven into the fabric of worshiping churches worldwide.

John also took this time to complete an undergraduate in Liberal Arts from the University of South Alabama and a Masters of Arts in Worship Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and served as interim Worship Pastor for three mega churches ranging from Sacramento, California, to Chicago, Illinois, before becoming a full-time Worship Pastor for a multi-site church in the Grand Rapids area from 2010 – 2014.

John Chisum is one of Christian music’s veteran songwriters and industry executives. He and his young wife, Donna, moved to Nashville in late 1983 to take a church job that ultimately fell through and they experienced a brief season of homelessness. Within a few months, however, a mutual acquaintance introduced him to industry legend Gary McSpadden (The Bill Gaither Trio) who signed the unproven songwriter to a new Gaither company, Ariose Music.

In his first year under the mentorship of McSpadden and Gaither, Chisum had almost twenty of his own songs recorded by national artists and was hired as a “song plugger” for the company to represent the growing catalog of songs and its songwriters to recording artists, music industry personnel, and producers.  Ariose Music became a powerhouse publishing group in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s until the company merged with Star Song Media and later merged with industry giant, Capitol/EMI.

Chisum was promoted to Vice-President of Publishing at Star Song Media, a position he held until 1992 when he became Director of Song Development and Copyright for Integrity Media. At Integrity Media, John managed a roster of eighteen full-time writers and functioned as A&R oversight for over 200 products distributed in over 200 countries.

After holding these positions and with over 400 of his own songs appearing on records and in print, as well as scoring numerous Top Ten and #1 songs, Chisum took a hiatus from the industry to become an internationally-loved worship leader and teacher, traveling over one-million miles to date encouraging believers and teaching on songwriting and worship leading. His songs appear in hymnals and are woven into the fabric of worshiping churches worldwide.

John also took this time to complete an undergraduate in Liberal Arts from the University of South Alabama and a Masters of Arts in Worship Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and served as interim Worship Pastor for three mega churches ranging from Sacramento, California, to Chicago, Illinois, before becoming a full-time Worship Pastor for a multi-site church in the Grand Rapids area from 2010 – 2014.

In early 2015, John and Donna returned "home" to Nashville where he formed Nashville Christian Songwriters, a coaching and resource company dedicated to “empowering Christian songwriters worldwide.”

In early 2015, John and Donna returned “home” to Nashville where he formed Nashville Christian Songwriters, a coaching and resource company dedicated to “empowering Christian songwriters worldwide.” In a very short time, Chisum has grown NCS to include its first 12-hour instructional video series, a roster of clients across America and Canada participating in his Mastering the Art & Craft of Christian Songwriting “boot camp,” a burgeoning Facebook presence with a highly active group called Successful Christian Songwriters with over 17,000 members on the NCS Facebook fan page.

Chisum and his team also launched KINGDOM SONGWRITERS ACADEMY in August 2021 as a high-quality Christian songwriters community offering exclusive curated podcasts & Masterclasses, training materials, live pop-up sessions, and articles geared to fulfill their imperative to equip and inspire Christian songwriters worldwide to fulfill their calling to write world-changing Gospel-centered songs.

The flagship NCS podcast is called Song Revolution with John Chisum and is available on iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, podbay.fm, and on nashvillechristiansongwriters.com. The weekly show features interviews with artists, producers, industry personnel, and Chisum’s own brand of teaching and encouragement for aspiring songwriters. Launched April 1, 2017, the show has already garnered over 150,000 downloads and has grown to 150 episodes heard in 165 countries to date.

For interviews, appearances, or more information, contact John at john@nashvillechristiansongwriters.com

John understands what makes a great song. His experience, wisdom, and passion are a great foundation for the classes and songwriting sessions he offers through Nashville Christian Songwriters. No matter the level of songwriter, or the audience for which they’re writing, John has very practical and timeless tips to further any artist down their songwriting journey.
John Chilcote
Director Worship Arts, Nebraska Christian College
John's insights into writing songs that impact listeners are some of the most powerful you'll find anywhere. His deep knowledge and experience in managing some of the top songwriters in Christian music will immediately change the way you approach your next song and propel you into the best songwriting of your life!
Branon Dempsey
CEO, Founder & Training Director Worship Team Training
John Chisum has helped us to balance on the fine line between lyrical depth, relevance, and marketability. He has encouraged us tremendously while challenging us to dig deeper and take more risks to be the best songwriters we can be!
Drakeford
Singer-Songwriters
Nashville Christian Songwriters has been a blessing and an encouragement to me. Mr. Chisum is an excellent coach, teacher and communicator...His industry experience, bootcamp, and live critiques brought to light certain aspects of my writing that was holding me back from my best and now my writing is improving with each and every new song that I write. John is an excellent resource for any serious Christian songwriter.
David Bullock
Client