Tye Tribbett’s gift and flair for writing, selecting and performing music that captivates listeners— young and old, has catapulted him to multiple #1 singles, albums, and digital tracks. His churchy-rocked-out style of performing delivers a range from spectacular dance moves to on-your-face worship.
The Summer 2024 “Only One Night Tho” Tour follows a series of events that have kept Tribbett in the headlines. In November 2023, an accident resulted in a gash to his face during the Reunion Tour. In March 2024, while speaking on the popular syndicated radio show, “The Breakfast Club,” Tribbett made the statement, “The Church should be about the people, but the Church makes the people about the Church. They’re not serving and loving the people,” adding “The institution of Church is whack.”
The statement drew the vitriol of many, including several pastors and gospel artists. Ironically, Tye is not just an artist, he’s also a pastor. He and his wife, Shante’ are lead pastors at the Live Church (pronounced like I “live” in Atlanta). So, how does a pastor criticize the structure he’s a part of? Here’s what Tye had to say:
The Journey to Becoming a Pastor
My dad was a pastor in Jersey. Before him, my grandmother [was a pastor]. For about a year, I served as a youth pastor at a church in Houston. [After that,] we decided on Orlando. About a year after we moved there, we started with interest group meetings. I knew I was called to pastor for a very long time, but coming from the music industry, I didn’t want a whole lot of fans or concert heads or people with a groupie mentality. So, we just started out with basic meetings, sharing vision, sharing my heart, and sharing our core values for the ministry. I wanted to let people know that I’m serious about the word of God. I’m serious about the ministry of God, and I’m serious about the people of God. So, I really wanted to aggressively establish that in the beginning.
From there, we began to select people to sign up for certain things, and we began to develop teams and structure. Gaining trust with people was a process. I had to see who was really serious and who just wanted the spotlight. Then, Matt Crouch was like, ‘Hey, man! Do you guys want to use the Holy Land? [Theme Park in Orlando, owned by TBN] So our church was in the Holy Land!
When we got that building, we had so many prophets, and prophetic unctions! (laughs) So we had to weed out and separate the wheat from the tare. But thank God, I feel like we landed on the real ones.
(In 2021, after 14 years of operation, TBN sold the Holy Land property during the COVID pandemic to Advent Health Services.)
After they sold the building we were in, we were out at hotels and just trying to figure it out to see where God was leading us. For a while, we used the church of a friend, and then we went online. But thank God, we closed on a building, and we got the keys on Easter Sunday (2024)!
Although they secured the building, they didn’t go in right away. “We have like town hall meetings and prayer nights. I love that because it’s about the heart and not the hype. We’re building the “heart” of the ministry.”
Disappointment with the “Whack” Music Industry and the Church
When I came into the music industry, I was just very green. I was unaware as to how the business works. I was coming from my family, and the Pentecostal church into the music industry. I started with the “Prince of Egypt” soundtrack (1998).
So, my first layer of disappointment was the realization that it is a business. I hated that! I thought the gospel process was more about ministry and caring and loving people, but it’s about numbers, politics, money, and all that stuff. And that’s… Whack! I don’t want to get in trouble again. But that’s the word I use. To me it’s whack.
I understand now that it’s business, but I, I don’t enjoy it. It is challenging to remain pure. It is challenging to remain godly or holy. To be in the music industry, specifically gospel music industry, and the same structure and systems as any other genre just made that realization very frustrating to me. For example, take the number one song on radio. It’s not the most impactful song that really touched people’s hearts. Its whatever campaign is behind it and whatever muscle is behind it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I thank God for the provision and the money. I am not doing so many things for free. A workman is worthy of his hire! However, I am very serious about the ministry aspect of my music. It’s just the dichotomy there. That’s a paradox.
With the Church, it’s really the same thing. I love the people of God. I do have a church. I don’t use the church to make money. I don’t use the church to be famous. And I speak humbly because I thank God that I had a certain level of success before starting our church. To be honest, I don’t know how I would be, had I not been that known and had a church. I don’t know if that drive would be in me.
I understand systems, and I understand order. I am not against any of that. Nothing can function without order and systems. However, I believe a lot of the systems that were created do not serve the people first. They serve the visionary’s needs more than it serves the needs of the people.
What are you most excited about in the coming season?
I’m really excited about what I believe will happen at these [upcoming] tours. I see them as “encounters.” I’m literally going for an exchange. Since we’re able to meet back in public now, there should be an exchange of love, and of testimonies. Now that the pandemic has lifted, we have the advantages of fellowship. What are those advantages? If we come back and still have bitterness and strife and offense, we did not learn the lesson of the pandemic. I’m most excited about the exchanges that will happen.
I’m intentionally going for the spirit of freedom. Freedom is my lean; freedom is my anointing. Freedom is my calling. People say, I love your energy, Tye. It’s really the spirit of freedom.
I’m going on tour with the intent of freedom each city. I’m like, Lord, what’s the stronghold? What’s the problem? What’s the giant that this David is coming against in this region?
I’m leaning heavily on the spirit of the Lord to saturate not just the building, but the region and bring freedom to oppressed minds. People can’t even sleep at night that believe in God. People are heartbroken that have faith in God. People don’t have their ends met, but they go to church. So, what’s the veil keeping us from going from one level to the next? Freedom! That’s my prayer.