With songs being played in some 175 countries and a YouTube channel with more than 14 million views last year, Yancy Richmond — “Yancy” to her preteen audiences — is having a positive influence on children and their families around the world with upbeat songs centered around the gospel.
As she performs concerts and leads worship for ministry events, Yancy hopes to connect with all generations through energetic songs and engaging conversation.
For more stories at your doorstep, subscribe to The Baptist Paper.
ALSO, SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
“I want kids to know that learning about Jesus, worshipping Him and going to church can be fun,” she said. “I want them to have a passion for worship and realizing it’s a way we can engage and respond to God and all He has done. I also love to encourage kids and families to make Jesus ‘loud’ in their life every day.”
While developing resources for both church and home, Yancy wants to help children connect song lyrics with solid, biblical truths. In conjunction with the songs, she has developed Heartbeat Worship Curriculum, a five-lesson series designed to help preteens understand the importance of worship in a relatable way.
“Kids will engage in worship when they understand the purpose of worship,” Yancy asserted.
Her songs are inspired by life experiences and other things she hopes will resonate with children and point them to God’s Word as their source of guidance, direction and truth.
“Often when I’m writing for kids, I determine a biblical concept I want to write about and then start the creative process of figuring out how to break down that concept in a way that’s fun and they can relate to,” Yancy said. “Just like a parent cutting up the food on their child’s plate … the steak is the same for the parent and the child. It’s just the bite-size piece that’s different. When I have the biblical concept established it helps me draw a box and then figure out how to make it be something special kids will enjoy.
“I’ve been making music a long time so I’m often writing or arranging by thinking about the live aspect, such as ‘How will this song work live?’ and ‘What is needed to engage people?’”
For all ages
Desiring to help encourage and equip Next Gen worship leaders, Yancy has created a coaching program called Chorus, which provides the option for training either virtually in a small group or in-person training in a retreat setting in Nashville, Tennessee, with other musicians.
Yancy also noted her songs have been aimed at adding elements of the things kids love as well as things adults value. Along the way she has garnered numerous accolades including multiple Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association. She also has taught workshops at various children’s ministry conferences around the country.
In addition to writing her own songs and performing concerts, Yancy has penned award-winning songs for fellow contemporary Christian recording artists and co-written numerous songs with Third Day’s lead singer Mac Powell.
Yancy also has written, “Sweet Sound: The Power of Discipling Kids in Worship,” which cites examples from the life of King David and her own personal experiences of leading worship. The book is designed to help encourage parents with practical tips and insights as they disciple their children, and help them discuss what it means to pursue a lifestyle of worship on a daily basis — not just Sunday mornings.
Desiring to take a multi-generational approach to worship, Yancy does concerts geared for families as she tours the country.
“A lot of times I get to be a kid’s first concert and be a part of families creating memories together which I love,” Yancy said.
Beautiful things, broken seasons
She recently created a podcast called Stained Glass Kids, featuring conversations with pastor’s children and ministry kids about brokenness, transformation and God’s redeeming power.
“Just like a piece of mosaic art, I’ve learned firsthand that God does make beautiful things out of the most broken seasons of our lives,” Yancy said. “We all have a story to tell.”
She frequently hears testimonies from parents about the positive impact her songs are making on the lives of their children, which continues to encourage her.
“There’s truly so much I love,” she said. “I love getting to create in the studio and bring to life what I can hear in my head. I also love getting to do live events. Interacting with the people that push ‘play’ on the music and hearing their own stories and testimonies is the sweetest gift.”
One experience that “changed me was getting a call a few years ago about a preteen boy who had been killed in a car accident along with his dad,” Yancy recalled. “Only a few months earlier he was at a camp where I led worship and fell in love with my song, ‘Super Wonderful.’ They were asking me to sing it at his funeral.”
Yancy said she realized then she hadn’t been “thinking students wouldn’t be alive a few months later.”
She noted life-altering moments like those led her to somber reflection, reminding her of the need to press on toward the goal of leading others to Christ.
“It shook me up, and since then, I never take for granted a stage I get to stand on … every song and time on stage matters. We imagine that a child’s whole life is ahead of them, but sometimes it’s not. The decisions they make to know and serve Jesus are so crucial. I want to steward those opportunities well.”
