Phil Joel

For over two decades, New Zealander Phil Joel has been a mainstay in Contemporary Christian music with his upfront role as bass player and vocalist for the Newsboys, and also as a solo artist with the works of his six solo CDs. Over the years, he has written 10 number one CCM hits and has been awarded six gold records and three Grammy nominations. January 2007 marked a new chapter for Phil after a...

For over two decades, New Zealander Phil Joel has been a mainstay in Contemporary Christian music with his upfront role as bass player and vocalist for the Newsboys, and also as a solo artist with the works of his six solo CDs. Over the years, he has written 10 number one CCM hits and has been awarded six gold records and three Grammy nominations.
  January 2007 marked a new chapter for Phil after announcing he would be stepping away from the Newsboys after thirteen years to focus on his growing desire for more hands-on ministry. Since then, he’s had the opportunity to perform, speak, and lead worship with ministries such as Focus On The Family, Winter Jam, Acquire The Fire, Harvest Crusades, Men At The Cross, and many churches throughout the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

His new band, Zealand Worship, is a new chapter that Phil is very excited and passionate about. "The focus isn’t on me or the band and I love it! Hopefully we can be a part of a fire-starter movement of worship that goes beyond the sparks of a corporate worship moment to where people experience and enjoy God everyday,” says Phil.

In 2005, Phil and his wife Heather began deliberatePeople, a ministry focused on communicating God’s desire for us to live in true relationship -- first with Him and then with those around us. A “deliberate person” is one that passionately pursues their personal, one-on-one relationship with the Lord everyday and is allowing that primary relationship to permeate all areas of their life.

This is the heartbeat of Phil’s message. Anytime he speaks (whether it be the main message delivered on a Sunday morning, a youth event, a men’s conference, or special ministry event), Phil weaves message, testimony, and music throughout his time of sharing, reaching people with a message that is relevant to every age and stage in life. The mission behind the message is to see people inspired to proactively seek the Lord and walk with Him in a new way -- ready, willing, and above all, “able” to move forward in their faith with a fresh hunger for more of God’s Word, power, and presence in their daily lives. Phil draws from his six solo albums and multiple Newsboys albums to communicate the story of a life radically changed by God.