While some of the biggest worship groups were intentionally started, others came as a surprise--a spontaneous worship movement birthed from the local church. They didn't necessarily set out to create a band or have hit songs. They were simply gathering together inside their communities with the goal of pursuing Christ.

One such group is UPPERROOM, and in honor of their incredible debut EP, Moments, we've created a list of seven spontaneous worship movements you need to know about.
 
While the names of these movements probably won't be as familiar to you as that of Bethel or Hillsong, their contribution to the genre is no less powerful or appreciated. Many of the worship collectives listed below have a more raw and organic sound than what you'll find on the radio these days, producing a refreshingly personal invitation and call to worship.

1. UPPERROOM
 
Dallas-based worship ministry UPPERROOM started in the creative Design District, with a calling to gather the Lord's people daily for corporate worship, praise, thanksgiving, adoration and intercession through song and scripture. After eight years of this intentional, constant assembly, people around the globe are singing their songs and around 100 vocalists, songwriters and musicians contribute their talents to leading people in worship three times a day, six days a week.

Spontaneous songs have erupted out of the gatherings, and that passion has been spread to people far and wide via YouTube--people that include Michael W. Smith, who fell in love with their song "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)." He not only recorded it for his latest worship album; it became his title track. This is further evidence that these powerful songs have much farther to go than meets the eye. Music fans got their first taste of this with the Moments EP. 

2. Iron Bell Music
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Iron Bell Music (comprised of Stephen McWhirter, Joel Gerdis and Josh Glauber) is a worship movement that began in 2009 as a small gathering in a home. The small gathering grew to become Iron Bell Ministries' Worship Nights that are now held in Iron Bell Barn with hundreds in attendance. From this movement, Iron Bell seeks to not just release songs, but also to help raise up worship leaders, songwriters and musicians for the Church. Led by a passion to craft music that cultivates a heart of adoration in listeners, Iron Bell Music's latest release God That Saves is a collection of well-known and original songs recorded live at one of their worship nights that invite listeners into a personal encounter with Christ. 
 
In the heart of downtown Atlanta circa 2009, a few hundred people came together to start a next generation church. Now seven years later, that church has morphed into a large community of almost 50 house churches, small gatherings in individual homes across the city. Through this house church movement, Housefires was born. More than just a church worship band, Housfires' name is an expression of what God is doing in places all over the world. With their mega worship hit "Good Good Father," two previous studio albums and their latest release Housefires III impacting the world, Housefires has become a huge blessing to the worldwide church.
 
4. WorshipMob
Nearly five years ago, WorshipMob began as a weekly gathering of two local worship teams in Colorado Springs. Founded by worship leaders Sean Mulholland and Garrett Chynoweth, WorshipMob has now morphed into a collective of 30 local churches with up to 80 leaders who meet together each week to worship, pray and encourage each other. With a goal of uniting believers from all different backgrounds and denominations under the banner of worshipping God in spirit and in truth, WorshipMob records and produces their music for everyone, providing free access to anyone who will listen. Their YouTube channel has upwards of 50,000 subscribers, with over 9 million views on their passionate and praise-filled videos capturing the heart of worship that this band is ready to share with the world.
 
5. United Pursuit 
Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee (though they originated in South Africa), United Pursuit Band is a collective of worship artists founded in 2006. Releasing their first recording in 2008, United Pursuit has gone on to produce seven studio and live albums with the mission of creating a culture of worship and an atmosphere that hosts the presence of God. The group gathers in a space near downtown Knoxville each week with the simple desire to commune together and with Christ. United Pursuit includes worship leaders Will Reagan, Nathan Fray and Michael Ketterer.
 
6. Mosaic MSC
Carrying the mission of Mosaic church founded in Los Angeles by Erwin McManus, Mosaic MSC paints a unique musical soundscape that that reflects the vibe and culture of their local church. The hope of MSC is that their music will be "like kerosene igniting a fire in the hearts of millions." With everything they do connecting people to Jesus, they strive for worship to open the hearts of those who have closed themselves off to God. The band released their first live album in 2015 and will release Glory & Wonder, a live worship album recorded in the heart of Hollywood with a sold-out crowd in attendance, later this month.
 
7. All About Worship
All About Worship is an online community created to equip, encourage and inspire worship leaders and songwriters in their crafts. A collection of writers and vocalists, All About Worship's website acts as a resource for worship teams by providing them with chord charts, podcasts, devotions and articles. Earlier this year, the All About Worship team released their debut album My Pursuit, composed of 10 brand new songs that were written with the local church in mind. Featuring the voices of Benji Cowert, Michael Farren, Alisa Turner and more, these tracks are simply authentic prayer conversations for the Church, gifting leaders with a new batch of songs for Sunday morning.