Global Worship That Feels Like Home
The Worldwide Worship Studio is helping the global Church sing in its own culture & language.
The Story of SEND missionaries Joel & Kara Barkman
Joel Barkman grew up as a missionary kid in Japan, surrounded by music. After starting off with classical piano lessons, he really connected with music after getting into ragtime and jazz, eventually picking up guitar, trumpet, and bass. He went on to study Music Composition and Bible at Moody Bible Institute, where he sensed a strong call to use his gifts in full-time ministry.
Kara, an artist with a heart for missions, studied art at K-State. The two met in Kansas while preparing to serve overseas and married in 2013, united by a shared vision of using their creative gifts to serve the Church.
While serving in Spain, Joel and Kara began noticing a pattern — one that would shape their future ministry. In many local churches, worship music had been imported. Locally written songs were rare, and when they did exist, they often lacked the tools or support to be shared more widely.
“One of the reasons that locally written worship music is so important is that it really shows that Jesus is for everyone,” Joel says.
“If we go into a people group and say Christianity isn’t a Western culture — it’s not a Western religion that we’re exporting — but then all the songs we sing are translated from English, it sends a contrasting message. How much more powerful would it be if we could help them develop worship in their style and language that sounds like the songs they’re already singing, using the instruments they’re already used to?”
That vision became the foundation for the Worldwide Worship Studio, a new initiative launched in 2023 with the support of the SEND community.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person gatherings, Joel began learning music production. Even after the Lord led their family back to Kansas, the door stayed open to continue serving the global Church through a studio-based ministry. Today, Joel partners with churches and Christian artists around the world to help them create worship music rooted in their own culture.
And thanks to the generosity of the SEND community, the Worldwide Worship Studio offers these services completely free to those who need them most.
The result? Worship that feels personal. Worship that feels like home.
Joel shared the story of one elderly German woman living in the U.S. who had grown spiritually in English-speaking churches for years. When she heard the German worship song “Ich wähle dich” ("I Choose You") by David Neufeld on the Europe Praise & Worship 2024 album, she was overwhelmed.
For the first time, she experienced the depth and beauty of praising God in her mother tongue. It was an emotional experience, and she asked to pass her gratitude on to the songwriter for such a meaningful and powerful gift.
This is the kind of impact SEND partners make possible by supporting ministries that strengthen the global Church and reflect the beautiful diversity of God’s people worldwide. Thank you for helping bring this incredible ministry to life.
"One of the reasons that locally written worship music is so important is that it really shows that Jesus is for everyone" (Joel Barkman).
