In the hours following the release of Portland, Ore.-area worship leader Eric Kneifel's No Shadows, the worship leader was blown away to see his project climb to No. 8 on the iTunes Christian charts--ahead of Elevation Worship and Rend Collective, but just behind Lauren Daigle  and Chris Tomlin.

Though he lacks the massive promotional funds of his chart-topping contemporaries, Kneifel has stitched together a dedicated following from nearly 20 years of worship ministry, at a number of different churches in a bunch of different states. That worship community in turn rallied many new listeners to consider Kneifel's bright and theologically rich songs. 

So now, with No Shadows starting to turn up the volume on a national--maybe global--basis, we thought it high time to find out about this worship artist, and his passion in songwriting for the Church.

How'd you get your start musically? When did you start leading worship?

I learned to play guitar and started leading worship soon thereafter in my youth group in Seattle close to 20 years ago. I really had no idea what I was doing, as is the case with any beginner, but thankfully our youth pastor continually pushed me along, challenging and encouraging me through my mistakes and shortcomings. If it wasn't for his continual nudging, I never would have become a worship leader.

What are some things you've learned about worship leading over the years?

I think one of the biggest things I've learned is the importance of leading with authenticity. If we lead with humility and honesty, it shows others they can be vulnerable to share their burdens and pray for one another, leading to a true community of worship.

What's something you believe is happening in the Church with regard to worship?

It seems that several years ago, mainstream worship songs and culture centered around creating encounters or experiences with God. This was reflected in song lyrics at the time, church stage designs, and how churches formed their worship sets. We see a remnant of that today, but this seems to have shifted to a desire for more of an ongoing act of worship. For example, many more of today's worship songs include calls to action in lifting each other up or reaching out to the lost.

Do you have any self-imposed rules or guidelines when writing worship songs, based on your experience as a worship leader?

When I'm writing songs with the Church or our specific congregation in mind, I typically have a theme or melody in mind, but the song always begins with scripture. I need to make sure truth is the absolute foundation of every song I write for the Church. After a song is complete, I then scrutinize every lyric and phrase against God's Word and invite others in for critique. There are many creative directions we can take as songwriters, but there's an incredible added responsibility when I write words that others will be singing to our King.

You've led worship around the West Coast and Colorado for a long time. Where are you nowadays (church-wise)? How have the churches you've been in inspired you musically?

My wife and I are now part of a church body near Portland, Oregon, where I help lead worship on Sunday mornings, as well as direct the youth worship team. Over the years and moves between several states, I've been honored to serve in several different denominations along the way. Looking back, this has exposed me to a beautiful diversity of musicians and music styles which have all played a role in how I now write music. More importantly, being a part of so many different churches has given me so much hope and excitement to write for the Church, as I've seen a strong unity in people worshiping our God across denominations.

Talk about your heart--and the theme--behind No Shadows. 

The theme of the album reflects a desire to see the Church become filled with the light of Christ to the point where it fills every void of darkness in our lives, as described in Ephesians 5. In the glory of His light, our darkness dissipates, leaving no room for fear, sin, or shame. As stated in the title track, "there's a light that will leave no shadows."

What do you feel called to bring to the table musically and thematically as a worship artist? What's specific to Eric Kneifel?

My desire is to present new songs to the Church that challenge and encourage the body to worship through music and living daily for His glory. I write many congregational worship songs, but in each song I always think to myself how it encourages worship outside of that worship time. Perhaps it's a specific lyric or perhaps it's a melody that can carry with someone throughout the day, but ultimately I want the songs themselves to continue encouraging and building disciples for His kingdom.

When you lead worship for your church--or any church--what are you trying to do by the end of the set?

At our church, we try to follow the ACTS prayer mode--Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication--when planning our order of service and worship sets. Ultimately, we want to close our time together in reflection and submission to our God, which I believe encourages humility and sanctification that carries through the day and week ahead.

What's it like building a worship community in the Pacific Northwest? 

I love it. Between Seattle and Portland, the Northwest is one of the least religious-affiliated regions in the nation. Because there is a lot of polarity in beliefs in our area, it's much more difficult to be a lukewarm Christian, since we're continually being challenged either theologically, or with the idea that we're the only example of Christ to many people around us. This leads to a worship community that seems more genuine and ready to share the Gospel.

How can people be praying for you?

I'd love continual prayer for building up other worship leaders. Lately I've been very active with our church's youth group, with a goal to build young disciples who can lead worship, much like how I was encouraged and challenged many years ago as a youth.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Yeah, I'd love to share a few free songs from the new album No Shadows with the NRT community. Here's a link where people can download a few of my favorite tracks from the album.