When David Ryan Cook graduated from Southeastern University in Lakeland Florida, it was clear his education was just beginning. The musician and worship leader felt himself drawn to the land Down Under, Australia, where he would learn from one of the great worship movements of our time, Hillsong, as part of its international ministry school. 

And that was as far as his expectations could take him. Surprise became the name of the game thereafter, as Cook found himself joining the Hillsong staff, serving as the week-in, week-out worship leader while the household names (Taya Smith among them) traveled the globe. 

He got married, had a son, and then, more surprises. His alma mater was looking for a worship pastor, and came calling--ultimately leading the Cooks back to Florida.

Now, he's taking the lessons he's learned and sharing them with the next generation of worshippers as part of the school-based collective, SEU Worship. Armed with fresh, passionate praise songs, killer production and all the energy of the pogoing Aussies, this rotating group of motivated students is at once beginning the lifelong study of leading others to the throne room, while teaching scores of people what it looks like to poignantly praise God. 

I asked Cook seven questions about his time at Hillsong, and how that plus the special worship culture at SEU has resulted in something special (beyond even the phenomenal self-titled national debut). 
 
You attended SEU and then was on staff at the City campus of Hillsong in Sydney. Now you're back in Lakeland. How have your experiences fed into what you're doing now? 

My time at Hillsong taught me the value of excellence when it comes to ministry. The on-platform activity doesn't make sense unless the people of the church as well as your team members are being pastored off-platform with excellence. In coming to SEU, my desire was to bring a level of excellence not just in the craft of worship, songwriting, and leading, but also in people feeling like they belong. People should know that they matter most to the team because of who they are, not because of what they do. 

What's the most important thing you picked up from Hillsong that you bring into what you do at SEU? 

My greatest takeaway from the culture of Hillsong was to have the heart to serve before you ever have the opportunity to lead. Instilling this into the heart of my students at SEU is important because we are raising up and training the next generation of worship leaders that will be released into the local church. If they can grasp this concept now, it will save them for the future as they know their identity is found in Christ rather than having opportunities serve them. 

What's the worship climate like at SEU, and the spiritual climate in general? 

The worship climate at SEU is so rare in that I have never seen a college campus so vibrant and hungry to experience God through worship. I've seen it at conferences like Passion, Hillsong or various gatherings set up for college students but I've never seen it so embedded into the worship culture on the campus. (I'm definitely not biased.) 
 
Talk about the people involved in SEU Worship. It's an extracurricular activity on campus, made up of real students juggling credits, other jobs, etc. What are the unique challenges and opportunities that come from that?

The students that make up what is SEU Worship are an absolute gift. They are what brings the edge to what makes this such a special movement. From our sound to our writing and to our culture, there is such a sense of joy about how they create and contribute to this program. The demand that comes with being a part of this is very high in terms of time, service, and energy and sometimes it's an absolute miracle to me that they are able to do what they do. However, the high capacity that they have developed turns into a high level at which they lead. There is always a constant tension between how much I would like them to be involved with what we do and what their responsibility to their academics requires. All in all, I think this is what sets this apart and gives our students the greatest college experience that is out there. 

How long has SEU Worship been a thing at the University? Who started it, and how has it changed since it started?

SEU Worship began in 2012 and was the product of the vision of then-campus pastor Andrew Gard and campus worship pastor Chase Wagner. The most noticeable change since its inception has been the progression of its sound. From where it's started as a collective of students songs and sounds, it has now progressed more into a development of a brand that is honing in on its signature sound. 

How and when does the group lead worship? In what contexts?

SEU Worship is made up of five teams that are on a weekly rotation to facilitate the four chapel experiences that take place every week on our campus. Annually we write, record, and release a record that is made up of 100 percent original material. Throughout the year, we travel around the nation leading and ministering in various events and those teams are comprised of various members of our program. 
 
The new album is phenomenal. Who wrote it, produced it, etc.? How did you develop your sound? 

Foremost, thank you for your kind words. We are thrilled that you like it. I relocated back to the States in July of last year and was faced with the decision of whether to continue the annual album tradition or not, and I decided that it would be a mistake not to capitalize on the momentum of what the previous albums have built. So, we hit the ground running and began meeting with students and getting to know them and hearing about what God was up to in their lives. As a result of this, many of the songs that made the record were written out of these conversations.

We got away for a weekend at the beginning of the semester with some of our core writers and began to shape and mold the sound of the songs. It was at this retreat that we made the decision to unapologetically to create a sound that resonated with the demographic of our campus which is 18-25-year-olds. This is where the dance/pop/electronic sound came from. I was able to bring in a friend of mine from Sydney, Michael Fatkin (who produced Hillsong Young & Free) to produce the record, and his expertise took our project to the next level.

We are really proud of this record and we really believe that it is just the beginning of what is next for our students, our campus, and for a generation that is in need of a new song to sing.